Hazari Prasad Dwivedi (1907 – 1979) was a famous Indian poet and Hindi writer. He has authored many outstanding novels, poems and essays such as “Banbhatt Ki Aatmkatha”, “Sahitya Ki Bhumika”, “Nakhoon Kyon Barhte Hain”, “Kutaj” and “Alok Parva”. He is best known for his historical research on religious movements in medieval India, with a special focus on Kabir and Natasam Pradaya. He is also known for his works on the historical development of Hindi literature in India.
Wiki/Biography
Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi was born on Monday 19th August 1907 in Arat-, Ballia District, Agra and Oudh United Provinces, British India. Dubeka Chhapra Village Arat-Dubeka Chhapra Village, formerly known as Baijnath Dwivedi (aged 71 years; at the time of death). His zodiac sign is Leo. Dwivedi received his primary education and secondary examinations in his village school. After completing intermediate courses, he continued his studies in Jyotisha (Astrology) and Sanskrit and obtained degrees in Astrology (Acharya) and Sanskrit (Shastri) from Banaras Hindu University in 1930. He received his PhD in Literature from Lucknow University in 1949. Hazari Prasad Dwivedi was born into a family known for being skilled astrologers. Apart from Hindi, he was fluent in several other languages such as Sanskrit, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Pali, Prakrit and Appapuramsa. Even at a young age he delved deeply into the literature of these languages. He is an outstanding and knowledgeable reader. He also studied ancient Greek and modern European classics in English and was proficient in Western philosophy.
appearance
Hair color: gray
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
His father Pandit Anamol Dwivedi was a Sanskrit scholar. His mother’s name is Paramajyoti Devi. He has a brother named Acharya Dr Rama Nath Dwivedi, who is an accomplished Hindi writer.
wife and children
In 1927, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi married Bhagwati Devi. The couple has children.
caste
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi belongs to the Kayastha community.
sign
Signature of Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
Profession
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi’s profound knowledge of traditional languages makes him a bridge between the past and the present. As a student of Sanskrit, well versed in the Sastra, he brought a new perspective to the Sahitya-sastra (Literary Theory). He is highly respected as a great critic of ancient Indian literary texts.
professor
In 1940, soon after completing his intermediate astrology and Acharya examinations at Banaras Hindu University, he went to Visva Bharati (Santiniketan) to engage in teaching. Hazari Prasad Dwivedi then became a part of ‘Visva Bharati’ and worked there for two decades. He teaches Sanskrit and Hindi and also focuses on research and creative writing. He played a vital role in the establishment of Hindi Bhavana and served as the director of Visva Bharati’s Hindi Bhavan from 1940 to 1950. During his stay at Santiniketan, he interacted closely with famous personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Kshitimohan Sen, Vidhusekhar Bhattacharya and others. Banarasidas Chaturvedi. It is said that he learned Bengali nuances, artistic sensibility from Nandalal Bose, profound inquiry from Kshitimohan Sen, Guru Gurudayal Mallik learned his gentle yet pointed humor from there. These influences are evident in his later writings. In 1950, Dr. Jagannath Prasad Sharma, professor and head of the department, hired Hazari Prasad Dwivedi as reader in the Hindi Department of Benares Hindu University, Varanasi. From 1950 to 1953, he served as a member of the Executive Committee of Visva-Bharati University. From 1952 to 1953, he served as Chairman of Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha. He also became a member of the General Institutional and Management Committee of Sahitya Akademi, Delhi. In 1952, he discovered the manuscript of the Nagari Pracharini Sabha in Kashgar and in 1954 he served as the National Bibliographical Inspector for the publication of Sahitya Akademi. Dwivedi became a member of the first Official Language Commission established by the Government of India in 1955 and served there until 1960.
A quote by Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
In 1960, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi became Professor and Head of the Department of Hindi at Punjab University, Chandigarh. He held this position until his retirement. Dwivedi made outstanding contributions to Indian creative and critical writings. He had a wide range of interests and his works were highly regarded. Some of his important works on literary history and literary criticism are “Sahitya ki Bhumika” and “Hindi Sahitya ka Adikala”. These works are said to have later given a new direction to the history of Hindi literary criticism.
Cover of the book “Hindi Sahitya ka Adikala” by Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi wrote books on religious life in medieval India. Some of these books include Kabir, Madhyakalin Dharma and Sadhana Natha Sampradaya. His work on the medieval saint Kabir is considered a masterpiece by many readers. This is a deeply researched analysis of Kabir’s thoughts, writings and teachings.
Cover of the book Kabir by Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
novelist
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi is a famous novelist known for writing about historical themes and characters. Some of his famous historical novels include “Banbhatt Ki Aatmkatha” (1946), “Anamdas Ka Potha”, “Punarnava” and “Charu-Chandra-Lekha”.
Cover of the book Charu-Chandra-Lekha by Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
essayist
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi was an outstanding prose writer who wrote several famous essays. Some of the articles are Kalplata (including “Shirish ke phool” in NCERT Class XII Hindi book), Nakhoon Kyon Barhte Hain (Why nails grow), Ashok ke phool, Kutaj and Alok Parva (collection). Additionally, he has translated numerous works from English and other languages into Hindi. Some of his translations include Prabandha-Chintamani (from Prakrit), Puratan Prabandha, Sangraha Vishva Parichay, Lal Kaner and “mouthi mar thi hoa mara”.
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi from his book Nakhoon Kyon Barhte Hain (Why Nails Grow)
Later, he founded and edited Visva-Bharati Patrika in Hindi. Hazari Prasad Dwivedi served as the Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Hindi Academy, Lucknow until 1979.
Cover of the journal ‘Visva-Bharati Patrika’ founded by Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
Awards
- In 1957, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award for his valuable contribution to Hindi literature.
- In 1962, he received the Tagore Award from Paschim Banga Sahitya Akademi.
- In 1973, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his collection of essays titled “Alok Parva”.
The cover of the book “Alok Parva”
die
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi died of a brain tumor on May 19, 1979 in Delhi.
Facts/Trivia
- Former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was his student at Santiniketan University.
- In 1930, he received the title of Shasracharya by studying astrology.
- After 1967, he returned to Kashgar Hindu University and served as the president for a period of time.
- In 1997, the Indian government issued a stamp in his honor in recognition of his contribution to Hindi literature.
Stamp issued in 1997 in memory of Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education