Uday Prakash (born 1 January 1952) is a

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

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 w ...

, scholar,

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 journalis ...

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

and

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

writer from India. He has worked as administrator,

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

, researcher, and TV director. He writes for major dailies and periodicals as a

freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...

. He has also received several awards for his collection of short stories and poems. With ''Mohan Das'' he received Sahitya Academi Awards in 2011. He is the first author to return his Sahitya Akademi award on Sep 3, 2015 against the killing of M. M. Kalburgi that initiated a storm of national protests by writers, artists,scholars and intellectuals. .

Personal life

Background

Prakash was born on 1 January 1952, in the backward village of Sitapur,

Anuppur Anuppur is a City in northeastern Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Anuppur tehsil and Anuppur District. Previously, it was in Shahdol district. Geography Anuppur is located at . It has an av ...

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 second ...

, India. He was raised by and given primary education there by a teacher. (fro
Faces of the Millennium
.) He graduated in Science and obtained his master's degree in

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 Apabhraṃś ...

, receiving a Gold Medal from Saugar University in 1974. From 1975 to 1976, he was a research student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU); He was imprisoned as a passionate

communist party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...

member. He later lost interest in political ideology.

Career

In 1978 Prakash taught as an assistant professor at JNU, and its

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the f ...

''Center for Post Graduate Studies''. In 1980 he left

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, to become Officer-on-Special-Duty with the

Department of

Culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

. At the same time, he was Controlling Officer of the Bhopal Rabindra Bhawan, and assistant editor of ''Poorvagraha'', a journal of Hindi

literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. ...

. (He was later critical of the Hindi literary establishment including Ashok Vajpeyi, who he worked for at ''Poorvagraha''.) From 1982 to 1990, Prakash worked in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

newspapers; first as a subeditor of the Hindi news weekly ''Dinmaan'', and later as Assistant Editor of the ''Sunday Mail''. In 1987 becoming assistant professor at the School of Social Journalism (on deputation). In 1990 he joined ITV, (Independent Television), and became head of the '' PTI TV'' Concept and Script Department. Since 1993, he has been a full-time freelance writer. Prakash was the editor of the monthly

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

magazine ''"Eminence"'' (published in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

) until April 2000. He also participated in the international poetry festivals and seminars. He has also made documentary films with Sahitya Akademi, like on Dharamvir Bharti. Prakash returned his Sahitya Akademi award in 2015, to protest the murder of rationalist academic M. M. Kalburgi.

Bibliography

''Peelee Chhatri Wali Ladki'' (2001) is Prakash's best known, and longest continuous story. Often called a "novella", Prakash calls it "a long short story" – ''Cheeni Baba'' will be his "first

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

". His 2006

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) fact ...

''Mohan Das'' has been translated into English, seven Indian languages, – Other translations by: Haider Jafri Syed (Urdu), Yagyesh (

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

), Rabinder Singh Bath (Punjabi), Vanita Sawant ( Marathi), Manu Dash ( Oriya), R.P. Hegade (

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

), and Venugopalan (

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

) and adapted by the author for the "Mohandas" screenplay (2009). Poetry collections * ''Suno kārīgara'' (1980), ''Abootar Kabootar'' (1984), ''Raat Mein Harmonium'' (1998), ''EK Bhasha Hua Karati Hai'' (2009) Short story collections He is most famous as a short story writer, with well-known work like ''Warren Hastings ka Saand'', and its stage version by director Arvind Gaur. * ''Dariyayi Ghoda'' (1982), ''Tirichh'' (1990), ''Aur Ant Mein Prarthna'' (1994), - (Doktor Wakankar : Story of an Upright Hindu). The German Translation placed third by the international jury in the 2009 World Book Fair, Frankfurt, in the 'Best Seven' from Latin America, Africa and Asia category. * ''Paul Gomra Ka Scooter'' (1997)., ''Duttatrey Ke Dukh'' (2002) * ''Areba–Pareba'' (2006), (O
''"Areba Pareba"''
''Mangosil'' (2006) Non-fiction * ''Eeshwar Ki Aankh'' (critical writings, essays and interviews, 1999) * ''Nai Sadi Ka Panch Tantra'' (Essays, Comments and Criticism, 2008) * ''Apani Unaki Baat'' (Book of

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

s) Translations by Prakash Prakash has translated works by many International poets and writers into Hindi, including Pablo Neruda,

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

, H. Luis Borges,

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

, C.P. Cavafy, Adam Jędrzejewski, and

Tadeusz Różewicz Tadeusz Różewicz (9 October 1921 – 24 April 2014) was a Polish poet, playwright, writer, and translator. Różewicz was in the first generation of Polish writers born after Poland regained its independence in 1918, following the century of f ...

. Some notable examples: * ''Kala Anubhav'' : An English book (''Art Experience'') on

Indian Aesthetics Indian art evolved with an emphasis on inducing special spiritual or philosophical states in the audience, or with representing them symbolically. Rasas in the performing arts The theory of rasas still forms the aesthetic underpinning of a ...

by Prof. Hariyanna (1982). * ''Amritsar : Indira Gandhi Ki Aakhiri Ladai'' 1985 (translated from ''Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's

Last A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts typically come in pairs and have been made from various materials, including hardwoods, cast iron ...

Battle''). *

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production a ...

's '' Inde'' : Two volumes (from

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

) * ''Lal Ghas Par Neele Ghode'': A Russian

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

by Mikhail Shatrov, 1988. (Converted into a

Teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...

) * ''Ek Purush Dedh Purush'' : Translated Prasanna's

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native ...

play for the NSD repertory production, directed by

Ram Gopal Bajaj Ram Gopal Bajaj is an Indian theatre director, academician, and a Hindi film actor. He has also been a faculty member and a former Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi (1995 – September 2001). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2003 a ...

. His translation of

Milorad Pavić Milorad Pavić ( sr-Cyrl, Милорад Павић, ; 15 October 1929 – 30 November 2009) was a Serbian novelist, poet, short story writer, and literary historian. Born in Belgrade in 1929, he published a number of poems, short stories ...

's novel ''Landscape painted with tea'' is forthcoming. Translations of Prakash's work He is read in all Indian languages, and his translated fiction regularly features in English and German collections,

magazines A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...

, and complete texts: # ''Rage, Revelry and Romance'' : Translated by Robert Hueckstedt, 2003 # ''Der Goldene Gürtel'' : Translated by Lothar Lutze, 2007 # ''Short shorts, long shots'' : Translated by Robert Hueckstedt and Amit Tripurnaini # ''The Girl With the Golden Parasol'' : Translated by Jason Grunebaum, published by

Penguin India Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

, 2008. (Grunebaum received a 2005 PEN grant for the translation.). It is available in other languages, including three separate

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' and German. # ''Doktor Wakankar. Aus dem Leben eines aufrechten Hindus'' : Prize-winning translation of ''Aur Ant Mein Prarthana'' Translated into German (by Andre Penz). #'' The Walls of Delhi'' : Translated to English by Jason Grunebaum, 2012. A collection of three stories.
Mohandas
Translated to Maithili by Vinit Utpal, 2013, published from

Sahitya Academy 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 ...

, New Delhi, India

Films and media

'Sahitya Akademi film's on writers Prakash has produced several films about important Hindi writers such as

Ram Vilas Sharma Ram Vilas Sharma (10 October 1912 – 30 May 2000) was a progressive literary critic, linguist, poet and thinker. He was born in Unchgaon Sani, Unnao District, Uttar Pradesh. In a career spanning nearly five decades, Sharma authored over 50 b ...

. In an interview, Varun Grover, the lyricist of the 2015 movie

Masaan ''Masaan'' (; also known as ''Fly Away Solo'' in English) is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language independent drama film and starring Richa Chadda and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles. It is Kaushal's debut Hindi film, and is also the directorial debut of ...

, recounted that they had wanted to use one of Uday Prakash's compositions titled "Kuch ban jate hain" (from Abootar Abootar). The song was set to music, but at the end was not include in the film. Ultimately another song Tu rail si was used in its place (based on a poem by Dushyant Kumar).

Awards

*1980 Bharat Bhushan Agrawal Puraskar Awarded for the poe
"Tibet"
/ref> *1990 Shrikant Verma Memorial Award, for the short stories collections ''Tirich'' *1996 Muktibodh Samman, a National Award by Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Parishad for ''Aur Ant Mein Prathna''. *1999 Sahityakaar Samman, by the Hindi Akademi *2003 Pahal Samman. A prestigious award for contemporary literary contribution. *2009

SAARC Literary Award SAARC Literary Award is an annual award conferred by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature ( FOSWAL) since 2001 Shamshur Rahman, Mahasweta Devi, Jayanta Mahapatra, Abhi Subedi, Mark Tully, Sitakant Mahapatra, Uday Prakash, Suman Pokhrel ...

*2013

DSC Prize for South Asian Literature The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is an international literary prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality writing about South AsiaNote: South Asia for the purposes of the prize is defined as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka ...

, shortlist, ''The Walls of Delhi'' (Translated by Jason Grunebaum) *2013

Jan Michalski Prize for Literature Jan Michalski Prize for Literature (French: Prix Jan Michalski) is a Swiss literary prize for any work of fiction or non-fiction published anywhere in the world in any language. It is meant to recognize authors from around the world and world liter ...

, finalist, ''The Walls of Delhi''

References

External links

* *
Uday Prakash at Kavita Kosh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prakash, Uday 1952 births Film producers from Madhya Pradesh Indian male journalists Scholars from Madhya Pradesh Indian male poets Living people People from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Artist authors Journalists from Madhya Pradesh Poets from Madhya Pradesh Translators to English Translators to Hindi Translators from English Translators from Hindi Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi