Harivansh Rai Bachchan Explained

Harivansh Rai Bachchan
Birth Name:	Harivansh Rai Srivastava
Birth Date:	27 November 1907
Birth Place:	Babupatti, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Death Place:	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Language:	Awadhi and Hindi
Pseudonym:	Bachchan
Alma Mater:	Allahabad University (B.A) St Catharine's College, Cambridge (PhD)
Children:	2 (including Amitabh Bachchan)^[1]
Relatives:	Bachchan family
Awards:	Padma Bhushan (1976)
Module:	Embed: yes Office: Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha^[2] Termstart1: 3 April 1966 Termend1: 2 April 1972 Constituency1: Nominated Signature: HarivanshRaiBachchan Autograph Hindi&Urdu.jpg

Harivansh Rai Bachchan (; 27 November 1907 18 January 2003) was an Indian poet and writer of the Nayi Kavita literary movement (romantic upsurge) of early 20th century Hindi literature. He was also a poet of the Hindi Kavi Sammelan. He is best known for his early work Madhushala.^[3] He was the father of Amitabh Bachchan, and grandfather of Shweta Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. His wife Teji Bachchan was a social activist. In 1976, he received the Padma Bhushan for his service to Hindi literature.^[4]

Early life

Bachchan was born in Babupatti, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh in British India on 27 November 1907 into a Hindu Kayastha family.^{[5] [6]} His family name was Srivastav.^[7] He began using the pen name "Bachchan" (meaning child) for his Hindi poetry. From 1941 to 1957, he taught in the English Department at the Allahabad University and then spent the next two years at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, completing a PhD on W. B. Yeats.

Personal life

Bachchan married Shyama in 1926 who died of tuberculosis in 1936. In 1941, he married Teji Suri.^{[8] [9]} Their elder son Amitabh Bachchan was born on 11 October 1942, followed by their younger son, Ajitabh, on 18 May 1947.^[10]

He had used the pen name Bachchan ("child-like" in colloquial Hindi), under which he published all of his works.^[11] When looking to get their elder son admitted to a school, he and Teji decided the family's surname should be Bachchan instead of Shrivastava, as both parents opposed the caste system.^[12] Thus, it became the legal surname of the family.^[13] He was close friends with the Hindi Cinema Thespian Prithviraj Kapoor.

Writing career

Bachchan was fluent in several Hindi languages (Hindustani and Awadhi).^[14] He incorporated a broadly Hindustani vocabulary,^[15] written in Devanagari script.^[14] While he could not read Persian script,^[14] he was influenced by Persian and Urdu poetry, particularly Omar Khayyam.^[16]

Works used in movies

Bachchan's work has been used in movies and music. Couplets of his work "Agneepath" are used throughout the 1990 film Agneepath, featuring his son Amitabh, and also later in the 2012 remake Agneepath, starring Hrithik Roshan, as well as in the TV Serial Ishqbaaz.^[17]

