Google doodle commemorates Munshi Premchand's 136th birthday
Marking the 136th birth anniversary of Munshi Premchand, India's greatest Hindi prose write, a Google doodle commemorated the great writer. The Google's doodle depicts Premchand in a rural setting, and we can see him penning some of his most famous stories. Google on its website said: "His last and most famous novel, Godaan (1936), inspired today's doodle".
Premchand: Birth of India's Shakespeare
Premchand was born Dhanpat Rai Srivastav and began writing at the age of 13. He initially wrote under the pen name "Nawab Rai" that later became "Premchand". A dramatist, novel writer and story writer he was called the "Upanyas Samrat" ("Emperor among Novelists") by Hindi writers. He penned "dozen novels, around 250 short stories, several essays". He also translated foreign literary works into Hindi.
Proficient in Persian, Urdu and English too
While he wrote most of his works in Hindi, not many know that Munshi Premchand was well versed in Urdu and Presian and knew English too.
Premchand and the Indian National Movement
Premchand was a true patriot and wrote stories in Urdu urging the people to join in India's fight for freedom from British colonial rule. In 1907 these tales were printed in his first short story compilation, titled 'Soz-e-Watan'. In 1921, Premchand left his job as a teacher when Gandhi asked people to leave their government positions as part of the non-cooperation campaign.
A writer whose prose carried social messages
Premchand wrote about the many evils that were prevalent in the colonial India. His stories carried important social messages. He was extremely disturbed by the inhumane fashion in which Indian women at that time were treated, and often portrayed the sorrowful plight of girls and women in his novels hoping to create consciousness in the minds of his readers.
Premchand's last and most powerful novel- Godaan
Premchand's most powerful novel was 'Godaan'. It is deemed one of the most renowned Hindustani novels of modern Indian literature. The novel traversed various themes such as "caste segregation in India, exploitation of the lower classes, exploitation of women, and the problems posed by industrialization." The book was transliterated into English and later a Hindi feature film was made on it in 1963.
Premchand's most loved works
Some of Premchand's renowned works include "Godaan, Gaban, Karmabhoomi, Pratigya, etc." His popular short stories include popular names like "Atmaram, Udhar Ki Ghadi, Bade Ghar Ki Beti, etc."
