Hindi
Hindi, in its standardized form known as Standard Hindi, is a prominent world language and an official language of India. At the central level, English is a co-official language of India. It is a standardized form of the Hindustani language in which similar and similar Sanskrit terms are used more and Arabic-Persian words are used less.
Hindi is the official language of India and the most widely spoken and understood language in the country. It is not a national language of India because no language is granted such status in the Indian Constitution. According to Ethnologue, Hindi is the world’s third most spoken language. According to World Economic Forum statistics, it is one of the top 10 most powerful languages in the world.
Pakistani is grammatically related to Hindi, and both are mutually intelligible varieties of the Hindustani language. Both Hindi and Urdu are widely spoken languages. In India, around 1 uses Hindi, 14 official languages of various Indian states, and regional dialects. The majority of Arabs speak a second language. Hindi is the link language in India and is, to some extent, a widely understood language throughout the country.
Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir (from 2020), Uttar Pradesh, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi are the nine Indian states that have Hindi as their official language and a Hindi-speaking majority.
Hindi and its varieties are spoken in many Indian states. Hindi is also spoken, read, and written in India and other nations. Significant numbers of people speak Hindi or its recognized dialects in Fiji, Mauritius, Guyana, Suriname, Nepal, and the United Arab Emirates. Hindi was recognized as the third language of the court in Abu Dhabi in February 2019.
Hindi Literature
The origins of Hindi literature are thought to date back to the seventh century. Following Emperor Harsh’s death, various local administrative centers were founded around the country, which used to compete with one another. They used to have disagreements with Muslims as well. For simplicity, critics split the development of Hindi literature into five historical stages, which are as follows:
Prehistoric (before 1400 AD) (before 1400 AD
The Bhakti period (1375 to 1700)
Riti season (1700 to 1900)
The Modern Era (After 1850 AD)
Neolithic epoch (after 1980 AD)
Critics consider Hindi literature to be from the time before 1400 AD, when Hindi was still in its infancy. The emergence of Hindi is thought to have occurred in the regions of Delhi, Kannauj, and Ajmer. Prithviraj Chauhan was the ruler of Delhi at the time, and he had a court poet named Chandbardai. Prithvirajraso is a work by Chandbardai in which he tells the life narrative of his friend Prithviraj. ‘Prithviraj Raso’ is regarded as the greatest work of Hindi literature. Jaichand, the last Rathor ruler of Kannauj, was a great patron of Bhakti kaal and learned Sanskrit.
The Bhakti Period
From 1375 until 1700, the Bhakti period in Hindi literature is recognized. This time is dominated by a devout mood. This time is characterized by two poetic streams: 1. The first is Nirgun Bhakti Dhara, followed by the second, Sagun Bhakti Dhara. Nirguna Bhakti Dhara is broken into two halves. One is the Sant Kavya branch, commonly known as the Gyanashrayi branch; its notable poets include Kabir, Nanak, Dadudayal, Raidas, Malukdas, Sundardas, Dharmadas, and Acharya Ramchandra Shukla.
The second section of Nirguna Bhakti Dhara is composed of Sufi poetry. It is also known as the Premashrayi branch. This branch’s main poets include Malik Mohammad Jayasi, Qutuban, Manjhan, Sheikh Nabi, Qasim Shah, Noor Mohammad, and others.
Saguna Bhakti Dhara is the name of the second stream of Bhaktikal. There are two branches of Sagun Bhakti Dhara: 1. Bhakti Kaal refers to the Ramasrayaramasrayi branch, and the second 2. Krishnasrayi branch = Bhakti Kavya. Tulsidas, Agardas, Nabhadas, Keshavdas, Hridayram, Pranchand Chauhan, Maharaj Vishwanath Singh, and Raghunath Singh are the primary poets of the Ramashrayi branch.
Surdas, Nanddas, Kumbhandas, Chhitaswami, Govind Swami, Chaturbhuj Das, Krishnadas, Meera, Raskhan, Rahim, and others are the important poets of the Krishnasrayi branch. Four major poets from their different schools. These poets are as follows:
Kabirdas (1399-1518)
Muhammad Malik Jayasi (1477-1542)
Surdas (1478-1580)
Tulsidas (1532-1602)
Ritual time
The Riti period of Hindi literature is thought to have lasted from 1700 to 1900, or from 1643 to 1843 AD. Riti is a ready-made method or a long-established practice. This period was named Ritikaal because most poets wrote poetry in the bound method of ornamentation description, ornament use, rhyme, and so on. However, custom-free poets like as Ghananand, Bodha, Thakur, and Gobind Singh kept their subjects free. This time period is split into three sections: customary, customary, and ritualistic. Ritual poets published articles about ideas that flowed with the passage of time.
