In this guide
In a small room in Lamhi, a village near Varanasi, a schoolteacher named Dhanpat Rai — who wrote as Premchand — produced stories and novels about farmers, moneylenders, widows and child labourers that changed Hindi and Urdu literature forever. Premchand is only one of the extraordinary writers Uttar Pradesh has given India. From the Bhakti poets to modern Hindi and Urdu, UP has been at the heart of north Indian literature.
Bhakti literature
- Kabir (Varanasi) — dohe and sakhis in a people's language.
- Tulsidas — Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi.
- Surdas — Sursagar in Braj Bhasha.
- Malik Muhammad Jayasi — Padmavat (1540) in Awadhi, a Sufi allegory.
See our guide on the Bhakti saints of UP.
The birth of modern Hindi
Bharatendu Harishchandra (1850–1885)
- Born in Varanasi; called the father of modern Hindi literature (and of modern Hindi theatre).
- Wrote plays such as Andher Nagari (a satire on misgovernment) and Bharat Durdasha (on India's plight under colonial rule).
- Edited journals such as Kavivachan Sudha and Harishchandra Chandrika.
- The period is called the Bharatendu Yug in Hindi literary history.
Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi (1864–1938)
- Editor of Saraswati (published from Allahabad); standardised Khari Boli Hindi prose and poetry — the Dwivedi Yug.
Premchand (1880–1936)
- Born at Lamhi near Varanasi.
- Wrote in Urdu and Hindi; about 300 stories and a dozen novels.
- Major novels: Godan (1936), Gaban, Nirmala, Rangbhoomi, Karmabhoomi, Sevasadan.
- Stories: Kafan, Idgah, Panch Parmeshwar, Poos ki Raat, Bade Ghar ki Beti.
- Themes: peasant exploitation, caste, the status of women, social reform, nationalism.
- Called Upanyas Samrat ("emperor of novels").
Chhayavad (romanticism), c. 1918–1936
Four great poets — all four from UP or closely linked to it:
| Poet | Notable works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jaishankar Prasad | Kamayani | Born in Varanasi; also plays (Chandragupta, Skandagupta) |
| Suryakant Tripathi "Nirala" | Saroj Smriti, Ram ki Shakti Puja, Kukurmutta | Lived in Allahabad; free verse pioneer |
| Sumitranandan Pant | Pallav, Chidambara | Born in Kausani (now Uttarakhand, then UP); first Hindi poet to win the Jnanpith (1968) |
| Mahadevi Verma | Yama, Deepshikha; prose sketches | Lived in Allahabad; called the "modern Meera"; Jnanpith (1982) |
Later Hindi writers
| Writer | Notable works |
|---|---|
| Harivansh Rai Bachchan | Madhushala; autobiography in four volumes |
| Sachchidananda Vatsyayan "Agyeya" | Pioneer of Prayogvad (experimentalism); born in Kushinagar (Kasia) |
| Dharamvir Bharati | Gunahon ka Devta, Andha Yug |
| Amritlal Nagar | Novels of Lucknow life |
| Yashpal | Jhootha Sach (on Partition) |
| Shrilal Shukla | Raag Darbari — satire on rural politics and bureaucracy |
| Kedarnath Singh | Poet; Jnanpith (2013) |
Urdu literature
| Poet / writer | Notes |
|---|---|
| Mir Taqi Mir | Moved to Lucknow from Delhi; one of Urdu's greatest poets |
| Mir Anis and Dabir | Masters of the marsiya (elegy) in Lucknow |
| Akbar Allahabadi | Satirical poet of colonial society |
| Firaq Gorakhpuri (Raghupati Sahay) | Born in Gorakhpur; Jnanpith (1969) for Gul-e-Naghma — the first Urdu writer to receive it |
| Josh Malihabadi | "Shayar-e-Inquilab" (poet of revolution); from Malihabad, Lucknow |
| Majaz Lakhnavi | Poet; the Aligarh tarana |
| Qurratulain Hyder | Novelist (Aag ka Darya); Jnanpith (1989) |
Journalism
- Allahabad, Lucknow, Varanasi and Kanpur were centres of Hindi and Urdu journalism.
- Pratap (Kanpur), edited by Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, was a fearless nationalist paper; Vidyarthi died in 1931 trying to stop communal riots in Kanpur.
Institutions
- Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, founded in 1910 in Allahabad.
- Nagari Pracharini Sabha, Varanasi (1893) — promoted Hindi in the Devanagari script; published the Hindi Shabdasagar dictionary.
- Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, UP Urdu Academy.
Practice
Prelims-style:
- Who is called the father of modern Hindi literature?
- Where was Premchand born, and what is his masterpiece?
- Name the four major poets of Chhayavad.
- Which Urdu poet from Gorakhpur won the Jnanpith Award?
- Where was the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan founded?
Mains-style:
- "Premchand's fiction is a mirror of rural Uttar Pradesh." Discuss.
- Examine the contribution of Allahabad to Hindi and Urdu literature.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission website .
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