Dharamvir Bharati

Born On: December 25, 1926
Born In: Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died On: September 4, 1997
Occupation: Novelist, Poet, Playwright
Nationality: Indian

The name Dharamvir Bharati brings to mind a collection of Hindi poems, plays and novels that are still used by the present generation for organizing stage plays and making films. Dharamvir Bharati is the greatest author in the world of Hindi literature. However, his contribution does not end there. Dharamvir Bharati was also a social thinker who believed in extending a helping hand towards the society. During his lifetime, Dharamvir Bharati had been the editor-in-chief of the famous Hindi magazine "Dharmayug". Some of his most famous writings "Gunahon Ka Devta", "Andha Yug" and "Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda" are referred to as classics today.

Early Life
Dharamvir Bharati was born on Christmas Day in the year 1926 in the city of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. His parents Chiranji Lal and Chanda Devi had two children, Dharamvir and his sister Veerbala. His father died at a very early age after they were hit by an acute financial crisis. Dharamvir continued to secure good results in his studies despite his personal loss and completed his master's degree in Hindi from the Allahabad University in the year 1946. It was in college itself that his talent in the Hindi language was identified by teachers who rewarded him with the 'Chintamani Ghosh Award' for scoring the top marks in Hindi during his session. Dharamvir started working immediately after completing college and it was only a few years later that he was able to complete his research work, thus getting the Ph. D degree.

Career
After completing his masters in Hindi, Dharamvir joined the "Abhyudaya" and "Sangam" magazines as the sub editor. After working for more than five years, Dharamvir started working on his thesis paper choosing to do a research work on Siddha Sahitya, under Dr Dhirendra Verma. When he earned his Ph. D degree in the year 1954, Dharamvir Bharati secured a position of lecturer in Hindi at the Allahabad University. While he continued to educate students in his alma mater, Dharamvir also utilized his free time to write his own poems, novels and plays. Reports claim that it was during this time that Dharamvir Bharati wrote the maximum part of his huge collection of poems and stories.

In the year 1960, Dharamveer quit his position from Allahabad University to shift base to Bombay where he became the chief editor of the popular Hindi magazine "Dharmayug". "Dharmayug" was the most widely selling Hindi language magazine in India during that point of time. It was published by the Times India Group. Dharamvir Bharati's stint with "Dharmayug" took the magazine to greater heights of popularity in the field of Hindi journalism. Dharamvir Bharati served under the magazine from 1960 to 1987, during which he did not only do the editing work, but also parts of the reporting work for the magazine. The poet and playwright personally covered the Indo-Pak war of 1965 for "Dharmayug".

Collection of Writing

Poetry
"Thanda Loha", "Sapana Abhi Bhi", "Saat Geet Varsh" and "Kanupriya" are the most famous poems that have been written by Dharamvir Bharati.

Novels
"Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda" was probably the most famous work of Dharamvir Bharati in this genre. The set of narrations written in this novel became so popular that it was later translated to the Bengali language by eminent poet Malay Roy Choudhury and also won him the Sahitya Academy Award. The novel was also adapted to the big screen by filmmaker Shyam Benegal, for which he won the National Award. "Gunahon Ka Devta", "Prarambh Va Samapan" and "Giyara Sapno Ka Desh" are the popular novels written by Dharamvir Bharati.

Plays
"Andha Yug" was and will always remain one of the most popular plays ever written in Hindi literature. It is still enacted on stage. This play, the dialogues for which have been written in poetry-style, was inspired from the Mahabharata. Dharamvir Bharati based the story of "Andha Yug" on the last day of the famous Indian epic.

Essays
Apart from novels, poems and plays, Dharamvir Bharati also compiled a collection of essays during the 1950s. "Thele Par Himalayas", "The River Was Thirsty", "Apshynty Stories: Unkahi, Human Values and Literature", "Neil Lake" and "Cold Iron" were some of the essays that Dharamvir Bharati wrote.

Short Stories
Dharamvir Bharati was an expert in all genre of writing in Hindi. He wrote a couple of short stories to be published under a single heading. "Swarg Aur Prathvhi", "Band Gali Ka Aakhkri Makhaan", "Chand Aur Tuthe Hue Log", "Samast Kahaniya Ek Saath" and "Saas Ki Kalam Se" are the collection of stories written by Dharamvir Bharati.

Awards & Recognition
To reward an illustrious career in Hindi writing spanning several decades, the government of India conferred prestigious awards to Dharamvir Bharati at several stages of his life. A list of the awards that Dharamvir Bharati won has been listed below:

Personal Life
Dharamvir Bharati was married twice and shares three children with his two wives. He married Kanta Bharati in the year 1954 but the marriage ended in divorce. The couple had a daughter named Parmita. Dharamvir Bharati tied the nuptial knot again this time to Pushpa Bharati. The couple was blessed with two children Kinshuk Bharati and Pragya Bharati.

Death
Dharamvir Bharati died at the age of 70. He was suffering from a heart disease for several years, which became the cause of his sudden death on September 4, 1997. Dharamvir will always be remembered as the greatest writer that Hindi literature has ever produced.

Timeline
1926: Dharamvir Bharati was born on December 25.
1946: Completed his MA from Allahabad University.
1954: Completed his PhD and joins Allahabad University as lecturer.
1954: Married Kanta Bharati.
1960: Became editor-in-chief of "Dharmayug" magazine.
1972: Won Padmashree Award from Indian government.
1984: Was bestowed with Valley Turmeric Best Journalism Award.
1987: Retired from position in "Dharmayug" magazine.
1988: Received Maharana Mewar Foundation Award for best playwright.
1989: Won award from Sangeet Natak Akademi.
1992: His novel "Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda" was made into a film by Shyam Benegal.
1994: Felicitated Maharashtra Gaurav award.
1997: Died on September 4.
1999: His life is recorded in a documentary film by Sahitya Akademi in New Delhi.