The prominent inventors of this era were Keshav (1546-1618), Bihari (1603-1664), Bhushan (1613-1705), Matiram, Ghananand, Senapati, and others.
Modern Period in Hindi Literature
In the previous two centuries, modern period Hindi literature has gone through numerous stages of growth. In prose and poetry, various idea streams emerged. In poetry, it was known as Bharatendu Yug, Dwivedi Yug, Chhayavadi Yug, Uttar Chhayavadi Yug, Pragatiwadi Yug, Pragativadi Yug, New Poetry, People’s Poetry, and Contemporary Poetry; in prose, it was known as Bharatendu Yug, Dwivedi Yug, Ramchand Shukla, and the titles Premchand era and the modern period.
Many literary genres were formed in modern prose writing that were either not there previously or were not matured sufficiently to be designated as a separate literary genre. Diary, travelogue, autobiography, metaphor, radio play, screenplay writing, film script, and so on.
Postmodern Period in Hindi Literature
There are various postmodern currents: one, leaving the copy of the west and finding one’s own voice; two, gaining simplicity beyond excessive decoration; and three, unequivocal dialogue on life and social issues.
Along with the frequent usage of computers, new computer-related genres, such as blog writing and Jalghar compositions, have been introduced into Hindi. There are numerous levels of Hindi letters, Jaalghar, and Jaal Patrikas. This computer literature is being written from all across the world, not just in India. In addition, the start of a new age of Pravasi Hindi literature can be considered in the modern era.
Hindi Literature in many dialects
Different language styles arose in different parts of India during the process of language development from Apabhramsha to Hindi. Because Hindi was the best-developed of these, it received language recognition. Dialects are different language styles. Tulsidas penned Ramcharit Manas in Awadhi while Surdas chose Brij Bhasha for his writings, Vidyapati in Maithili, and Mirabai in Rajasthani.
Literature in various dialects of Hindi is still popular, and many poets and writers write in their particular regional languages even today.
Father of Hindi Literature
Bhartendu Harishchandra (September 9, 1850 – January 6, 1885) is often regarded as the father of modern Hindi literature. He was the pioneer of modernism in Hindi. His given name was Harishchandra, and his title was Bhartendu. His term is at a crossroads in history. He adopted the soil of healthy tradition and sowed the seeds of innovation, ignoring the nutrients of Ritikal’s twisted feudal culture.
Bhartendu Harishchandra is regarded as the beginning of the modern period in Hindi literature. The purpose of Bhartendu ji’s literature was to highlight the country’s poverty, subjugation, and depiction of the inhuman exploitation of the rulers. He channeled his talent into developing Hindi as the national language. For his writings illustrating the exploitative nature of the British Raj, he is recognized as a doyen of the era.
Bhartendu was a versatile character. He made significant contributions to Hindi journalism, theatre, and poetry. Bhartendu Harishchandra is credited with starting plays in Hindi. Bhartendu’s playwriting career begins with the translation of Vidyasundar, a Bengali play (1867). Although plays had been written before him, it was Bhartendu who solidified the foundation of Hindi drama by creating numerous plays in Khariboli on a regular basis.
He also edited the periodicals Harishchandra Chandrika, Kavivachanasudha, and Bala Bodhini. He was a superb poet, astute satire, accomplished dramatist, astute journalist, and energetic prose writer. Aside from that, he was a writer, poet, editor, essayist, and talented public speaker. Bhartendu ji produced a tremendous body of literature in his brief life of thirty-four years. He wrote so much, both in quantity and quality and in so many different directions, that his entire creation became a handbook.
The Life History of Bharatendu
Bharatendu Harishchandra was born on September 9, 1850 in Kashi to a prominent Vaishya family. His father, Gopalchandra, was a talented poet who wrote under the pen name ‘Girdhardas’. He would have been seven years old during the First Indian War of Independence in 1857. These days were about to dawn on them. Bhartendu’s work demonstrates that his eyes did not close once they opened. His forefathers were British followers who had gotten wealthy through their grace. Harishchandra’s mother died when he was five years old, and his father died when he was ten. In this way, he was deprived of his parents’ happiness during his childhood. Her mother tormented her severely. I didn’t get the joy of childhood. The educational system remained in place. As a sensitive person, he began to cultivate the habit of seeing, thinking, and understanding.
