Rajendra Yadav
Encyclopedia
Rajendra Yadav (born 1929) is one of the eminent Hindi
fiction writers, and one of the pioneers of Nayi Kahani, Hindi literary movement. He edits the famous literary magazine HANS, which was originally founded by Munshi Premchand
in 1930, and which continued publication till 1953, thereafter it was relaunched by Rajendra Yadav on July 31, 1986, (Premchand's Birthday), who has remained its editor ever since, and the magazine reached 17,000 mark in 2005. He is the author of several book and novels in Hindi.
Rajendra Yadav is regarded as principal architect of the 'New Wave' or the Nayi Kahani (New Story) movement in post-Independence Hindi fiction, which is known for absorbing the spirit of the contemporary India and presenting it in all its starkness.
His wife Mannu Bhandari is also a famous Hindi fiction Writer.
, Uttar Pradesh
in a Yadav family, where his mother was an Arya Samaj
follower and his father was an agnostic and a medical doctor by profession. He received his early education at Agra, and later also studied at Mawana, Meerut briefly, staying with his uncle. He graduated in 1949, and later completed M.A. in Hindi from Agra University in 1951.
His first novel, Pret Bolte Hain (1951) (Ghosts speak), later renamed as Sara Akash
in the 60s, (The Infinite Cosmos), has reportedly sold about one million copies, an enviable figure for any book published in India, and has been translated into almost all Indian languages
, and several other languages of the world. Sara Akash became the first Hindi novel which attempted to shock orthodox Indian culture
out of its centuries-old slumber. Basu Chatterjee
made Sara Akash on it, in 1969 and which along with Mrinal Sen
's Bhuvan Shome
, launched Parallel Cinema
in Hindi.
Ukhre Huey Log, ('The Rootless People) his next novel, depicts the trauma of a couple arising out of socio-economic condition which forced them to desert the conventional path - and, still they failed to acclimatize themselves to a corrupt and devilish world. This novel envisages "living in" concept for the first time.
He wrote two more novels, Kulta (The Wayward Wife), and Shaah aur Maat (Check and Mate). He also wrote several stories and translated into Hindi many works of Russian language
writers like Turgenev, Chekhov
, and Lermontov (A Hero of Our Times), as also Albert Camus
(The Outsider).
Ek Inch Muskaan (A Little Smile), which Rajendra Yadav and wife Mannu Bhandari wrote together, is a love tragedy of schizophrenic individuals.
Besides being a writer, Rajendra Yadav was also a nominated a board member of Prasar Bharti in 1999-2001.
Presently, he lives on NOIDA
, and works in Daryaganj
, Delhi
, where he is the editor of HANS literary monthly.
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...
fiction writers, and one of the pioneers of Nayi Kahani, Hindi literary movement. He edits the famous literary magazine HANS, which was originally founded by Munshi Premchand
Munshi Premchand
Munshi Premchand , was a famous writer of modern Hindi-Urdu literature. He is generally recognized in India as the foremost Hindi-Urdu writer of the early twentieth century...
in 1930, and which continued publication till 1953, thereafter it was relaunched by Rajendra Yadav on July 31, 1986, (Premchand's Birthday), who has remained its editor ever since, and the magazine reached 17,000 mark in 2005. He is the author of several book and novels in Hindi.
Rajendra Yadav is regarded as principal architect of the 'New Wave' or the Nayi Kahani (New Story) movement in post-Independence Hindi fiction, which is known for absorbing the spirit of the contemporary India and presenting it in all its starkness.
His wife Mannu Bhandari is also a famous Hindi fiction Writer.
Biography
Rajendra Yadav was born in AgraAgra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
in a Yadav family, where his mother was an Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
follower and his father was an agnostic and a medical doctor by profession. He received his early education at Agra, and later also studied at Mawana, Meerut briefly, staying with his uncle. He graduated in 1949, and later completed M.A. in Hindi from Agra University in 1951.
His first novel, Pret Bolte Hain (1951) (Ghosts speak), later renamed as Sara Akash
Sara Akash
-Plot:Agra-based collegian, Samar Thakur, lives in a joint family consisting of his dad, mom, brother Amar and his wife; as well as a married sister, Munni, estranged from her husband. His parents force him to marry Prabha, a matriculate, much to his chagrin as this interferes with his future plans...
in the 60s, (The Infinite Cosmos), has reportedly sold about one million copies, an enviable figure for any book published in India, and has been translated into almost all Indian languages
Languages of India
The languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-European languages—Indo-Aryan and the Dravidian languages...
, and several other languages of the world. Sara Akash became the first Hindi novel which attempted to shock orthodox Indian culture
Culture of India
India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs differ from place to place within the country, but nevertheless possess a commonality....
out of its centuries-old slumber. Basu Chatterjee
Basu Chatterjee
Basu Chatterjee is an Indian film director. His films are very similar to those of Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Like Mukherjee, he built his plots on middle-class lives.He was born in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India....
made Sara Akash on it, in 1969 and which along with Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen is a Bengali Indian filmmaker. He was born on 14 May 1923, in the town of Faridpur, now in Bangladesh in a Hindu family. After finishing his high school there, he left home to come to Calcutta as a student and studied physics at the well-known Scottish Church College and at the...
's Bhuvan Shome
Bhuvan Shome
Bhuvan Shome is a 1969 Hindi film directed by Mrinal Sen. The cast includes Utpal Dutt and Suhasini Mulay...
, launched Parallel Cinema
Parallel Cinema
The Indian New Wave, commonly known in India as Art Cinema or Parallel Cinema as an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema, is a specific movement in Indian cinema, known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with a keen eye on the sociopolitical climate of the times...
in Hindi.
Ukhre Huey Log, ('The Rootless People) his next novel, depicts the trauma of a couple arising out of socio-economic condition which forced them to desert the conventional path - and, still they failed to acclimatize themselves to a corrupt and devilish world. This novel envisages "living in" concept for the first time.
He wrote two more novels, Kulta (The Wayward Wife), and Shaah aur Maat (Check and Mate). He also wrote several stories and translated into Hindi many works of Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
writers like Turgenev, Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, and Lermontov (A Hero of Our Times), as also Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
(The Outsider).
Ek Inch Muskaan (A Little Smile), which Rajendra Yadav and wife Mannu Bhandari wrote together, is a love tragedy of schizophrenic individuals.
Besides being a writer, Rajendra Yadav was also a nominated a board member of Prasar Bharti in 1999-2001.
Presently, he lives on NOIDA
Noida
Noida , short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Area, is an area in India under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority . Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as "Noida Day". It was set up as part of an urbanization...
, and works in Daryaganj
Daryaganj
Daryaganj, also called Darya Ganj , is a neighbourhood of Delhi inside the walled city of Shahjahanabad . The "darya" refers to the river Yamuna which was just outside the walled city...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, where he is the editor of HANS literary monthly.
Selected bibliography
- Sara Akash, 1951.
- Ukhre Huey Log, (The Rootless People)
- Kulta (The Wayward Wife)
- Shaah aur Maat (Check and Mate).
- Strangers on the Roof, tr. by Ruth Vanita. 1994, Penguin, ISBN 0140240659.
- Ek Inch Muskaan (A Little Smile), with Manu Bhandari.