Gopi Chand Narang (1931 – 2022) was an Indian theorist, literary critic, and scholar who published more than 65 scholarly and critical books on language, literature, poetics, and cultural studies. He has written more than 12 books in English, 8 books in Hindi and over 40 books in Urdu.
Wiki/Biography
Gopi Chand Narang was born on Wednesday, February 11, 1931, in Duki, Balochistan, British India (now Balochistan, Pakistan) (age 91; as of 2022). His zodiac sign is Aquarius. In 1950, he received his bachelor’s degree from Delhi University. In 1952, he obtained a master’s degree in Urdu from Delhi University. In 1958, Gopi Chand Narang received a research scholarship (Ph.D.) from the Ministry of Education. He received his PhD in Literature from Aligarh Muslim University in 2009, Maulana Azad National Urdu University in 2008 and Central University, Hyderabad in 2007.
appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: black
family
Gopi Chand Narang was born in the Saraiki family.
Parents and siblings
His father’s name was Dharam Chand Narang (literary man).
Gopi Chand’s father and mother
Gopi Chand Narang has four brothers namely Yudhisthira, Jagdish Chander, Arjun and BhimSen. The names of his two sisters are Bhagya and Shanti.
Gopi Chand (middle in turban) with his siblings
wife and children
Gopi Chand Narang’s wife’s name is Manorama Narang. The couple has two sons named Arun Narang and Tarun Narang, both doctors in the United States.
Gopi Narang with his wife Manorama Narang, son, daughter-in-law and grandson
adulthood
Gopi Chand Narang’s father Dharam Chand Narang was a Persian and Sanskrit scholar. He was a literary man who inspired Gopichand to study literature. He loved reading books by Ratan Nath Sarshar and poetry by Ghalib and Iqbal since his childhood. The serious works and theology, bhakti and sufism of writers like Dr. Radhakrishanan and Dr. Syed Abid Husain were also favored by Gopi Chand Narang.
Young Gopi Chand Narang
Profession
In 1957, Gopi Chand Narang started teaching Urdu literature at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He taught there until 1958. He was subsequently appointed visiting professor at the University of Wisconsin in 1963 and 1968. At the same time, he held professorships at the University of Minnesota and the University of Oslo. Gopi Chand Narang started working as a professor at Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, in 1974. Narang was awarded the President of Pakistan’s National Gold Medal in 1977 for his work on Allama Iqbal. Thereafter, he worked as a professor at the same university from 1977 onwards. 1986 to 1995. In 2005, he was appointed as Emeritus Professor at Delhi University and in 2013, Jamia Millia Islamia University appointed him as Emeritus Professor. Gopi Chand Narang served as Vice Chairman of Delhi Urdu Academy from 1996 to 1999. He was appointed as the Vice Chairman, National Urdu Language Promotion Board – HRD in 1998. From 1998 to 2002, he served as the Sahitya Akademi Vice-Chancellor of the university. From 2003 to 2007, he served as Chairman of Sahitya Akademi. In 1997 he was a resident of the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Italy. From 2002 to 2004, he was the Indira Gandhi Memorial Fellow at the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts. In 2009, Sahitya Akademi conferred on him the highest honorary title of Fellow.
literature
In 1961, he published his first book, “Kakandari Dialect of Urdu in Delhi”. Subsequently, he published more than 60 books in Urdu, English and Hindi.
hindi books
Some of his famous Hindi books include Pathakvadi Aalochana (1999), Urdu Kaise Likhen (2001) and Amir Khusrau: Hindvi Lok Kavya Sankalan (2021).
english books
His popular English books include “Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Thought Structure, Evolutionary Love and Aesthetic Sensibility” (2019), “The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture”. (2020) and The Hidden Garden: Mir Tachi Mir (2021).
urdu books
His famous Urdu versions include Kulliyaat-e Hindavi Amir Khusrau: Ma’e Tashriih o Tajziya Nuskha-e Berlin. (2017), Mashaher ke Khutoot Gopi Chand Narang Ke Naam. (2017) and Imlaa Naama Pakistan Edition. (2021).
