Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'
Encyclopedia
Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' (सूर्यकांत त्रिपाठी 'निराला') (February 21, 1899 October 15, 1961) was one of the most famous figures of the modern Hindi literature
. He was a poet, novelist, essayist and story-writer. He also drew many sketches.
family of Midnapore
in Bengal
(originally from Unnao,Uttar Pradesh). He was also a famous poet of Hindi Kavi Sammelan
. Though a student of Bengali
, Nirala took keen interest in Sanskrit
from the very beginning. In time, through his natural intelligence and acquired knowledge, he became an authority on various languages – Bengali, English, Sanskrit, and Hindi.
Nirala's life, barring short periods, was one long sequence of misfortunes and tragedies. His father, 'Pandit Ramsahaya Tripathi' was a government servant and was a tyrannical person. His mother died when he was very young. Nirala was educated in the Bengali medium. However, after passing matriculation exam, he continued his education at home by reading Sanskrit and English literature
. Thereon he shifted to Lucknow
and then to Village Gadhakola of District Unnao
, to which his father originally belonged. Growing up, he took inspiration from personalities like, Ramakrishna
Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore
.
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After his marriage at a young age, Nirala learnt Hindi at the insistence of his wife, 'Manohara Devi'. Soon, he started writing poems in Hindi, instead of Bengali. After a bad childhood, Nirala had few good years with his wife. But this phase was short-lived as his wife died, when he was 20, and later his daughter (who was a widow) also expired. He also went through a financial crunch. During this phase, he worked for many publishers, worked as proof-reader and also edited Samanvaya.
Most of his life was somewhat in the Bohemian
tradition. Since he was more or less a rebel, both in form and content, acceptance did not come easily. What he got in plenty was ridicule and derision. All this must have played a role in making him a victim of Schizophrenia
in his later life. He wrote strongly against social injustice and exploitation in the society.
Nirala died in Allahabad
on 15 October 1961. The world of Hindi literature is remarkable for ideological and aesthetic divisions. But today, the same reviled Nirala is one of the very few people in Hindi literature who are admired and respected by almost all, across all divisions.
Today, a park, Nirala Uddyan, an auditorium, Nirala Prekshagrah and a Degree College - Mahapran Nirala Degree College, in the Unnao district
are named after him. His life size bust has been installed at the main market square of Daraganj
, Allahabad, a place where he lived for most of his life.
(छायावाद) movement along with Jaishankar Prasad
, Sumitranandan Pant
(सुमित्रानंदन पंत) and Mahadevi Varma
(महादेवी वर्मा). Nirala's Parimal (परिमल) and Anaamika (अनामिका) are considered as the original Chhayavaad
i Hindi literature. He was unrecognized during his life. His style of poetry
, revolutionary for his time, often was unpublished due to its unconventional nature. He voiced his protest against exploitation through his verses. He amalgamated Vedanta
, nationalism, mysticism, and love for nature and progressive humanist ideals in his works. The sources of his themes include history, religion, nature, Puranas and contemporary social and political questions. He initiated the use of blank verse in his poems. He introduced aesthetic sense, love of nature, personal viewpoint and freedom of form and content in writing which went on to become the chief tenets of Chhayawad. His multifaceted genius, which ushered in a new style of poetry, acquired him a pseudonym, Nirala (unique). His poem Saroj Smriti is one of the greatest, showing his emotions and sentiments for his daughter.
Nirala is also credited with bringing in free verse in the modern Hindi prose.
His thinking was influenced by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda and in the literary field by Michael Mudhusudan Dutt and Rabindranath Tagore.
Novels (उपन्यास)
Story-collections (कहानी संग्रह)
Essay-collections (निर्बंध संग्रह)
Prose (पद्य)
Translations (अनुवाद)
(2005) played and produced by Anupam Kher
Hindi literature
Hindi literature , is broadly divided into four prominent forms or styles, being Bhakti ; Shringar ; Veer-Gatha ; and Adhunik...
. He was a poet, novelist, essayist and story-writer. He also drew many sketches.
Life
Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', one of the most significant poets of modern Hindi, was born on February 21, 1899 in a BrahminBrahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
family of Midnapore
Midnapore
Midnapore is the district headquarters of Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River . This area had taken a pioneering role in India's freedom struggle...
in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
(originally from Unnao,Uttar Pradesh). He was also a famous poet of Hindi Kavi Sammelan
Kavi sammelan
Kavi Sammelan is a formal or informal gathering of poets in Hindi-speaking belts of northern India. The participants recite their poetry to each other and have a general discussion of literary issues. This may take place in private homes or before an audience. In the era before economic...
. Though a student of Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Nirala took keen interest in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
from the very beginning. In time, through his natural intelligence and acquired knowledge, he became an authority on various languages – Bengali, English, Sanskrit, and Hindi.
Nirala's life, barring short periods, was one long sequence of misfortunes and tragedies. His father, 'Pandit Ramsahaya Tripathi' was a government servant and was a tyrannical person. His mother died when he was very young. Nirala was educated in the Bengali medium. However, after passing matriculation exam, he continued his education at home by reading Sanskrit and English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. Thereon he shifted to Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
and then to Village Gadhakola of District Unnao
Unnao
The town of Unnao is the headquarters of Unnao District in Uttar Pradesh, India between Kanpur and Lucknow. It is approximately 18 km from Kanpur & 60 km from Lucknow . It is connected to these two cities by roadway as well as by railway. The nearest airport is at Amausi about...
, to which his father originally belonged. Growing up, he took inspiration from personalities like, Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna , born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay , was a famous mystic of 19th-century India. His religious school of thought led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda – both were influential figures in the Bengali Renaissance as well as the Hindu...
Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
.
Most of his life was somewhat in the Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
tradition. Since he was more or less a rebel, both in form and content, acceptance did not come easily. What he got in plenty was ridicule and derision. All this must have played a role in making him a victim of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
in his later life. He wrote strongly against social injustice and exploitation in the society.
Nirala died in Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
on 15 October 1961. The world of Hindi literature is remarkable for ideological and aesthetic divisions. But today, the same reviled Nirala is one of the very few people in Hindi literature who are admired and respected by almost all, across all divisions.
Today, a park, Nirala Uddyan, an auditorium, Nirala Prekshagrah and a Degree College - Mahapran Nirala Degree College, in the Unnao district
Unnao District
Unnao District is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The town of Unnao is the district headquarters. The district is part of Lucknow Division.-History:...
are named after him. His life size bust has been installed at the main market square of Daraganj
Daraganj
Daraganj is a prominent suburb and a landmark in the city of Allahabad, India. It is the oldest suburb of Prayag at the bank of celestial river Ganges and not far from Triveni Sangam - the confluence of three sacred rivers: Ganges and Yamuna, and the third invisible river...
, Allahabad, a place where he lived for most of his life.
Work
Nirala pioneered the ChhayavaadChhayavaad
Chhayavaad refers to the era of Neo-romanticism in Hindi literature particularly Hindi poetry, 1917–1938, and was marked by an upsurge of romantic and humanist content. Chhayavad was marked by a renewed sense of the self and personal expression, visible in the writings of time...
(छायावाद) movement along with Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad
Jaishankar Prasad , one of the most famous figures in modern Hindi literature as well as Hindi theatre.- Biography :...
, Sumitranandan Pant
Sumitranandan Pant
Sumitranandan Pant was one of the most famous modern Hindi poets. He is considered one of the major poets of the Chhayavaadi school of Hindi literature. Pant mostly wrote in Sanskritized Hindi. Pant authored twenty eight published works including poetry, verse plays and essays.Pant was born at...
(सुमित्रानंदन पंत) and Mahadevi Varma
Mahadevi Varma
Mahadevi Varma best known as an outstanding Hindi poet, was a freedom fighter, woman's activist and educationist from India. She is widely regarded as the "modern Meera". She was a major poet of the Chhayavaad generation, a period of romanticism in Modern Hindi poetry ranging from 1914-1938...
(महादेवी वर्मा). Nirala's Parimal (परिमल) and Anaamika (अनामिका) are considered as the original Chhayavaad
Chhayavaad
Chhayavaad refers to the era of Neo-romanticism in Hindi literature particularly Hindi poetry, 1917–1938, and was marked by an upsurge of romantic and humanist content. Chhayavad was marked by a renewed sense of the self and personal expression, visible in the writings of time...
i Hindi literature. He was unrecognized during his life. His style of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, revolutionary for his time, often was unpublished due to its unconventional nature. He voiced his protest against exploitation through his verses. He amalgamated Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
, nationalism, mysticism, and love for nature and progressive humanist ideals in his works. The sources of his themes include history, religion, nature, Puranas and contemporary social and political questions. He initiated the use of blank verse in his poems. He introduced aesthetic sense, love of nature, personal viewpoint and freedom of form and content in writing which went on to become the chief tenets of Chhayawad. His multifaceted genius, which ushered in a new style of poetry, acquired him a pseudonym, Nirala (unique). His poem Saroj Smriti is one of the greatest, showing his emotions and sentiments for his daughter.
Nirala is also credited with bringing in free verse in the modern Hindi prose.
His thinking was influenced by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda and in the literary field by Michael Mudhusudan Dutt and Rabindranath Tagore.
Works
Poetry (काव्य)- Dhwani
- Saroj Smriti(सरोज स्मृति)
- Parimal (परिमल)
- Anaamika (अनामिका) (1937)
- Geetika (गीतिका)
- Kukurmutta (कुकुरमुत्ता) (1941)
- Adima (आदिम)
- Bela (बेला)
- Naye Patte (नये पत्ते)
- Archana (अर्चना)
- Aradhana (आराधना)
- Tulsidas (तुलसीदास)
- Janmabhumi (जन्मभूमि)
- Jago Phir Ek Bar (जागो फिर एक बार)
Novels (उपन्यास)
- Apsara (अपसरा)
- Alka (अलका)
- Prabhavati (प्रभावती)
- Nirupama (निरुपमा)
- Chameli (चमेली)
- Choti ki Pakar (चोटी की पकड़)
- Uchchhrankhalta (उच्चारणखल्ता)
- Kale Karname (काले कारनामें)
- Deewano ki Hasti
Story-collections (कहानी संग्रह)
- Chhaturi Chamar (चतुरी चमार)
- Sukul ki Biwi (सुकुल की बीवी)
- Sakhi (सखी)
- Lily (लिली)
- Devi (देवी)
Essay-collections (निर्बंध संग्रह)
- Prabandha-Parichaya (प्रबंध परिचय)
- Prabandha-Pratibha (प्रबंध प्रतिभा)
- Bangbhasha ka Uchcharan (बंगभाषा का उच्चारण)
- Ravindra-Kavita-Kannan (रविंद्र कविता कानन)
- Prabandh-Padya (प्रबंध पद्य)
- Prabandh-Pratima (प्रबंध प्रतिमा)
- Chabuk (चाबुक)
- Chayan (छायां)
- Sangrah (संग्रह)
Prose (पद्य)
- Kullibhat (कुल्लीभात)
- Billesur Bakriha (बिल्लेसुर बकरिहा)
Translations (अनुवाद)
- Anand Math (आनंद मठ)
- Vish-Vriksh (विष वृक्ष)
- Krishna kant ka Vil (क्रष्ण कांत का विल)
- Kapal Kundala (कपाल कुण्डल)
- Durgesh Nandini (दुर्गेश नन्दिनी)
- Raj Singh (राज सिंह)
- Raj Rani (राज रानी)
- Devi Chaudharani (देवी चौधरानी)
- Yuglanguliya (युगलांगुल्य)
- Chandrasekhar (चन्द्रशेखर)
- Rajni (रजनी)
- Sri Ramkrishna Vachnamrit (श्री रामक्रष्ण वच्नाम्रत)
- Bharat Main Vivekanand (भरत में विवेकानंद)
- Rajyog (राजयोग)
Nirala's poetry in Indian cinema
Nirala's poem Himmat Karne Walon Ki Har Nahi Hoti (Those who have courage never fail) was depicted as the favorite poem of the main character in Hindi film, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin MaraMaine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara
Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara , is an Indian film, directed by Jahnu Barua and produced by Anupam Kher...
(2005) played and produced by Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher is an Indian actor who has appeared in nearly 400 films and 100 plays. Though mainly appearing in Bollywood films, he has had roles in some films from other nations as well...