Bhagyawati
Encyclopedia
Bhagyawati is an 1888 novel by Shardha Ram Phillauri
. The book is now acknowledged as the first novel in Hindi. Bhagyawati is believed to have been written mainly in Amritsar
and was first published in 1888.
According to The Tribune
(India), the novel was written specifically to "bring an awakening" amongst Indian women
. The book's main character was a woman, and it offered a progressive perspective on women's rights and status. At a time when widow
s were considered unholy and impure, child marriage
was common, and newborn girls were often killed, the novel advocated widow marriage, condemned child marriage, and affirmed the equality of male and female children. The book was often given to daughters at marriage as a part of the dowry.
Shardha Ram Phillauri
Shardha Ram Phillauri was a Punjabi missionary, social reformer, astrologer, and writer, best remembered for his contributions to Hindi and Punjabi literature. He has been called the “father of modern Punjabi prose."...
. The book is now acknowledged as the first novel in Hindi. Bhagyawati is believed to have been written mainly in Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
and was first published in 1888.
According to The Tribune
The Tribune
The Tribune is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from Chandigarh, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Dehradun and Bathinda. It was founded on 2 February 1881, in Lahore , by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as...
(India), the novel was written specifically to "bring an awakening" amongst Indian women
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...
. The book's main character was a woman, and it offered a progressive perspective on women's rights and status. At a time when widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
s were considered unholy and impure, child marriage
Child marriage
Child marriage and child betrothal customs occur in various times and places, whereby children are given in matrimony - before marriageable age as defined by the commentator and often before puberty. Today such customs are fairly widespread in parts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America: in...
was common, and newborn girls were often killed, the novel advocated widow marriage, condemned child marriage, and affirmed the equality of male and female children. The book was often given to daughters at marriage as a part of the dowry.