Books about Gopi Chand Narang
Some other authors have written books on Gopi Chand Narang. Some books have Fe in their titles. Saw it. Edited by Ejaz. year 2004. Gopi Chand Narang (Common Book Edition). Kolkata: Insha Publications, Saifi Sironji. 2012.Maaba’ad-e Jadiidiyat aur Gopi Chand Narang. Sironj: Intisaab Publications, Jameel Akhtar. 2015. Zindagi Nama: Gopi Chand Narang. Delhi: Education Press, Zafar Sironji. 2022. Saadi Ki Ankh Gopi Chand Narang. Sironj: Intisaab Publications and Idris Ahmed. 2022. Prof. Gopi Chand Narang Adeeb-o-Daanishwar. New Delhi: Ghalib Institute.
dispute
Gopi Chand Narang served as dean of Sahitya Akademi from 2003 to 2007. During his tenure as dean, he was accused of corruption and his appointment to the National Academy of Sciences was controversial. Later, Indian writer Rehman Abbas published an article condemning all negative accusations against Gopi Chand. The article is titled “How writer and critic Gopi Chand Narang survived a smear campaign”. In this article, Abbas recounts how Narang was targeted for criticizing unrealistic modernism in Urdu in some of his writings. Abbas wrote,
Gopi Chand Narang came under attack for criticizing unrealistic modernism in Urdu. This is pure propaganda against him and does not stand up to literary scrutiny or any serious debate, and those who seek to slander him have no understanding of his work or literary themes. “
Awards, Honors, Achievements
In 1977, he received the Pakistan President’s Gold Medal. Won the Asian Studies Association (Mid-Atlantic Region) Award in 1982. In 1985, he received the Ghalib Prize. In 1987, he received the Canadian Academy of Urdu Language and Literature Award and the Chicago Aamir Khusrow Award. In 1995, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Urdu Markaz International Award.
Gopi Chand Narang (left) receives Sahitya Akademi scholarship
In 1998, he was awarded the Alami Farogh-e-Urdu Adab Award. In 2004, he was awarded the Padma Shri. In 2005, he won the European Urdu Writers Association Award and the Italian Mazzini Gold Medal. In 2010, he received the Bahadur Shah Zafar Award and the Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad Award from the Urdu Academy. In 2011, he was awarded the Madhya Pradesh Iqbal Samman Medal. In 2012, he received the President of Pakistan Sitara-e-Imtiyaz Award, Bharatiya Jnanpith Moorti Devi Award and Moorti Devi Award. In 2021, he received the Sir Syed National Award for Excellence.
die
Gopi Chand Narang died of natural causes in the United States on June 15, 2022, at the age of 91. His son announced his death on social media.
Facts/Trivia
- According to Gopi Chand Narang, he chose Urdu as his major subject soon after entering Delhi University. However, his father wanted him to become an engineer or scientist and wanted him to choose mathematics, physics or chemistry as his field of study, but Gopi Chand was passionate about literature.
- Hindustani Qisson se Makhooz Urdu Masnaviyan (1961), Urdu Ghazal aur Hindustani Zehn-o-Tehzeeb (2002) and Hindustan ki Tehreek-e-Azadi aur Urdu Shairi (2003) are some of his popular literary works.
- His socio-cultural and historical studies such as “Amir Khusrow ka Hindavi Kalaam” (1987), “Saniha-e-Karbala bataur Sheri Isti’ara” (1986) and “Urdu Zabaan aur Lisaniyaat” (2006) have gained global popularity.
- Gopi Chand Narang was criticized for plagiarizing some parts of his Sahitya Akademi award-winning book Sakhtiyat, Pas-Sakhtiyat aur Mashriqui Sheriyat (Structuralism, Poststructuralism and Eastern Poetics) in 1995 from some secondary sources.
- In an interview with the media, Gopi Chand Narang said that after the partition of India, he moved from Balochistan to Delhi on a Red Cross flight; however, the rest of his family members arrived in Delhi later. He said he felt very lucky to be on the plane with his brother. He said,
At the time of Partition, I was lucky enough to be able to emigrate to India on a Red Cross flight with my brother during the 1947 Quetta Massacre. Other family members arrived later. I learned to live alone in the unfamiliar city of Delhi. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education