Om Prakash Sharma
Encyclopedia
Om Prakash Sharma
Om Prakash Sharma popularly known as Janpriya Lekhak Om Prakash Sharma, is recognized as one of the foremost and most talented writers of detective fiction in Hindi after Devaki Nandan Khatri
. He has more than 450 Hindi detective novels to his credit.
, as eldest son to Shiv Charan and Devi. He later moved to Delhi
. He has two younger brothers namely, Jai Prakash Sharma and Gauri Shankar Sharma. He was employed with the Delhi Cloth Mill (DCM) and lived in a rented house in Pahari Dhiraj.
activities. Inspired from socialist and communist views, he joined the Indian Freedom Struggle and was jailed twice by the then British Raj
for his involvement in the freedom movement. It was during this period that he started writing. His passion for writing developed from his obsession with reading. Several times in his creations, he has portrayed his rebellious attitude towards religious and social orthodoxy.
An avid reader and an equally ardent writer, he wrote many short stories for small pocket book organizations as well as his own venture Delhi Pustak Sadan, with his friends and associates.
Along with detective novels, he also wrote books of social relevance and historical inscriptions. His first popular novel was 'Saanjh Ka Sooraj' based on the 1857 Revolution in the period of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. In a short span, the talent bore fruit. His novels had created a momentum in the contemporary readers. His readership crossed the boundaries and had admirers in other countries. Late in 1964, he shifted back to Meerut, his native place, to write in peace. He died on 14 October 1998 after prolonged illness.
. He was very fond of Nirguni bhajans hymns recital by Kumar Gandharva
and many more Indian Classical Singers.
What distinguished him was his manner of creating a suspense and interest in the script through actual incidents on one hand and imagination on the other, thereby creating a curiosity in the readers mind as to what shall happen next. The main characters of his writing include Rajesh, Jagat, Jayant, Jagan, Gopali, Bandook Singh, Chief Chakravarti, Bhuvan, Father William and many more. Rajesh was considered to be the human face of his writings, who many times on several occasions was preempted as the real time character.
He authored some four or five novels featuring 'Bhootnath' as his tribute to the legendary Devaki Nandan Khatri
. He also named his imaginary colony, official residence of personnel of 'Kendriya Khufia Vibhag' as 'Bhootnath Colony'.
In his social attributions, he wrote against social oppression. In his historical inscriptions, 'Neeli Ghodi Ka Sawar', and 'Phir Aaya Toofan' were very popular.
After writing for many publishing houses, he started to write for his own publication Janpriya Prakashan ".
. Many of his novels were huge hit at a time, when television as a medium of entertainment was not so common. Though, he received several offers to write for Hindi feature films, he denied, as he apprehended the material life and loved his slow peaceful but creative life.
Many fake novels were also published in his name as 'Vikrant' being its main character.
Prakash Mehra
's financer, Satyen Pal Chaudhary from Meerut, decided to make a film on his novel Dhadkan and invited him to Mumbai
. He denied, but gave permission for the film since the film was being directed by Basu Chatterjee
whom he highly admired. Chatterjee came to Meerut and narrated him the screenplay.
The feature film Chameli Ki Shaadi
with Anil Kapoor
in the lead role was made based on his novel and is often broadcast on TV channels.
Many more detective writers after his writing emerged like Surender Mohan Pathak
, Ved Prakash Sharma, Ved Prakash Kamboj, etc. and to many of whom he was a friend, philosopher and guide.
Throughout, his writings have served not only the purpose of entertainment but also of instructing, informing, or improving his readership by commenting on the current situation and offering a moral message for his readers.
Om Prakash Sharma popularly known as Janpriya Lekhak Om Prakash Sharma, is recognized as one of the foremost and most talented writers of detective fiction in Hindi after Devaki Nandan Khatri
Devaki Nandan Khatri
Devaki Nandan Khatri was an Indian writer, who belonged to the first generation of popular novelists in the modern Hindi language. Also known as Babu Devakinandan Khatri, he was the first author of mystery novels in Hindi. Chandrakanta is the most popular of his works.- Biography :Khatri was born...
. He has more than 450 Hindi detective novels to his credit.
Early life
Sharma was born in Meerut, Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, as eldest son to Shiv Charan and Devi. He later moved to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. He has two younger brothers namely, Jai Prakash Sharma and Gauri Shankar Sharma. He was employed with the Delhi Cloth Mill (DCM) and lived in a rented house in Pahari Dhiraj.
Career
A very thoughtful, erudite mind and a person of moral values, he worked for DCM and participated in trade unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
activities. Inspired from socialist and communist views, he joined the Indian Freedom Struggle and was jailed twice by the then British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
for his involvement in the freedom movement. It was during this period that he started writing. His passion for writing developed from his obsession with reading. Several times in his creations, he has portrayed his rebellious attitude towards religious and social orthodoxy.
An avid reader and an equally ardent writer, he wrote many short stories for small pocket book organizations as well as his own venture Delhi Pustak Sadan, with his friends and associates.
Along with detective novels, he also wrote books of social relevance and historical inscriptions. His first popular novel was 'Saanjh Ka Sooraj' based on the 1857 Revolution in the period of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. In a short span, the talent bore fruit. His novels had created a momentum in the contemporary readers. His readership crossed the boundaries and had admirers in other countries. Late in 1964, he shifted back to Meerut, his native place, to write in peace. He died on 14 October 1998 after prolonged illness.
Writing Style
Sharma was wholeheartedly in awe of Sharat Chandra Chatterji's writings. Chatterji's writing style and the depiction of his characters had an immense impact on Sharma. Though, Om Prakash Sharma wrote populist detective novels, he had the acumen of writing good quality contemporary and historical literature as well as poetry. He had keen interest in Indian classical musicIndian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
. He was very fond of Nirguni bhajans hymns recital by Kumar Gandharva
Kumar Gandharva
Kumar Gandharva or Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkallimath was a Hindustani classical singer, famous for his unique vocal style, refusal to be bound by the tradition of any gharana, and his innovative genius...
and many more Indian Classical Singers.
What distinguished him was his manner of creating a suspense and interest in the script through actual incidents on one hand and imagination on the other, thereby creating a curiosity in the readers mind as to what shall happen next. The main characters of his writing include Rajesh, Jagat, Jayant, Jagan, Gopali, Bandook Singh, Chief Chakravarti, Bhuvan, Father William and many more. Rajesh was considered to be the human face of his writings, who many times on several occasions was preempted as the real time character.
He authored some four or five novels featuring 'Bhootnath' as his tribute to the legendary Devaki Nandan Khatri
Devaki Nandan Khatri
Devaki Nandan Khatri was an Indian writer, who belonged to the first generation of popular novelists in the modern Hindi language. Also known as Babu Devakinandan Khatri, he was the first author of mystery novels in Hindi. Chandrakanta is the most popular of his works.- Biography :Khatri was born...
. He also named his imaginary colony, official residence of personnel of 'Kendriya Khufia Vibhag' as 'Bhootnath Colony'.
In his social attributions, he wrote against social oppression. In his historical inscriptions, 'Neeli Ghodi Ka Sawar', and 'Phir Aaya Toofan' were very popular.
After writing for many publishing houses, he started to write for his own publication Janpriya Prakashan ".
. Many of his novels were huge hit at a time, when television as a medium of entertainment was not so common. Though, he received several offers to write for Hindi feature films, he denied, as he apprehended the material life and loved his slow peaceful but creative life.
Many fake novels were also published in his name as 'Vikrant' being its main character.
Adaptation
Famous film producerFilm producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Prakash Mehra
Prakash Mehra
-Career:Born on 13 July 1939 at Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, India, Mehra started in the late 1950s as a production controller. In 1968, he directed Shashi Kapoor who played a double role in Haseena Maan Jayegi. This was followed by the 1971 hit Mela starring the Khan brothers together. In 1973, he...
's financer, Satyen Pal Chaudhary from Meerut, decided to make a film on his novel Dhadkan and invited him to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. He denied, but gave permission for the film since the film was being directed by Basu Chatterjee
Basu Chatterjee
Basu Chatterjee is an Indian film director. His films are very similar to those of Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Like Mukherjee, he built his plots on middle-class lives.He was born in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India....
whom he highly admired. Chatterjee came to Meerut and narrated him the screenplay.
The feature film Chameli Ki Shaadi
Chameli Ki Shaadi
Chameli Ki Shaadi is a 1986 bollywood comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee starring Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh.The original Story is from the novel of Om Prakash Sharma-Plot:...
with Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
in the lead role was made based on his novel and is often broadcast on TV channels.
Many more detective writers after his writing emerged like Surender Mohan Pathak
Surender Mohan Pathak
Surender Mohan Pathak is an author of Hindi-language crime fiction with nearly 300 novels to his credit. His writing career, along with his full time job in Indian Telephone Industries, Delhi, began in the early 1960s with his brilliant Hindi translations of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, and...
, Ved Prakash Sharma, Ved Prakash Kamboj, etc. and to many of whom he was a friend, philosopher and guide.
Throughout, his writings have served not only the purpose of entertainment but also of instructing, informing, or improving his readership by commenting on the current situation and offering a moral message for his readers.
External links
- Om Prakash Sharma remembered by Yadavendra Sharma 'Chandra'http://rachanakar.blogspot.com/2006/01/blog-post_10.html#comment-form