List of works

Poems

• Chal Mardane
  • Barsaat Ki Aati Hawa Tera Haar (तेरा हार) (1932)
• Madhushala (मधुशाला) (1935)
• Madhubala (मधुबाला) (1936)^[18]
• Madhukalash (मधुकलश) (1937)
• Raat Aadhi Kheench Kar Meri Hatheli
• Nisha Nimantran (निशा निमंत्रण) (1938)
• Ekaant Sangeet (एकांत संगीत) (1939)
• Aakul Antar (आकुल अंतर) (1943)
• Satarangini (सतरंगिनी) (1945)
• Halaahal (हलाहल) (1946)
• Bengal ka Kaavya (बंगाल का काव्य) (1946)
• Khaadi ke Phool (खादी के फूल) (1948)
• Soot ki Maala (सूत की माला) (1948)
• Milan Yamini (मिलन यामिनी) (1950)
• Pranay Patrika (प्रणय पत्रिका) (1955)
• Dhaar ke idhar udhar (धार के इधर उधर) (1957)
• Aarti aur Angaare (आरती और अंगारे) (1958)
• Buddha aur Naachghar (बुद्ध और नाचघर) (1958)
• Tribhangima (त्रिभंगिमा) (1961)
• Chaar kheme Chaunsath khoonte (चार खेमे चौंसठ खूंटे) (1962)
• Do Chattane (दो चट्टानें) (1965)
• Bahut din beete (बहुत दिन बीते) (1967)
• Kat-ti pratimaaon ki awaaz (कटती प्रतिमाओं की आवाज़) (1968)
• Ubharte pratimaano ke roop (उभरते प्रतिमानों के रूप) (1969)
• Jaal sameta (जाल समेटा) (1973)
• Nirman (निर्माण)
• Aathmaparichai (आत्मपरिचय)
• Ek Geet (एक गीत)
• Bhool gaya hai kyun insaan (भूल गया है क्यों इंसान)
• Agneepath (अग्निपथ)

Miscellaneous

• Bachpan ke saath kshan bhar (बचपन के साथ क्षण भर) (1934)
• Khaiyyam ki madhushala (खय्याम की मधुशाला) (1938)
• Sopaan (सोपान) (1953)
• Macbeth (मेकबेथ)(1957)
• Jangeet (जनगीता) (1958)
• Omar Khaiyyam ki rubaaiyan (उमर खय्याम की रुबाइयाँ) (1959)
• Kaviyon ke saumya sant: Pant (कवियों के सौम्य संत: पंत) (1960)
• Aaj ke lokpriya Hindi kavi: Sumitranandan Pant (आज के लोकप्रिय हिन्दी कवि: सुमित्रानंदन पंत) (1960)
• Aadhunik kavi: 7 (आधुनिक कवि: ७) (1961)
• Nehru: Raajnaitik jeevanchitra (नेहरू: राजनैतिक जीवनचित्र) (1961)
• Naye puraane jharokhe (नये पुराने झरोखे) (1962)
• Abhinav sopaan (अभिनव सोपान) (1964)
• Chausath roosi kavitaayein (चौसठ रूसी कवितायें) (1964)
• W. B. Yeats and Occultism (1968)
• Markat dweep ka swar (मरकट द्वीप का स्वर) (1968)
• Naagar geet (नागर गीत) (1966)
• Bachpan ke lokpriya geet (बचपन के लोकप्रिय गीत) (1967)
• Hamlet (1969)
• Bhaasha apni bhaav paraaye (भाषा अपनी भाव पराये) (1970)
• Pant ke sau patra (पंत के सौ पत्र) (1970)
• Pravaas ki diary (प्रवास की डायरी) (1971)
• King Lear (1972)
• Tooti Chooti kadiyan (टूटी छूटी कड़ियां) (1973)
• Meri kavitaayi ki aadhi sadi (मेरी कविताई की आधी सदी) (1981)
• So-ham hans (सोहं हंस) (1981)
• Aathve dashak ki pratinidhi shreshth kavitaayein (आठवें दशक की प्रतिनिधी श्रेष्ठ कवितायें) (1982)
• Meri shreshth kavitaayein (मेरी श्रेष्ठ कवितायें) (1984)
• Jo beet gai so Bat gai

Autobiography

• Kya bhooloon kya yaad karoon (क्या भूलूं क्या याद करूं) (1969)
• Neerh ka nirmaan phir (नीड़ का निर्माण फिर) (1970)
• Basere se door (बसेरे से दूर) (1977)
• Dashdwaar se sopaan tak (दशद्वार से सोपान तक) (1985), In the Afternoon of Time^[19]
• Bachchan rachanavali ke nau khand (बच्चन रचनावली के नौ खण्ड)

See also

• Indian Writers
• Indian Poets

External links

• मधुशाला का मूल पाठ (विकीस्रोत पर)
• हरिवंश राय बच्चन (हिन्दी विकीपीडिया पर)
• मधुशाला (हिन्दी विकीपीडिया पर)
• हरिवंश राय बच्चन (विकीस्रोत पर)
• A Collection

Further reading

1. Kaveendra, Anil Pushker. Harivanshrai Bachchan Ki Anuvad Drishti (Hindi) (Hardcover) (2013). Ruby Press & Co., New Delhi.

