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Shardha Ram Phillauri

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Shardha Ram Phillauri
Artist's impression of Shardha Ram Phillauri
Artist's impression of Shardha Ram Phillauri
BornShardha Ram
(1837-09-00)September , 1837
Phillaur, Sikh Empire
DiedJune 1881(1881-06-00) (aged 43)
Lahore, Punjab Province, British India
OccupationWriter, poet, social Reformer
LanguagePunjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit
Notable works

Shardha Ram Phillauri (Punjabi pronunciation: [Śaradhā rāma philaurī] ; September 1837[1] – 24 June 1881) was an Indian writer, poet and social reformer who is remembered for his contributions to Hindi and Punjabi literature. He is best known for his Hindu religious hymn Om Jai Jagdish Hare and Bhagyawati, one of the first novels in Hindi. Phillauri has also been called the "father of modern Punjabi prose."[2] Born in Phillaur, he visited cities across Punjab and died in Lahore in 1881.[2]

Biography

Shardha Ram was born in 1837 to a Brahmin family in the town of Phillaur in the Sikh Empire under the reign of Ranjit Singh.[2][3] His father, Jai Dyalu, was an astrologer. Their gotra was Moudgil.[2] He did not have any formal education as such.[2] By age ten, he had studied Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian, astrology, and music.[2] Later, he was also a missionary of traditional Hinduism (Sanatana dharma).[2][3][4]

In his books, Shardha Ram documented Punjabi culture and language.[2][3]

Shardha Ram gave forceful lectures on the Mahabharata, and because of this was charged with conducting propaganda against the British government[2][3] in 1865.[citation needed] As a result, he was exiled temporarily from his home town, Phillaur.[2][3]

Sharda Ram often visited Amritsar and adjoining Lahore, especially in connection with astrology.[2] During this time, he earned a reputation as an astrologer and wrote several books in Hindi.[2]

In 1886 Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia (Punjabi:The Story of Sikh Rule) he published, an account of Sikh religion and the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.[3][5] The last of its three chapters documents Punjabi culture and language, including its customs, usages, and folk songs.[3] The book was often prescribed as a text book.[3]

Shardha Ram has recently been acknowledged as having written the first novel in Hindi.[2][3][6] His novel Bhagyawati, believed to have been written mainly in Amritsar, was first published in 1888, after Shardha Ram's death.[2] The novel's portrayal of women and women's rights was progressive for its day.[2][3]

Sharda Ram has written the famous and widely sung aarti "Om Jai Jagdish Hare."

Shardha Ram died on 24 June 1881 at Lahore.[2]

Works

Work Year Description
Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia (The Story of Sikh Rule)[2][3] 1866 The book is an account of Sikh religion and the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.[3][5] The last of its three chapters documents Punjabi culture and language, including its customs, usages, and folk songs.[3] The book was often prescribed as a text book.[3]
Punjabi Batcheet[2][3] This book was specifically written to help the British understand the local dialect.[2][3] It may have been the first book transliterated into Roman script from Gurmukhi script.[2][3] The study of this was a requirement for admission into the administrative services.[2][3] The book is taught to this day at schools affiliated with the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Mohali.[citation needed]
Om Jai Jagdish Hare[2][3] 1870s[citation needed] Translated in Punjabi the first time[3]
Bhagyawati[2][3] published 1888 This book is believed to be the first novel in Hindi.[2][3][6]
Satya Dharm Muktavli[3]
Shatopadesh[3]
Satyamrit Pravaha[3]

Notes and references

  1. ^ Singh Bedi, Harmohinder. Shardha Ram Granthawali. Nirmal Publisher. (A three-volume work by the dean and head of the Guru Nanak Dev University Hindi Department.)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Walia, Varinda. "Hindi novel’s first cradle." The Tribune (17 March 2005).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Maitray, Mohan. "The creator of Om Jai Jagdish Hare." The Tribune (27 September 1998).
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ a b Sisir Kumar Das. A History of Indian Literature, p. 540. Sahitya Akademi (1991), ISBN 81-7201-006-0.
  6. ^ a b Previously, Lala Sri Niwas was credited with this achievement; his Pariksha Guru was written in 1902. Walia, Varinda. "Hindi novel’s first cradle." The Tribune.

Further reading

  • Singh Bedi, Harmohinder. Shardha Ram Granthawali. Nirmal Publisher. (A three-volume work by the dean and head of the Guru Nanak Dev University Hindi Department.)
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