2023-11-27 Mon

Today, we commemorate the birth anniversary of Indian poet and writer Harivansh Rai Bachchan, a prominent figure in Hindi literature. He was the pioneer participant of the Chhayavaad or Romantic upsurge literary movement. He also worked on promoting Hindi as the official language of India. As a part of his work he indulged in translating some of the major works into Hindi like Macbeth, Othello, Bhagavad Gita, the works of W.B Yeats and the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

Harivansh Rai Bachchan is best remembered for his 142 verse lyrical poem "Madhushala" which became the first step of his fame as the foremost Hindi poet of India. The poem became a craze and was even performed on stage.

In 1969, he was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award, followed by the Padma Bhushan from the Indian government for his contributions to Hindi literature.

In 2003, India Post issued a commemorative stamp featuring Harivansh Rai Bachchan to mark his birth anniversary.

Image Courtesy: India Post