• 'कविता -नीड़ का निर्माण फिर फिर

Notes and References

1. Book: In the Afternoon of Time: An Autobiography. Harivansh Rai Bachchan, R . Penguin books . 2001. 327. When we entered Amit for school, we adopted 'Bachchan' as our family name, registering him as 'Amitabh Bachchan'; and when our second son was born, he was called 'Ajitabh Bachchan'. 9780140276633 .
2. Web site: Nominated Members Since 1952 . 164.100.47.5. 19 March 2020.
3. Obituary, Frontline, (The Hindu), 1–14 February 2003.
4. Web site: Padma Awards . Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India . 2015 . 21 July 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf . 15 October 2015 .
5. Web site: 25 November 2016. खुली किताब सा जीवन : हरिवंश राय बच्चन की जीवनी के चार खंड!. 5 August 2020. The Better India - Hindi. en-US.
6. Web site: Harivansh Rai Bachchan Indian poet . Encyclopedia Britannica . 17 October 2020 . en.
7. Book: Harivansh Rai Bachchan. kya bhulun kya yaad karu. 11–12. en.
8. News: इस बीमारी से हुई थी हरिवंश राय की पहली पत्नी की डेथ, इनसे की दूसरी शादी . 1 June 2023 . Dainik Bhaskar . 2017 . hi.
9. News: एक अफेयर से लेकर दो शादियों तक, ऐसी थी Amitabh Bachchan के पिता हरिवंश राय की ज़िंदगी . 1 June 2023 . ABP News . 24 December 2020 . hi.
10. News: Singh . Yash . 6 December 2023 . Who is Ajitabh Bachchan . Pinkvilla . 6 December 2023.
11. News: Bhattacharya . Sreemita . 28 July 2011 . I am proud of my surname Amitabh Bachchan . 30 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180830194021/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/I-am-proud-of-my-surname-Amitabh-Bachchan/articleshow/9393354.cms . live . The Times of India . 26 July 2017 .
12. News: Amitabh Bachchan got his surname because of caste system . 2 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201002091321/https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-got-his-surname-bacause-of-caste-system-1.65525580 . live . Gulf News . IANS . 30 July 2019 . 22 September 2020.
13. Book: Bachchan, Harivansh Rai . In The Afternoon Time . Viking Pr . 1998 . 978-0-670-88158-1.
14. Book: West-Pavlov, Russell . The Global South and Literature . 2018 . . 9781108246316 . 167 .
15. Book: Williams . Mukesh . Wanchoo . Rohit . Representing India: Literatures, Politics, and Identities . 2008 . . 9780195692266 . 73 . Harivansh Rai Bachchan recalled how some of the Urdu vocabulary used by audiences in appreciating poetic recitals in Hindi kavi sammelans was consciously changed to Sanskritized Hindi creating an artificial Hindi idiom..
16. Book: Gopal, Madan . Origin and development of Hindi/Urdu literature . 1996 . Deep & Deep Publications . 204 . He was influenced by Persian and Urdu poetry, especially by Omar Khayyam and started versifying in the Bachchalian style..
17. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0045394/ Harivansh Rai Bachchan (1907–2003)
18. Book: Bachhan . Harivansh Rai . Madhubala by Harivansh Rai Bachchan . en.
19. Book: In the Afternoon of Time: An Autobiography: Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Rupert Snell, Baccana, Harivansh Rai BacHChhan: 9780670881581: Amazon.com: Books . 1 April 1998 . 0670881589. Baccana . Bachchan . Harivansh Rai .