PERSONAL INFORMATION
Birth Name: Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava
Pen Name(s): • Munshi Premchand • Nawab Rai
Nickname: He was nicknamed “Nawab” by his uncle, Mahabir who was a rich landowner. [1] Premchand A Life by Amrit Rai
Profession(s): • Novelist • Short Story Writer • Dramatist
Famous For: Being one of the greatest Urdu-Hindi writers in India
Date of Birth: 31 July 1880 (Saturday)
Birthplace: Lamahi, Benares State, British India
Age (at the time of death): 56 Years
Zodiac sign: Leo
Nationality: Indian
Hometown: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Religion: Hinduism
Caste: Kayastha [3] Times of India
Marriage Date: • Year 1895 (first marriage) • Year 1906 (second marriage)
Marriage Type: First Marriage: Arranged [5] Wikipedia Second Marriage: Love [6] Wikipedia
Age: 56 Years
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EDUCATION
School: • Queens College, Benares (now, Varanasi) • Central Hindu College, Benares (now, Varanasi)
College/University: Allahabad University
Educational Qualification(s): • He learned Urdu and Persian from a Maulvi at a Madrasa in Lalpur, near Lamhi in Varanasi. • He passed the matriculation exam with second division from Queen’s College. • He did BA in English Literature, Persian, and History from Allahabad University in 1919. [2] The Penguin Digest
FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS
Marital Status (at the time of death): Married
Wife/Spouse: First Wife: He got married to a girl from a rich landlord family while he was studying in the 9th standard at the age of 15. Second Wife: Shivarani Devi (a child widow)
Children: Son(s) – 2 • Amrit Rai (Author) • Sripath Rai Daughter – 1 • Kamala Devi Note: All his children are from his second wife.
Parents: Father – Ajaib Rai (Post Office Clerk) Mother – Anandi Devi
Siblings: Brother – None Sister – Suggi Rai (elder) Note: He had two more sisters who died as infants.
Wife: Shivarani Devi
OTHER INFORMATION
First Novel: Devasthan Rahasya (Asrar-e-Ma’abid); published in 1903
Last Novel: Mangalsootra (incomplete); published in 1936
Notable Novels: • Seva Sadan (published in 1919) • Nirmala (published in 1925) • Gaban (published in 1931) • Karmabhoomi (published in 1932) • Godan (published in 1936)
First Story (Published): Duniya Ka Sabse Anmol Ratan (published in the Urdu magazine Zamana in 1907)
Last Story (Published): Cricket Matching; published in Zamana in 1938, after his death
Notable Short Stories: • Bade Bhai Sahab (published in 1910) • Panch Parameshvar (published in 1916) • Boodhi Kaki (published in 1921) • Shatranj Ke Khiladi (published in 1924) • Namak Ka Daroga (published in 1925) • Poos Ki Raat (published in 1930) • Idgah (published in 1933) • Mantra
Date of Death: 8 October 1936 (Thursday)
Place of Death: Varanasi, Benares State, British India
Death Cause: He died of several days of sickness
Genre: Fiction
Novelist: George W. M. Reynolds (a British fiction writer and journalist) [7] Makers of Indian Literature by Professor Prakash Chandra Gupta
Writer(s): Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, John Galsworthy, Saadi Shirazi, Guy de Maupassant, Maurice Maeterlinck, Hendrik van Loon
Novel: “The Mysteries of the Court of London” by George W. M. Reynolds [8] Makers of Indian Literature by Professor Prakash Chandra Gupta
Philosopher: Swami Vivekananda
Indian Freedom Fighters: Mahatma Gandhi , Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Bal Gangadhar Tilak
INTERESTING BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Munshi Premchand, born Dhanpat Rai in the village of Lamahi in Benares (now Varanasi), emerged as one of India’s most celebrated writers, renowned for his impactful contributions to Hindustani Literature. His prolific writing is marked by an impressive repertoire that includes 14 novels and approximately 300 short stories, alongside essays and biographies. He garnered the reverent title of “Upanyas Samrat,” or the “Emperor of Novels,” from his contemporaries for his significant impact on Hindi literature. Among his most celebrated works is the eight-volume collection “Mansarovar,” published between 1900 and 1936, where he eloquently explored themes of human experience through intricate storytelling. His writing often delved into the stark realities of society, making a lasting impression on Indian literature.
Premchand’s literary journey began amidst a tumultuous childhood, marked by the loss of his mother, Anandi Devi, at a tender age of eight. Raised initially by his grandmother after this tragedy, he faced further isolation when she too passed away. His early education took place in a madrasa, where he learned Persian and Urdu, later developing a passion for storytelling, particularly influenced by the fantasy epic “Tilism-e-Hoshruba.” As he navigated his formative years, the instability of his family life seeped into his writings, offering poignant reflections on themes of affection and belonging. His first job as a bookseller allowed him to immerse himself in literature, laying the groundwork for his future literary endeavors.
Throughout his career, Premchand consistently tackled pressing social issues, such as the feudal system, child widowhood, and colonialism. He is credited with introducing realism to Hindi literature, striving to elevate the standards of literary discourse in India. During an interview, he expressed the need for literature to meaningfully engage with society, declaring that writers should not merely consume the remnants of foreign literatures but instead develop a rich corpus of their own. His first short novel, “Asrar e Ma’abid,” penned under the pseudonym “Nawab Rai,” explored the themes of sexual exploitation and corruption, signaling his commitment to socially relevant storytelling. However, it faced criticism for its perceived immaturity, a reflection of the challenges he encountered in establishing his voice.
As he matured as a writer, Premchand continued to expand his thematic focus. He faced immense societal backlash when he remarried a child widow, Shivarani Devi, an act considered taboo at the time. This experience, along with his political activism, led him to write passionately against British rule, transitioning from moderate to extremist ideologies in his pursuit of India’s independence. His works like “Soz-e-Watan” faced governmental censorship, illustrating the potent blend of literature and social activism that characterized his life. By the time he began writing in Hindi in 1914, he had already established himself as a prominent Urdu fiction writer, with significant works like “Seva Sadan” and “Godan” highlighting the struggles of rural life.
Despite his profound influence within India, Premchand’s legacy did not extend as far beyond its borders compared to contemporaries like Rabindranath Tagore, primarily due to his lack of international exposure. His focus on social realism and the inclusion of Muslim characters, such as the poignant figure of Hamid in “Idgah,” set him apart from many of his contemporaries. Premchand’s contributions were acknowledged posthumously, earning him a place of honor on platforms such as Google Doodle on his 136th birthday, while his works continue to inspire countless adaptations across various media, from films to television. His final days were marred by financial difficulties, yet his literary brilliance shone through in his last completed work, “Godan,” affirming his status as a transformative figure in Indian literature.
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Note: All biographical information compiled from publicly available sources.