Mohinder Pratap Chand
Encyclopedia
Mohinder Pratap Chand (Hindi
: मोहिन्दर प्रताप 'चान्द') is a Urdu
writer
and poet
of India
who has promoted Urdu language and literature in India. In Kurukshetra University (India), he initiated the Bazm-e-Adab (a literary body) and introduced the study of Urdu in the University Curriculum where he taught Urdu as Teacher In-charge for 26 years. He is the author
of over a dozen Urdu and Hindi books both in poetry and prose including children literatures in Urdu.
, Layyah District
(at the time a tehsil
of Muzaffargarh District
) in the Punjab state
of pre-independence India (now Pakistan
). At the time of the partition of the country he alongside his parents migrated to India when he was 12 years old and studying in his 7th class. There he studied at Govt. College Ludhiana and then at the University of Delhi
and completed his degrees for Honors and Masters in Urdu and also Masters in Library Science all in the first class.
, Kurukshetra
(Haryana
, India
) where he taught Library Science
for 3 years, Urdu
language for 26 years and ultimately retired as University Librarian. In 1980-81, Chand had been on a foreign assignment as a library expert to the Addis Ababa University
, Ethiopia
.
Chand has been broadcasting his poems and other writings from various stations of the All India Radio
and also from Doordarshan
- the national TV network. He was twice nominated as a member of the Audition committee by the Director General of Broadcasting in India. He was also nominated twice by the Haryana
Chief Minister
as a special invitee to the Haryana Urdu Akademi and is a member.
During his visit to USA in 1998, he was interviewed by the 'Voice of America', Washington DC, which was broadcast in two-parts under their weekly program 'Adab Aur Abeeb'.
For over 4 years he has been on the Editorial Board of the Hindi Quarterly 'Punjabi Sanskriti' published from Hissar (Haryana, India).
- Conferred with the prestigious 'SMH Burney Award' by Haryana Urdu Akademi (1995) for his overall contribution to the promotion of Urdu language and literature
- Honored with 'Naseem-e-Layyah Award' (2004) by the International Bazm-e-Ilm-o-fun, Layyah, Pakistan, for his contribution to Urdu Language and learning
- Conferred with 'Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali Award' (2006) by the Haryana Waqf Board for promoting the cause of Urdu in the state of Haryana
- Honored with the Title of 'Mahtab-e-Sukhan' (2006) by Navrang Adabi Idara, Ludhiana, Punjab
- Conferred with the 'Bharat Excellence Award' for the year 2009 by the Friendship Forum of India, New Delhi, for his over all contribution to the fields of Education & Literature.
- Conferred with 'Abr Seemabi Award' for the year 2010, by Sahitya Sabha, Kaithal, Haryana, India, for his over all achievements in Urdu Language & Literature.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: मोहिन्दर प्रताप 'चान्द') is a Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
who has promoted Urdu language and literature in India. In Kurukshetra University (India), he initiated the Bazm-e-Adab (a literary body) and introduced the study of Urdu in the University Curriculum where he taught Urdu as Teacher In-charge for 26 years. He is the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of over a dozen Urdu and Hindi books both in poetry and prose including children literatures in Urdu.
Life
Mohinder Pratap Chand was born on August 1, 1935, in Karor Lal EsanKaror Lal Esan
Karor Lal Esan is a city of Layyah District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is the capital of Karor Tehsil and administrative subdivision of the district. It is located at 31°13'0N 70°57'0E with an altitude of 148 metres . Its old name is Depal Pur...
, Layyah District
Layyah District
Layyah District is a district in the Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the southern part of the province. The capital is Layyah.-History:...
(at the time a tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
of Muzaffargarh District
Muzaffargarh District
Muzaffargarh is a district in the south of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Saraiki Waseb. It is spread over an area of 8,249 km². Muzaffargarh District lies in the strip between the rivers Chenab and Indus, which pass along the Eastern and Western boundaries respectively of...
) in the Punjab state
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
of pre-independence India (now Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). At the time of the partition of the country he alongside his parents migrated to India when he was 12 years old and studying in his 7th class. There he studied at Govt. College Ludhiana and then at the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
and completed his degrees for Honors and Masters in Urdu and also Masters in Library Science all in the first class.
Family
In the year 1959, Chand married Nirmala and they had a daughter and two sons. Nirmala died of massive cardiac arrest on 12 November 2009 at the age of 73 years. The elder son Vivek had two children Swati and Siddharth. Vivek died in a road accident in May 1997. The daughter, Sangeeta, is a senior lecturer in English literature in a Post Graduate college in Haryana. She is married to Dr Ashwani Bahl, a Senior Medical Officer of the Punjab Government and they have two children Prashant & Mehak. Chand's youngest son Manoj has been in the United States for the last 20 years and is Vice President of operations with a Health Care company. He is married to Nancy and has three children Shubhda,Yeshda Suzanne & Visheshwar.Professional career
From 1964 to 1995, Chand had been associated with the Kurukshetra UniversityKurukshetra University
Kurukshetra University was established in 1956 in Kurukshetra in Haryana, India, situated 160 km from Delhi, and member of Association of Commonwealth Universities The Kurukshetra University was the dream of the then Punjab Governor, Sir Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh, a great Sanskrit...
, Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra is a land of historical and religious importance. Historically the land belonged to Punjab now a district in Haryana state of India. It is a holy place and is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and...
(Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) where he taught Library Science
Library science
Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
for 3 years, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
language for 26 years and ultimately retired as University Librarian. In 1980-81, Chand had been on a foreign assignment as a library expert to the Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University is a university in Ethiopia. It was originally named "University College of Addis Ababa" at its founding, then renamed for the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I in 1962, receiving its current name in 1975.Although the university has six of its seven campuses within...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
Literary career
Chand wrote his first poem when he was in his 7th class at Zira (Punjab, India). There-after the able guidance of his mentor Hazrat Qais Jalandhari acted as a stimulus and Chand has written 13 books in Urdu, English and Hindi. In the year 2007, he submitted a 665-paged report on the 'Role of Haryana in the evolution of Urdu language and literature' to Akademi.Chand has been broadcasting his poems and other writings from various stations of the All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
and also from Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
- the national TV network. He was twice nominated as a member of the Audition committee by the Director General of Broadcasting in India. He was also nominated twice by the Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
as a special invitee to the Haryana Urdu Akademi and is a member.
During his visit to USA in 1998, he was interviewed by the 'Voice of America', Washington DC, which was broadcast in two-parts under their weekly program 'Adab Aur Abeeb'.
For over 4 years he has been on the Editorial Board of the Hindi Quarterly 'Punjabi Sanskriti' published from Hissar (Haryana, India).
Publications
- 'Harf-e-Raaz', 'Harf-e-Aashna' and 'Aazar-e-Gham-e-Ishq' (Anthologies of Urdu poems)
- 'Zakhm Aarzoo-on ke' (Anthology of Urdu poems in Devnagri script)
- Urdu Text Book (Prescribed since 1986, in the school curriculum of the 7th grade students of the Haryana state, India)
- 'Hali Panipati ki Ghazlen' (Devnagri script), Ed. http://haryanaurdu.nic.in/publication2.htm
- 'Laava' (A long Urdu poem by Qais Jalandhari'), Ed. http://ciillibrary.org:8000/cgi-bin/gw/chameleon?host=localhost%2b1111%2bDEFAULT&search=KEYWORD&function=INITREQ&SourceScreen=INITREQ&sessionid=2008030209400628744&skin=default&conf=.%2fchameleon.conf&lng=en&itemu1=4&scant1=Laasika%20Prabodh%20Narayan%20Singh&scanu1=4&u1=4&t1=%01835464&pos=1&prevpos=1&
- 'Colon Classification; a programmed text' (2 Editions in English and one in Hindi) - English http://catalog.library.ksu.edu.sa/digital/238906.html; - Hindi http://www.flipkart.com/books/Dwibhind-Varghikaran/Mohinder-Pratap-Chand/8180480178/6V23F9DSKK.html
- 'Desh Videsh Ki Kahaniyan'(in Hindi), 'Doodh Ka Mulaya' (in Hindi), 'Doodh ki Qimat' (in Urdu) - Folktales of the world;
- 'Ujalon Ke Safeer' (a collection of research and critical articles)
Awards and honors
- Honored by 'Adabi Sangam' (Kurukshetra, 1986) and 'Akhil Bharti Tarun Sangam' (Kurukshetra, 1997) for his overall contribution to Urdu and Hindi literature.- Conferred with the prestigious 'SMH Burney Award' by Haryana Urdu Akademi (1995) for his overall contribution to the promotion of Urdu language and literature
- Honored with 'Naseem-e-Layyah Award' (2004) by the International Bazm-e-Ilm-o-fun, Layyah, Pakistan, for his contribution to Urdu Language and learning
- Conferred with 'Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali Award' (2006) by the Haryana Waqf Board for promoting the cause of Urdu in the state of Haryana
- Honored with the Title of 'Mahtab-e-Sukhan' (2006) by Navrang Adabi Idara, Ludhiana, Punjab
- Conferred with the 'Bharat Excellence Award' for the year 2009 by the Friendship Forum of India, New Delhi, for his over all contribution to the fields of Education & Literature.
- Conferred with 'Abr Seemabi Award' for the year 2010, by Sahitya Sabha, Kaithal, Haryana, India, for his over all achievements in Urdu Language & Literature.
External links
- Biodata and 10 Ghazals http://paigaam.tripod.com/html/M1001.HTM
- News Article about diversities in Urdu http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020901/spectrum/book8.htm
- News Article about Indo-Pak poets celebrate togetherness http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041004/cth2.htm