Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi (4 April 1889 – 30 January 1968), also called Pandit ji, was an Indian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

who is particularly remembered for his participation in India's national struggle for independence and his contribution to

Chhayavaad Chhayavad ( hi, छायावाद) (approximated in English as "Romanticism", literally "Shaded") refers to the era of Neo-romanticism in Hindi literature, particularly Hindi poetry, 1922–1938, and was marked by an increase of romantic and ...

, the Neo-romanticism movement of

Hindi literature Hindi literature ( hi, हिन्दी साहित्य, translit=hindī sāhitya) includes literature in the various Hindi language which have writing systems. Earliest forms of Hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃ� ...

. He was awarded the first

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

in Hindi for his work ''Him Tarangini'' in 1955. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 1963. For his works reinforcing Indian nationalism during the British Raj, he is referred to as the ''

Yug Charan Yug Charan ( IAST: Yuga Chāraṇa; Sanskrit: ) is an Indian title meaning ‘Charan of the Era’ for poets and litterateurs whose vivacious writings voice the nationalistic aspirations of the country. It may refer to: Literature * ''Yuga Ch ...

''.

Early life

Chaturvedi was born in a Babai village of

Narmadapuram district Narmadapuram district is one of the districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India, and Narmadapuram city is the district headquarters. Geography The district has an area of 5408.23 km². Narmadapuram district is bounded by the districts of R ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

on 4 April 1889. He became a schoolteacher when he was aged 16. Later, he was the editor of the nationalist journals ''Prabha'', Pratap and ''Karmaveer'', and was repeatedly incarcerated during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. After the Indian independence, he refrained from seeking a position in the government, instead continuing to speak and write against social evils and in support of an exploitation-free, equitable society as envisioned by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

Literary career

His noted works are ''Him Kirtini'' ( hi, हिम कीर्तिनी), ''Him Tarangini'' ( hi, हिम तरंगिणी), ''Yug Charan'' ( hi, युग चारण), and ''Sahitya Devata'' ( hi, साहित्य देवता), and his most noted poems are ''Venu Lo Gunje Dhara'' ( hi, वेणु लो गू़ँजे धरा), ''Deep Se Deep Jale'' ( hi, दीप से दीप जले), ''Kaisa Chhand Banaa Deti hai'' ( hi, कैसा छन्द बना देती है), ''Agnipath'' and ''Pushp ki Abhilaashaa'' ( hi, पुष्प की अभिलाषा).

Legacy

In his memory, the

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

(Madhya Pradesh Cultural Council) organizes the annual 'Makhanlal Chaturvedi Samaroh', since 1987, besides awarding the annual 'Makhanlal Chaturvedi Puraskar' for excellence in poetry by an Indian poet. The Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Vishwavidyalaya at

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

in Madhya Pradesh has been named in his honour.About Pt. Makhanlal Chaturvedi
Official website of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism.Foundation day speech
G.N. Ray, Official website of

Press Council of India The Press Council of India is a statutory, adjudicating organisation in India formed in 1966 by its parliament. It is the self-regulatory watchdog of the press, for the press and by the press, that operates under the Press Council Act of 1978., Q ...

References

External links

Makhanlal Chaturvedi at Kavita Kosh
(Hindi)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaturvedi, Makhanlal Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi Indian male journalists Hindi-language poets Hindi-language writers 1889 births 1968 deaths People from Hoshangabad Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education 20th-century Indian poets Indian male poets Journalists from Madhya Pradesh Poets from Madhya Pradesh 20th-century Indian male writers

Early life

Literary career

Legacy

See also

References

External links