Sri Lal Sukla
Encyclopedia
Shrilal Shukla (31 December 1925 - 28 October 2011) was a Hindi
writer, notable for his satire. He worked as a Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officer for the state government of Uttar Pradesh, later inducted into the IAS. He has written over 25 books, including Makaan, Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj, Pehla Padaav and Bisrampur Ka Sant.
Shukla has highlighted the falling moral values in the Indian society in the post independence
era through his novels. His writings expose the negative aspects of life in rural and urban India in a satirical manner. His best known work Raag Darbari
has been translated into English and 15 Indian languages. A television serial based on this continued for several months on the national network in the 1980s. It is a little known fact that he also wrote a detective novel entitled Aadmi Ka Zahar which was serialised in the weekly magazine 'Hindustan'.
, the highest Indian literary award, for his novel Raag Darbari in 1969. He received the Vyas Samman
award in 1999 for the novel Bisrampur ka Sant. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan
by the President of India for his contribution to Indian literature and culture. On his 80th birthday in December 2005, his friends, peers, family and fans organised a literary and cultural event in New Delhi. To mark the occasion, a volume titled Shrilal Shukla - Jeevan Hi Jeevan was issued about him which contains the writings of eminent literary personalities such as Dr. Naamvar Singh, Rajendra Yadav, Ashok Bajpai, Doodhnath Singh, Nirmala Jain, Leeladhar Jagudi, Gillian Wright, Kunwar Narayan and Raghuvir Sahay among others. His friends, family and fans also contributed to the book.
He also received the Jnanpith Award for 2009, which is one of India's highest literary awards.
Satires
Short Story Collections
Memoirs
Literary Critique
Edited Works
The legendary author of Hindi literature was intending to pen a novel on legal system in India for which he had done immense research, as confirmed by his historian nephew, Rajan Shukla to Times of India. However, his deteriorating health could not allow him to finish his work. The Hindi Literature lovers and Shukla's fans remain deprived of yet another piece of art. Nonetheless, Shukla's great body of work shall outlive the lives and times of the future proponents of Hindi 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...
writer, notable for his satire. He worked as a Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officer for the state government of Uttar Pradesh, later inducted into the IAS. He has written over 25 books, including Makaan, Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj, Pehla Padaav and Bisrampur Ka Sant.
Shukla has highlighted the falling moral values in the Indian society in the post independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
era through his novels. His writings expose the negative aspects of life in rural and urban India in a satirical manner. His best known work Raag Darbari
Raag Darbari
Raag Darbari is an Hindi novel written by Sri Lal Sukla, an author known for his social and political satire. He was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award, the highest Indian literary award, in 1970 for this novel....
has been translated into English and 15 Indian languages. A television serial based on this continued for several months on the national network in the 1980s. It is a little known fact that he also wrote a detective novel entitled Aadmi Ka Zahar which was serialised in the weekly magazine 'Hindustan'.
Awards
Shukla received the Sahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, the highest Indian literary award, for his novel Raag Darbari in 1969. He received the Vyas Samman
Vyas Samman
The Vyas Samman is a literary award in India, first awarded in 1991 . It is awarded annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation and includes a cash payout of Rs 2.5 lakh ....
award in 1999 for the novel Bisrampur ka Sant. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
by the President of India for his contribution to Indian literature and culture. On his 80th birthday in December 2005, his friends, peers, family and fans organised a literary and cultural event in New Delhi. To mark the occasion, a volume titled Shrilal Shukla - Jeevan Hi Jeevan was issued about him which contains the writings of eminent literary personalities such as Dr. Naamvar Singh, Rajendra Yadav, Ashok Bajpai, Doodhnath Singh, Nirmala Jain, Leeladhar Jagudi, Gillian Wright, Kunwar Narayan and Raghuvir Sahay among others. His friends, family and fans also contributed to the book.
He also received the Jnanpith Award for 2009, which is one of India's highest literary awards.
Personal account
- 1925 - Born in village AtrauliAtrauliAtrauli is a city and a municipal board in Aligarh district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.It is around 30 km far from Aligarh, which is famous for Aligarh Muslim University. Ex Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh MR...
in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh - 1947 - Graduated from Allahabad UniversityAllahabad UniversityAllahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...
