Ramchandra Shukla (1884–1941) was an Indian poet and historian of Hindi literature. He was also an accomplished writer, essayist, scholar, novelist, and critic. He is known for being the first to compile Hindi literature using scientific methods and limited resources and conducting extensive research based on real-world evidence. He wrote a famous book titled “Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihaas” in 1929 and is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
Wiki/Biography
Acharya Pandit Ramchandra Shukla or Acharya Shukla was born on Saturday 4 October 1884 in the North West Province of British India Basti Agona (age 56 at time of death). His zodiac sign is Libra. During his childhood, he learned Hindi, English and Urdu from qualified teachers at home. Later, his family moved to Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh as his father found a job there. In 1898, Ramchandra Shukla passed her secondary education. When he was nine years old, his mother died. Although he had a strong desire to study since childhood, he was unable to attend school regularly. However, he passed the entrance examination for Fine Arts (FA). He then moved to Mirzapur and completed his high school education at the Mission School College of Fine Arts. His father wanted him to work in a local administrative office (Tehsil), but Shukla had bigger dreams: to pursue higher education. Eventually, his father sent him to Allahabad to study law, but Ramchandra Shukla was more interested in literature (Sahitya) than law. However, it was difficult for him to succeed in his legal studies. Despite his father’s efforts to get him settled in Tehsil, it was clear that Shukla was not interested in this path.
appearance
Hair color: gray
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
His father, Chandrabali Shukla, was a tax inspector (Kanoongo) in Mirzapur. His mother’s name is Vibhasee Devi.
wife and children
Ramchandra Shukla married Savitri Devi at a very young age. The couple has three daughters and two sons. The names of his sons are Keshav Chandra and Gokul Chandra and the names of his daughters are Vidhya, Durgavati and Kamla. His great-granddaughter Dr. Mukta was a literary scholar. His great-grandson Dr. Manjit Chaturvedi is an author.
Religion/Religious Views
Ramchandra Shukla believes in Hinduism.
caste
Ramchandra Shukla belongs to the Brahmin community.
Profession
While studying in Prayagraj (then known as Allahabad), Ramchandra Shukla wrote and published several literary works and experiences. When Ramchandra Shukla and his parents moved to Mirzapur in 1893, they heard about Swami Vivekananda’s religious achievements, which were famous throughout India. Inspired by Swami’s teachings, Shukla became interested in philosophy. He then decided to study philosophy, and this fascination grew in him. As a result, before taking his final exams in 1899, he had already translated Essays on Imagination into Hindi.
“Essays on Imagination” by Ramchandra Shukla
Soon after Ramchandra Shukla got a job as a teacher in a missionary school in Mirzapur district, he started publishing articles in various newspapers and magazines. Many of his literary articles were published in Saraswati Magazine and were highly appreciated by literature lovers. He is highly recognized for his significant contribution to Hindi Sahitya (literature) and has gained fame for his exceptional writing abilities. After that, he began to be loved by readers. Shukla began his journey as a writer with a poem and an article in Hindi titled “Prachin Bharatiyoin Ka Pahirava”. At the age of 17, he published his first paper in English titled “What India Should Do.” In 1908, Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha asked Ramchandra Shukla to compile a large Hindi dictionary called “Hindi Sabda-Sagar”. He also served as the long-term dean of the Hindi Department of Kashgar Hindu University.
Ramchandra Shukla (first from left) takes a photo with members of the Hindi Department of Kashgar Hindu University
Later, Ramchandra Shukla started teaching Hindi in 1919 at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). After the death of Babu Shyam Sunder Das, he was elected as the Head of the Department of Hindi (Adhyachha). Meanwhile, Acharya Ramchandra Shukla worked on completing an extensive dictionary (Shabd Sagar) by collecting words and everyday language from the streets of Kashgar. At that time, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) was in need of an outstanding Hindi scholar. After a special request and financial persuasion from founder Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Ramchandra Shukla agreed to take up the position. In 1919, he was appointed professor of Hindi without any interview. In 1937, during his tenure at Malaviya, Ramchandra Shukla became the Head of the Hindi Department of BHU. In 1921, Ramchandra Shukla, while vehemently opposing imperialism, wrote a book titled The Non-Cooperation and Non-Commercial Classes of India. Semi-feudal economy. Although he was not known for his storytelling, he wrote a long Hindi story called “Gyarah Varsh Ka Samay” in 1930 to promote original writing.
Cover of the book Gyarah Varsh Ka Samay by Ramchandra Shukla
Ramchandra Shukla expressed his strong longing for hills, rocks, waterfalls, crops, birds and childhood memories in his collection of poems, Madhushrota. One of his famous works, Sahitya ka Itihaas, was later edited online by a group of renowned Hindi writers and translators, led by Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra “Uratrupt”, a writer and methodologist from Rangareddy, Andhra Pradesh lead. His work “Hindi Sahitya ka Itihaas” is considered an authoritative work of Hindi literature.
Book cover of Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihaas (1928)
One of Ramchandra Shukla’s popular essays on literary criticism is “Kavita Kya Hai” in which he brilliantly explains the nature of poetry and its element. This essay is part of his famous collection Chintamani, which was originally published in two volumes and included essays on different emotions such as anger and hatred. Later, some of his previously scattered unpublished articles were discovered and published as “Chintamani-3” (revised by Namwar Singh) and “Chintamani-4” (revised by Kusum Chaturvedi).
Cover of the book Chintamani-3 by Namwar Singh
Later, Ramchandra Shukla translated Edwin Arnold’s “Light of Asia” into “Buddha Charit”, a novel written by Brigitte Ba A biography of Gautama Buddha written in verses by Brij Bhasha. He also translated Ernst Haeckel’s Mysteries of the Universe into Vishwa Prapanch, in which he added his own thought-provoking introduction by comparing his findings with Indian philosophical systems.
Cover of the book Buddha Charit, a biography of Gautama Buddha by Ramchandra Shukla
Ramchandra Shukla’s writings show that he was not only dedicated to the modernization of Hindi language, literature and thought; He transcends that. He also played a role in promoting scientific thinking by translating and updating scientific and historical works. Furthermore, he developed a scientific approach to the study of literary works of different periods, viewing them as the result of the social, economic, and political circumstances of their respective eras.
Acharya Ramchandra Shukla statue in Ravindrapuri, Varanasi
Main works
- Nirala Aur Nazrul Ka Rashtriya Chintan
- Nirvajit Prabande Sankaran
- Naya Mandand (Journal of Hindi Studies)
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Ramchandra Shukla received a prize of Rs 500 from Hindustan Academy for her book “Kavya Men Rahasyavad”.
- In 1939, Ramchandra Shukla received the Mangala Prasad Paritoshik Award of Rs 1,200 from the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan Allahabad for his composition “Chintamani”.
die
Ramchandra Shukla died of a heart attack on February 2, 1941, in Benares, British India.
Facts/Trivia
- As a young boy, he was deeply influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s speeches at events in Chicago.
- Shukla’s work delves into the origins of Hindi poetry and prose in the 6th century and their development over time. He talked about how it was influenced by Buddhism and the Nath school, and also mentioned the contribution of medieval poets such as Amir Khusro, Kabdas, Ravidas and Tulsdas. The exploration of Hindi literature has continued into modern times, with writers such as Nirala and Premchand bringing realism into their works.
- Ramchandra Shukla believed that true literature is more than just the expression of human thoughts and emotions. It should be centered around ‘Lokmangal’ which is the progress of society where common people are given high priority and their struggles are seen as the path to improvement. Literature, with its beauty and artistic qualities, should be relevant to the difficulties faced by marginalized and disadvantaged groups and work towards liberating humanity from all kinds of exploitation.
- Apart from being a writer, Ramchandra Shukla was also a skilled painter. It is said that he designed the layout of his own house himself.
- In 1972, an institute named ‘Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla Sahitya Shodh Sansthan’ was established in his memory. The college was the center of various literary activities. It was built as a result of the wish of his son Gokul Chandra Shukla and on land provided by the Varanasi local government. In addition, the Uttar Pradesh government also provides financial support for the facility construction and development of the institute.
Photos of “Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla Sahitya Shodh Sansthan”
- In 1973, the famous critic Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma wrote a book called “Acharya Ramchandra Shukla aur Hindi Alochana”, in which he pointed out that Ramchandra Shukla was against feudalism and Court literature. Sharma is quoted in his book as saying that Shukla felt that such literature did not truly reflect the lives of ordinary people and the society of his time.
Cover of the book “Acharya Ramchandra Shukla aur Hindi Alochana” written by Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma
- According to Awadhesh Pradhan, a Hindi scholar and former BHU professor, Acharya Shukla came to BHU at a time when Hindi was mainly used for communication in British universities such as Allahabad and Calcutta. Shukla took the lead in developing well-structured Hindi curriculum and study materials and wrote the history of Shabd Sagar and Hindi literature. Pradhan said Ramchandra Shukla was known for increasing the importance and recognition of Hindi at the international level.
Photo of an old chair by Ramchandra Shukla
- In 2018, Kusum Chaturvedi and Dr. Mukta produced a documentary on Acharya Shukla for Doordarshan (India’s Public Service Broadcasting Corporation), and they also wrote and published his biography.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education