For all of us born in Hindi heart belt who grew reading Hindi literature, diving in its rich literally saga with a concrete love and sense of pride for Hindi literature, the name of Suryakant Tripathi “Nirala” stands towering. He still remains an eminent Hindi poet, author and essayist who touched the hearts of millions with his endless works.
Unfortunately, our rather boring school textbooks failed to communicate to us the real meaning and significance of his work. Interestingly, all his works in Hindi literature stands remarkable till date. Although Bangla was his mother tongue, he took up Hindi language as medium of his writing. Suryakant Tirpathi Nirala not only mastered Hindi but went on to became a titan of the neo-romantic school of Hindi literature.
Early life
Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ was born on February 21, 1896 on the day of Vasant Panchami in Brahmin family settled in the Midnapore district of Bengal. His parents were originally from the Unnao region of Uttar Pradesh but had settled in Bengal for a fairly long time.
The love for literature came natural to him and he started writing in Bangla. But his marriage with Manohara Devi inspired him to take a different turn. At that time, he didn’t know that he would go on to become a legend for eternity in the world of Hindi literature.
He married Manohara Devi at a very young age. She was a very pious lady deeply rooted in the Sanatani way of life. She had a deep influence on Nirala’s writing. In fact, it won’t be wrong to say that it was her Prabhu Bhakti towards Bhagwan Ram that inspired him to know more about Sanskrit and Hindi literature.
Evidently, influenced by his wife’s devotion and Sanatani way of life, he started taking deep interest in Sanskrit and Hindi literature. The couple were blessed with a daughter, Saroj. But unfortunately, his wife suffered a tragic death very early on in their married life. The tragedy didn’t end there and he had to bear another big loss. His daughter too passed away.
His most notable work ‘Saroj Smriti‘ was written in the memories of his daughter whom he loved more than his life. The outpouring of grief and sorrow at the untimely death of his daughter reflects in every word and every line of Saroj Smriti.
Literary Career
Gradually, although he achieved an impressive level of proficiency in Hindi, Bengali, as well as in Sanskrit, he had decided that he would dedicate his life to serious literary pursuit, especially in poetry and other forms of such expression. He felt propelled to wield the pen effectively against social injustice and exploitation. He refused to buckle down even in the face of criticism.
Without his efforts most of Hindi audiences would have been bereaved from the great works of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. He was the one who translated many of their works in Hindi language.
His poems gave voice to the voiceless, exposed the hypocrisy of the society, while resonating with the reader. His poem ‘Wah Todti Patthar’, creates a heart-wrenching picture of a little girl who has to work as stone crusher to earn her bread. The life of a beggar is not less than a curse for him, but Nirala was so unique in his sensitivity that he found ‘Kavi Ras’ in a beggar’s life too. His poem Bhikshuk stands the testimony of the fact.
Although each and every work of Nirala can stand alone on their own and compete with greatest among the great but three of his work namely Saroj Smriti, Ram ki Shakti Pooja and Saraswati Vandana push his legacy into a different league altogether. It is pertinent to note that all cultural programmes in India being with ‘Saraswati Vandana‘, a master piece penned by Mahakavi Nirala.
Unique Nirala: A man of upright character
At a literature festival held in Indore in 1936, Mahatma Gandhi belittled the impact and contribution of Hindi writers and dismissed the entire community. He asked, “Where is Hindi’s Tagore?”
Nirala took offence and pushed everyone aside in the gathering. He walked ahead and confronted Gandhi for such outright defamation of Hindi writing community. Deeply hurt with that statement, Nirala asked Gandhi whether he had read enough Hindi literature or not? He asked Gandhi whether he had heard about Hari Shankar Prasad or any of Pro- dominant name in Hindi literature. When Gandhi confessed that he had not gone through much work of Hindi literature, Nirala said then “who gave you authority to talk about my mother language Hindi?”. Nirala went on to say “I will send you some of my and Rabindranath Tagore’s translated work so that you gets better insight into Hindi literature”.
In 1930s, Gandhism was at its peak and at those times, questioning Gandhi was akin to questioning God. But Nirala had ultimate pride for Hindi heritage and he was more than ready to challenge God let alone Mahatma Gandhi for that. The event clearly demonstrated the upright character of Nirala. It also speaks volume about his commitment and love for Hindi at large.
Throughout his life, he struggled to earn a fortune, yet he was never ready to compromise on his principles or dilute his writings. Case in point, when he was recognised as one of the greatest poets and the government offered him money to sustain himself, he declined the offer.
He used to earn money from Kavi Sammelan and Sahitya Sabhas. But due to his benevolence, he used to donate lion’s share of his earning to needy and poor. Knowing the kind hearted behaviour of Nirala, MahaKavitri Mahadevi Verma used to take care and manage his regular finances. Coincidentally, Nirala used to donate this money meant for his necessary finances to poor people or people in need.
Nirala died on 15th of october in 1961, in dire financial straits, with no family and suffering from schizophrenia.
But as they say ‘legends never die’. He has left an indelible mark on this world and he will always be remembered through his iconic timeless works. His influence on Hindi Sahitya can be seen from the fact that once American novelist and translator David Rubin said that his works are greater than that of any other 20th-century Hindi poets.
Nirala was not just inking words for Hindi audience but he meant, felt and lived by his principles which added to the legacy of what Nirala was.
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