Maithili Sharan Gupta (1886–1964) was an Indian nationalist poet who is recognized worldwide as the National Poet and has received several awards for her literary works. He is known for writing in the Khadi dialect of Hindi and expressing patriotism in simple and easy-to-understand language. He was a supporter of Congress and its policies to free India from the British. After India gained independence in 1947, he was appointed as a Rajya Sabha member for two consecutive terms.
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Wiki/Biography
Maithili Sharan Gupta, also spelled Maithili Sharan Gupta, was born in Chirgaon village of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India (erstwhile United Province, British India) on Tuesday, 3 August 1886 (aged 78 at the time of death). , His zodiac sign is Leo. He attended primary school in his village Chirgaon and later did his secondary education from Macdonald High School, Jhansi. He also studied Hindi, Bengali and Sanskrit languages under private teachers including Ram Swaroop Shastri and Durga Dutt Pant at his home. He was inspired by Munshi Ajmeri ‘Prem’ and wrote poems for many magazines. One of these magazines was Hazari Prasad Dwivedi’s ‘Saraswati’, who later advised him to write in the Khari Boli dialect of the Hindi language using powerful words and phrases of Hindi origin. Later he wrote several poetry books.
Physical Appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye colour: black
Family
He belonged to a merchant family.
parents and siblings
His father’s name was Seth Ramcharan Kanakne ‘Kanakalata’ and his mother’s name was Kashi Bai. His father died in October 1903, and his mother died in 1904. He had a brother named Siya Ram Saran Gupta, who died in 1963.
Siya Ram Sharan Gupt, brother of Maithili Sharan Gupt
wife and children
He was married to Sarju Devi in 1895, who died in 1903. He married a second time in 1904, and his second wife died on 15 September 1914. He married for the third time in 1917. They had a son named Urmil Sharan Gupt.
other relatives
He had a daughter-in-law named Shanti Devi. His great-granddaughter Abhijeeta Gupta released her first poetry collection titled Happiness All Around in 2020 at the age of seven. She is the daughter of his grandson Ashish Gupta.
Abhijeeta Gupta, great granddaughter of Maithili Sharan Gupta
religion/religious views
He followed Hindu religion and wrote many books on Hindu religion and various stories related to Hindu kings.
Caste
He belonged to Kanakne clan of Gahoi Bania community.
livelihood
Poem
His first major work titled ‘Rang Mein Bhang’ was published in 1910 by the Indian Press in Prayagraj (then-Allahabad). He wrote on topics such as spiritual gurus, historical characters and events, women empowerment, patriotism and communalism. He wrote several poetry collections based on Ramayana and Mahabharata, including Jayadratha Vadha in 1910 and Saket in 1931.
Cover of Maithili Sharan Gupt’s book Jayadratha Vadh
His book Bharat Bharati, released in 1912, created enthusiasm among the Indian public. He wrote about Lakshman’s wife Urmila in his poetry collection ‘Saket’ and about Gautam Buddha’s wife Yashodhara in his collection titled Yashodhara. Later he wrote many famous books including Plassey Ka Yudh, Bharat-Bharati, Manushta and Panchavati. He often held regular meetings with other well-known poets of the time, including Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi in Allahabad in 1911 and Jaishankar Prasad in Kashi (now – Varanasi) in 1914.
Maithili Sharan Gupt during a poetry seminar
In 1920, he founded Sahitya Sadan Press, which later became the official distributor of his works and those of his younger brother Siya Ram Saran Gupt and Mahadevi Varma. Some of his poetic lines have become very popular, including ‘The one who is not filled with emotions, who doesn’t have juice that flows, who doesn’t have a heart, who doesn’t love the country.’
writing style
The poetry written by him is distinguished by its non-rhymed couplets in Khari Boli dialect. While the couplets do not follow traditional rhyme schemes, they have a unique rhythmic quality achieved through the skillful use of alliteration. The interplay between consonants and vowels within the verses creates a captivating rhythmic backdrop, enhancing the overall musicality of the composition.
Maithili Sharan Gupt reading his poetry at a public event
Politics
He met various important political leaders of the independence movement who were influenced by his patriotic poems, including Mahatma Gandhi in Indore in 1918, Dr. Rajendra Prasad in Allahabad (now-Prayagraj) in 1926, and Jawaharlal Nehru in Prayagraj in 1929. Were. On 5 April 1932, he received a letter from Mahatma Gandhi in which his work Saket was praised. In 1936, Mahatma Gandhi declared him the national poet at a ceremony in Kashi (now-Varanasi).
Letter written by Jawahar Lal Nehru to Maithili Sharan Gupt
In 1940, he welcomed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in his village Chirgaon. On 12 March 1952, he was appointed a member of the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of the Indian Parliament), and in 1958, he was appointed as a Rajya Sabha member for the second time. On 12 March 1963, he resigned his Rajya Sabha membership.
Participation in Indian independence movement
He participated in the Indian independence movement in different parts of his life. On 16 April 1941, he was imprisoned in Agra jail where he met Indian freedom fighter Acharya Narendra Dev.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Rs 500 cash prize by Hindustan Academy, Allahabad
- Declared national poet in 1936
- Sudhakar Medal by Nagari Pracharini Sabha, Varanasi in 1941
- Award by Lucknow University in 1942
- [AwardedbytheSecretCommitteeinCalcutta(now-Kolkata)in1945[1945मेंकलकत्ता(अब-कोलकाता)मेंगुप्तसमितिद्वारासम्मानितकियागया
- Sahitya Vachaspati by Hindi Literary Association in Karachi in 1946
- Honorary D.Litt. (Doctor of Literature) by Agra University in 1948
- Honored by National Language Council in 1951
- Appointed as Honorary Professor at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1954
- Honorary D.Litt. (Doctor of Literature) by Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1960.
Death
Maithili Sharan Gupt died on 12 December 1964 at the age of 78 at her residence in village Chirgaon, Jhansi.
Facts/General Knowledge
- He loved Bundelkhandi food and had a special cook named Girdhari who used to help him whenever he went out of the city. Gupta had a habit of eating dinner before 6 pm. Girdhari used to fondly call Gupta ‘Dadda’.
- He disliked formal education, especially the curriculum taught in schools at that time.
- While his family was traditionally wealthy, his father had lost most of his wealth at the time of his birth.
- His birth name was Mithiladhip Nandansharan Gupta; However, the name was too long, and her teachers found it difficult to write it in the school attendance register, so her name was shortened to Maithili Sharan Gupt.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn