World Hindi Day: Modern Hindi Poets Who Kept Alive Our Bhasha ki Asha

World Hindi Day 2024: 5 Modern Hindi Poets who have been upholding the legacy of Hindi Poetry

World Hindi Day 2024: “Jis Desh ko Apne bhasha aur Sahitya k Gaurav ka Anubhav Nhi Hai, voh desh Kabhi unnat Nhi Ho payega,” A Nation that doesn’t know about the legacy of their language and literature cannot progress- says Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of Independent India.

Hindi, known to have emerged in the 7th Century, is the Lingua Franca for most of India. It is the ‘Aam bhasha’ (common language) for more than 44% of the country’s population.

After saying this, what should be noticed is the impact of westernization on language. Most schools and colleges are operational in English; news and content creation, parliamentary sessions, and all the other essential work must be written in English.

Read More- Hindi Diwas: Do You know there is a World Hindi Day too?

Writer’s Note: Well, what’s ironic is that I, who is writing this piece, choose to write it in English because the masses expect me to do so. But here are a few Modern Hindi poets who have been writing extensively in Hindi and are upholding the legacy of the Hindi Language.

 With best wishes for World Hindi Day 2024, here are the top 5 Modern Hindi Poets. They have been holding the legacy of the language.

Ashok Vajpayee

अगर बच सका

तो वही बचेगा

हम सब में थोड़ा–सा आदमी –

These are lines from Ashok Bajpayee’s poem “Thoda Sa,” a beautiful commentary on humans and humanity. Ashok Vajpayee is a senior modern poet who is a former Civil Servant and the Secretary Chairman of Lalit Kala Academy. His famous books include ‘Kahi Nhi Vahi,’ ‘Tatpurush,’ ‘Shaher Ab Bhi Sambhabhavana Hain,’ ‘Ummed Ka Dusra Nam’ and many more. He received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1994 for the Kahi Nahi Vahi book. Other honours include Kabir Samman (2006), Dayavati Kabir Shekhar Samman (1994), ‘The Officer’s Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland’ in 2005 etc.

Kunvar Narayan

उन परछाइयों को,

जो अभी अभी चांद की रसवंत गागर से गिर

चाँदनी में सनी

खिड़की पर लुढ़की पड़ी थीं,

किसने बटोरा?

With a career span of more than 60 years, Narayan is one of the finest Hindi Poets of the 21st Century. He can specifically be associated with the new poetry movement in Hindi. Born in Faridabad, Narayan is known to have been influenced by various genres, including mythology, the work of Amir Khusro, Gandhi, Marxist writers, and Ghalib. His notable poems include ‘Chakravyuh’ (1956), ‘Atmajayee’, ‘Parivesh: Hum-Tum,’ ‘Apne Sapne’, ‘Koi Dusra Nahi’ (1993), ‘In Dino’ (2008) and others.

आलाप में गिरह (कविता)

जाने कितनी बार जोड़े सुर

हर आलाप में गिरह पड़ी है

The above lines are the initials of Geet Chaturvedi’s Aalap Mai Girah and are a beautiful poem. Known as an avant-garde poet and author, he was born in Mumbai and is widely read by Hindi language enthusiasts. His works have been translated into 17 languages and are world-renowned. His novella, ‘Simsim,” as translated by Anita Gopalan, received the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants 2006.

Gulzar

वोह चीज़ जिसे दिल कहते हैं

हम भूल गए रख के कहीं

A lyricist, poet, author, screenwriter and director, Gulzar Sahab is one of the most renowned and loved on this list. Every next film in Hindi Cinema, where we see exceptionally poetic songs, has the likeability of being written by Gulzar. He has won the prestigious Academy Awards and an Oscar for the song, ‘Jai Ho’ from Slumdog Millionaire. He is a Grammy Award Winner, a Padma Bhushan and many other recognitions nationally and internationally. He can be credited for creating Hindi poetry/songs with broad appeal. 

Mohan Rana 

Mohan Rana is a young, modern-day poet whose poetry uniquely outshines other modern poets. He is a thinker who believes that he couldn’t restrict his creativity to any single category and hence offers diversity in his writings. His Chapbook, a collection of 15 poems, was recommended for World Literature Tour Recommendations by the Guardian. His notable poems include Jagah, ‘Shesh Anek’, ‘Ret Ka Pul’ etc.

Where these writers stand out in their art and creativity, the use of Hindi makes their work more authentic and loveable. They have taken the legacy of the poets like Kabir and Mira or the Mahadevi Verma, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar and others.

This World Hindi Day 2024, we present our gratitude to these poets.

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