Rambriksh Benipuri

Ramavriksha Benipuri रामवृक्ष बेनीपुरी
Born	1899 Benipur Village, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, British India
Died	1968 (aged-68/69)
Occupation	Writer, Dramatist, Essayist, Novelist
Nationality	Indian
Notable work(s)	Ambpali, Patiton Ke Desh Mein, Shakuntala etc.

Ramavriksha Benipuri (रामवृक्ष बेनीपुरी) (1899-1968) was a Hindi writer. He was born in a Bhumihar Brahmin family, in a small village named Benipur in the Indian state of Bihar. He had spent eight years in prison for fighting for India's independence.^[1] Rambriksh Benipuri hailed from Muzaffarpur in Bihar and took active part in the Indian freedom movement^[2]. He was also a journalist of Hindi Literature and started several newspapers like Yuvak in 1929 and regularly contributed in various others to spread the idea of nationalism and freedom from British rule.^[3]

Style and influence

Benipuri wrote mostly short stories, dramas and essays. His dramas covered mostly historical events. For example, Ambapali depicts the life of the famous courtesan Ambapali who turned into a Buddhist after meeting Buddha. Likewise Netradaan (that is, Gift of Eyes), another drama, is based on a historical legend involving Ashoka and his son Kunal.

He was also a playwright.^{[citation needed]}

Homage

In 1999, Benipuri was one of the Hindi writes used in a set of commemorative postal stamps released to celebrate the "Linguistic Harmony of India." marking the 50th anniversary since the Indian Union adopted Hindi as its official language^[4].

Centenary Celebrations

The chief guest on the occasion of the birth centenary of Benipuri held in zonal railway training centre at Muzaffarpur, held under the auspices of railway ministry, was the former Prime Minister of India Chandra Shekhar.^[5] Main speakers included litterateur Namwar Singh and journalist Prabhash Joshi.^[5] Namwar Singh described Benipuri as the only second litterateur who preferred to associate his name with that of his village.^[5]

Prabhash Joshi ranked Benipuri with Makhanlal Chaturvedi and Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi who were both contemporary litterateurs and journalists as well.^[5] He said Benipuri was not like today's journalists who work only to earn. Benipuri had a desire to create a "samtawadi samaj" and fight against imperialism.^[5]

Major literary works

Memoirs and essays

• Patiton Ke Desh Mein-1930-33
• Chita Ke Phool-1930-32
• Lal Taaraa-1937-39
• Kaidee Ki Patni-1940
• Maatee Ki Mooratein-1941-45
• Gehun Aur Gulaab- 1948-50
• Janjiren aur deewaren
• Zanjeeren Aur Deewaren
• Udate Chalo, Udate Chalo

Dramas

• Ambpali-1941-46
• Sita Ki maan-1948-50
• Sanghamitra-1948-50
• Amar Jyoti-1951
• Tathaagat
• Singhal Vijay
• Shakuntala
• Ramrajya
• Netradaan-1948-50
• Gaao Ke Devata
• Nayaa samaaj
• Vijeta-1953.
• Baiju Mama, National Book Trust, 1994

Editing and critical

• Vidyapati Ki Padaavali
• Bihari (poet) satsai Ki Subodh Teekaa

Biography

• Jayaprakash Narayan only with the initials Jayaprakash

Lalit Gadya

• Vande Vaani Vinayakau -1953-54.

Collected Works

• Collected Works of Rambriksh Benipuri, 8 volumes, Radhakrishna Prakashan

Selected Works/Anthology

• Rambriksh Benipuri Rachna Sanchayan, Sahitya Akademi

Works on Rambriksha Benipuri

• Gajanan Pandurang Chavan, Ramvriksha Benipuri aur unka sahitya, 1984.
• Ram Bachan Rai, Ramvriksh Benipuri, Sahitya Akademi, 1995, ISBN 978-8172019742.
• Raśmi Caturvedī, Rāmavr̥ksha Benīpurī ke rekhācitra, eka adhyayana, Sāhitya Nilaya, 2005.
• Indu Prakash Pandey, Hindi Literature: Trends & Traits, Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay, 1975.

References

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