- 1949 - Entry into the Civil Service
- 1957 - First novel Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj published
- 1958 - First collection of satire Angad Ka Paanv published
- 1970 - Awarded the Sahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
for Raag Darbari (for 1969) - 1978 - Awarded the Madhya Pradesh Hindi Sahitya Parishad Award for Makaan
- 1979-80 - Served as Director of the Bhartendu Natya Academy, Uttar Pradesh
- 1981 - Represented India at the International Writers' Meet in Belgrade
- 1982-86 - Member of the Advisory Board of the Sahitya Akademi
- 1983 - Retirement from the Indian Administrative Service
- 1987-90 - Awarded the Emeritus Fellowship by the ICCRIccrICCR stands for:* Indian Council for Cultural Relations* The Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social Sciences* Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility* International Centre for Classroom Research...
, Government of India - 1988 - Given the Sahitya Bhushan Award by Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthaan
- 1991 - Awarded the Goyal Sahitya Puraskaar by Kurukshetra University
- 1994 - Awarded the Lohia Sammaan by Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthaan
- 1996 - Awarded the Sharad Joshi Sammaan by the Madhya Pradesh Government
- 1997 - Awarded the Maithili Sharan Gupta Sammaan by the Madhya Pradesh Government
- 1999 - Awarded the Vyas Sammaan by the Birla Foundation
- 2005 - Awarded the Yash Bharati Sammaan by the Uttar Pradesh Government
- 2008 - Awarded the Padma BhushanPadma BhushanThe Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
by the President of India - 2011 - Awarded the Jnanpith AwardJnanpith AwardThe Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
for year 2009.
Literary works
Novels- Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj - 1957
- Agyaatvaas - 1962
- Raag Darbari (novel) - 1968 - original is in Hindi; an English translation was published under the same title in 1993 by Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
; also translated and published by National Book Trust, India in 15 Indian languages. - Aadmi Ka Zahar - 1972
- Seemayein Tootati Hain - 1973
- Makaan - 1976 - original is in Hindi; a Bengali translation was published in the late 1970s.
- Pehla Padaav - 1987 - original is in Hindi; an English translation was published as Opening Moves by Penguin International in 1993.
- Bisrampur Ka Sant - 1998
- Babbar Singh Aur Uske Saathi - 1999 - original is in Hindi; an English translation was published as Babbar Singh And his Friends in 2000 by Scholastic Inc. New York.
- Raag Viraag - 2001
Satires
- Angad Ka Paanv - 1958
- Yahaan Se Vahaan - 1970
- Meri Shreshtha Vyangya Rachnayein - 1979
- Umraaonagar Mein Kuchh Din - 1986
- Kuchh Zameen Mein Kuchh Hava Mein - 1990
- Aao Baith Lein Kuchh Der - 1995
- Agli Shataabdi Ka Sheher - 1996
- Jahaalat Ke Pachaas Saal - 2003
- Khabron Ki Jugaali - 2005
Short Story Collections
- Yeh Ghar Mera Nahin - 1979
- Suraksha Tatha Anya Kahaaniyan - 1991
- Iss Umra Mein - 2003
- Dus Pratinidhi Kahaaniyan - 2003
Memoirs
- Mere Saakshaatkaar - 2002
- Kuchh Saahitya Charcha Bhi - 2008
Literary Critique
- Bhagwati Charan Varma - 1989
- Amritlal Naagar - 1994
- Agyeya: Kuchh Rang Kuchh Raag - 1999
Edited Works
- Hindi Haasya Vyangya Sankalan - 2000
Literary travels
He has visited Yugoslavia, Germany, UK, Poland, Surinam for various literary seminars, conferences and to receive awards. He has also headed a delegation of writers sent by the Government of India to China.Demise
He died in Lucknow on 28 October 2011 at around 11.45 am after prolonged illness.The legendary author of Hindi literature was intending to pen a novel on legal system in India for which he had done immense research, as confirmed by his historian nephew, Rajan Shukla to Times of India. However, his deteriorating health could not allow him to finish his work. The Hindi Literature lovers and Shukla's fans remain deprived of yet another piece of art. Nonetheless, Shukla's great body of work shall outlive the lives and times of the future proponents of Hindi Literature.