The subject matter and manner of study continued to unsettle his psyche. I enrolled in Queens College, Banaras, and attended classes for three to four years, but my mind kept moving away from here. Memory capacity was impressive, as was reception capacity. That’s why they kept passing their exams. In those days, there was an English-educated and famous writer in Banaras named Raja Shivprasad ‘Sitarehind,’ and Bhartendu used to go to his residence as a disciple. I only learned English from him. Bhartendu self-taught himself Sanskrit, Marathi, Bangla, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Urdu.
Introduction to Hindi Literature
The period from 1857 to 1900 is regarded as the Bharatendu era because of Bharatendu’s significant literary contribution. Acharya Ramchandra Shukla claims that
Bhartendu was visible in the tradition of Padmakar and Dwijdev on the one hand, and in the category of Michael and Hemchandra of Banga Desh on the other. The distinctive melody of Bharatendu’s art is the lovely harmony between the ancient and the new.
Bharatendu began literary service at the age of fifteen. At the age of eighteen, he published a magazine called ‘Kavivachansudha,’ in which he reproduced the works of prominent intellectuals of the day. At the age of twenty, he was appointed Honorary Magistrate and was regarded as the founder of modern Hindi literature. He published journals for women’s education called ‘Kavivachanasudha’ in 1868, ‘Harishchandra Magazine’ in 1873, and ‘Bala Bodhini’ in 1874. Parallel literary institutions were also established.
He founded the ‘Tadiya Samaj’ to promote Vaishnava devotion. Despite his royal love, he had to become upset with the British government due to his national spirit. In 1880, scholars in Kashi christened him ‘Bharatendu’ after his fame. The title was given to (The Moon of India). Bharatendu’s contribution to Hindi literature is both linguistic and literary.
In terms of language, he distinguished that kind of Khari Boli that differs from Urdu and has been enriched by incorporating the juice of Hindi dialects. He wrote his entire written work in this language. Bharatendu ji’s social duty continued alongside his literary service. He was instrumental in the foundation of numerous institutions. He saw it as his duty to assist the poor, the literate, and his friends.
The Foundations of Hindi Literature
The stream that flowed in the poetry after the Dwivedi era in Hindi literature is known as Chhayawadi poems. The Chhayavadi era is supposed to be from 1917 to 1936 AD.
This period is known as Chhayavad, and these poems are known as Chhayavadi poetry. The poems of this period represent the pinnacle of modern Hindi poetry and poetry. Chhayavadi poetry gradually developed its own separate fan section due to traits such as figurativeness, novel symbology, picturesqueness, sweetness, sarcasm, sarcasm, and so on. Shadowism was coined by Mukutdhar Pandey.
Shadow poets (Chhayavadi Kavi) have usually described mild forms of nature in their poetry, although the ferocious form of nature has also been depicted in some places. In their poems, poets openly portrayed happiness-sorrow, hope-disappointment, and ups and downs.
The Chayavadi Yug poets’ minds are deeply engrossed in the representation of nature, and the euphemism of love and beauty of nature has been the main aspect of Chhayavadi poetry. Nature became the vehicle for Chhayavadi poets, and their poetry brought nature to life.
Poets from The Chhayavadi Period and Their Works
The four main foundations of Chayavadi Yug, according to Dr. Krishnadev Jhari, are Jaishankar Prasad, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala,’ and poetess Mahadevi Verma. Among other poets of the Chhayavadi era, Dr. Ramkumar Verma, Janaki Vallabh Shastri, Harikrishna Premi, Udayashankar Bhatt, Bhagwaticharan Verma, Narendra Sharma, and Rameshwar Shukla ‘Anchal’ are famous. His works include the following:
1. Jaishankar Prasad (1889-1936 AD) poetry collections include Chitradhar (braj language poems); Kanan-Kusum; Importance of Maharana, Chandragupta, Ajatshatru, Karunalaya; weeping; Wave; Spring; Kamayani.
2. Sumitranandan Pant’s poetry books (1900-1977 AD): Veena; gland; Pallava; Yugant, Gunjan, Gramya; Yugvani; golden beam; gold-dust; period
3. Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ (1898-1961 AD) poetry volumes include Anamika, Geetika, Parimal, Tulsidas, mushroom, adoration, anima, fresh leaves, Bella, and Archana.
4. Rashmi, Deepshikha, adoring, serenade, Yama, and Neerja are some of Mahadevi Verma’s (1907-1988) poetic writings.
5. Dr. Ramkumar Verma’s poetry creations include Anjali, Chittor pyre, amount, curse, Chandrakiran, Nishith, Veer Hamir, sketch, and Ekalavya.
6. In the eyes; sorceress; on the path to infinity; fire hymn; vision; Swarna Vihaan are some of Harikrishna’Premi’s poetry creations.