Mannu Bhandari (1931-2021) was a famous Indian author who wrote books and stories in Hindi. She is best known for her two popular works, “Aap Ka Bunty” and “Mahabhoj”, as well as her many short stories, novels, and scripts for television and films. Bhandari was a pioneer of the Nai Kahani movement, which explored the ideals of the emerging middle class in India. Her writings often reflected the thoughts and feelings of educated and working middle-class women and covered topics such as family, relationships, equal rights and discrimination in India. His works were translated into several Indian languages as well as French, German and English. She was a notable writer of 21st century Hindi literature.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Mahendra Kumari was born on Thursday, 2 April 1931 (age 90 at the time of death) in Bhanpura, Indore State, British India. His zodiac sign was Aries. She grew up in Ajmer, Rajasthan. She received her schooling from Savitri Girls High School, Ajmer. In 1949, he completed his graduation from Calcutta University, West Bengal. Later, Mannu Bhandari earned an MA degree in Hindi Language and Literature from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Physical Appearance
Hair Color: Gray
Eye colour: black
Family
Mannu Bhandari belonged to a Jain family.
parents and siblings
His father Sukhsampat Rai Bhandari was a freedom fighter and social reformer. His mother, Anup Kumari Bhandari, was a housewife. He had two brothers named Prasanna Kumar Bhandari (teacher) and Basant Kumar (teacher) and two sisters named Sushila and Snehlata (school owner in Indore). Mannu Bhandari was the youngest of five siblings.
husband and children
On 22 November 1959, Mannu Bhandari was married to a Hindi writer named Rajendra Yadav.
Mannu Bhandari on her wedding day
Mannu Bhandari and Rajendra Yadav met when Bhandari was studying at Calcutta University. Despite his father’s objections, he married and lived in Tollygunge, Kolkata until 1964. Subsequently, they moved to Delhi where Bhandari worked as a Hindi literature teacher at Miranda House College, University of Delhi. The couple has a daughter named Rachana Yadav who is a professional Kathak dancer.
A picture of Mannu Bhandari’s daughter Rachna Yadav
In the 1980s, Bhandari and Yadav decided to live separately but did not officially divorce. They remained friends until Rajendra Yadav’s death in 2013.
relationships/affairs
Mannu Bhandari was in a relationship with Rajendra Yadav before marrying him in 1959.
An old picture of Mannu Bhandari with her husband and daughter
livelihood
Soon after completing his graduation, Mannu Bhandari started working as a Hindi teacher at Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan, a school for children in Calcutta. In 1961, she joined Queen Birla College, Kolkata as a Hindi lecturer and held the position until 1965. Between 1992 and 1994, Mannu Bhandari held a special position at the Premchand Srijanpeeth at Vikram University, Ujjain. He started his writing career in 1957 with his first short story ‘Main Haar Gayi’, which was later adapted into a play popular throughout India.
Cover of the short story book ‘Main Har Gayi’ in 1957
Mannu Bhandari, along with her husband, wrote the novel ‘Ek Inch Muskaan’ in 1961 and published her first solo novel ‘Aapka Bunty’ in 1971. The book became very popular soon after its release and was translated into various languages. The languages deal with the theme of a child coping with his parents’ divorce.
Cover of the novel ‘Aapka Bunty’ in 1971
Subsequently, he continued writing short stories and published them in Hindi magazines such as Bharatiya Sahitya and Journal of South Asian Literature. After this, Mannu Bhandari published several collections of his short stories in books like ‘Teen Nigahon Ki Ek Tasveer’ in 1959, ‘Ek Plate Sailab’ in 1962, ‘Trishanku’ in 1995, ‘Yahi Sach Hai’ in 2004 and ‘Sampoorna Kahaniyan’. Compiled in. ‘One of his stories, ‘Yahi Sach Hai’, was made into a film named ‘Rajnigandha’ in 1974.
Poster of the 1974 film ‘Rajnigandha’
In 1977, Mannu Bhandari made a film titled ‘Swami’ based on a story by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. However, she disagreed with the film’s ending.
Poster of the 1977 film ‘Swami’
In 1979, Mannu Bhandari wrote another novel titled ‘Mahabhoj’, which highlights the struggle of marginalized communities after the attack by upper caste landlords in Bihar in 1977. The book was later adapted into a play which was performed at the National School of Drama, Delhi, which was a great success.
Cover page of the book ‘Mahabhoj’
One of his popular stories was adapted into a film titled ‘Jeena Yahaan’ in 1979, which earned critical acclaim.
Poster of the 1979 film ‘Jeena Yahan’
In 1985, Mannu Bhandari collaborated with Indian film director Basu Chatterjee to write the script for a television show titled ‘Rajini’. An episode of this show showing the struggle of taxi drivers became quite popular.
A scene from the 1985 television show ‘Rajini’
In 2007, Mannu Bhandari wrote his autobiography, ‘Ek Kahaani Yeh Bhi’, in which he discussed his life, writing journey, marriage and political involvement.
Ek Kahani Yeh Bhi Book Cover
In 2017, he wrote another successful play titled ‘House Without Walls’.
Poster of the play ‘House without walls’
Controversy
Mannu Bhandari had refused to accept the Padma Shri and Sahitya Kala Parishad awards in protest against the Government of India during the Emergency in 1976.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
1980-81
He was awarded the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Institute Award for his novel Mahabhoj.
1982
He earned the Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad Award in Kolkata and the Kala-Kunj Samman in New Delhi.
1983
He received the Bharatiya Sanskrit Sansad Katha Samaroh Award in Kolkata.
1991
He was awarded the Bihar State Language Council Award.
2001-02
He earned the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
2004
He received the Maharashtra State Hindi Sahitya Academy Award.
2006-07
He was awarded the Madhya Pradesh Hindi Sahitya Sammelan Award at the Hindi Academy, Delhi Shalaka Samman and Bhavabhuti Alankaran.
2008
KK Birla Foundation honored Mannu Bhandari with the 18th Vyas Samman for his autobiography ‘Ek Kahani Ye Bhi’.
Death
Mannu Bhandari died in Gurgaon, Haryana at the age of ninety due to a heart attack on 15 November 2021.
Facts/General Knowledge
- He is also known as Mannu Bhandari Yadav and Mannu.
- Mannu Bhandari’s father was reportedly the first person to translate English to Hindi and English to Marathi dictionaries. He was a follower of Arya Samaj. In his autobiography, Mannu Bhandari told that his father often made fun of his dark skin.
- Bhandari was often involved in politics during her school days. In 1946, when two of his friends were expelled from school for being part of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, he organized a strike.
- Many of Bhandari’s stories were adapted into films and plays for television and his work was shown on Doordarshan, BBC and the National School of Drama in India.
- In 1971, while writing ‘Aapka Bunty’, Mannu Bhandari spent a month at Miranda House Hostel to concentrate on his writing.
- After her death, The Indian Express in one of its publications called her a “pioneer of the Hindi literary world”.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn