Mahadevi Varma
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Mahadevi Varma (Hindi: महादेवी वर्मा, 1907 - September 11 1987) was one of the most famous modern Hindi poets. She is widely regarded[citation needed] as the 'modern Meera. She was a major poet of the Chhayavaad generation, a period of romanticism in Modern Hindi poetry. She won the Jnanpith award in 1982.
Life
Mahadevi was born in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh in a family of lawyers. She was educated at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She was the eldest child and had 2 brothers and 1 sister. She was married in 1914 with Dr Swarup Narain Varma in Indore at a tender age of 9. She stayed with her parents while her husband studied in Lucknow to complete his education, during which time, she received her higher education at the Allahabad University and completed her M.A. in Sanskrit. She later joined her husband in the princely state of Tamkoi around 1920 and later moved to Allahabad to pursue her interest in poetry with agreement from her husband. Mahadevi Varma and her husband mostly lived separately pursuing their respective interests and use to meet occasionally.
After the death of her husband in 1966, she moved permanently to Allahabad and lived there till she died. Mahadevi Varma was deeply affected by Buddhism and also contributed to the Indian freedom movement. She even tried to become a Buddhist bhikshuni.
Mahadevi was appointed as the first headmistress of Allahabad (Prayag) Mahila Vidyapeeth, which was started with a view to imparting cultural and literary education to girls through Hindi medium. Later, she became the chancellor of the institute.
Work
Mahadevi is considered as one of the four major poets of the Chhayavaadi school of the Hindi literature, others being Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Jaishankar Prasad and Sumitranandan Pant. She was also a painter and sketched for her poetic works like Deepshikha and Yatra. She is renowned for her book of memoirs, Atita Ke Chalcitra (The Moving Frames of the Past) and Smriti Ki Rekhayen (The Lines of Memory). Her poetic achievements boast Dipshikha (The Flame of an Earthen Lamp) 1942. She died in 1987.
The principle theme of her poetry is pain, the pain of separation from the beloved Supreme Being. Many critics compare her to Meerabai, the 16th century Saint Poet. Like Meera, Mahadevi also decided at an early age of fifteen to turn her back on the traditional married life and devote herself to writing. In spite of these two overwhelming similarities, there are striking differences between these two poets. Mahadevi moved Chhayavaad movement one step further by introducing the elements of mysticism in her poetry. This mysticism sets her apart from Meera. Mahadevi's poem Main Neerbhari dukh ki badli (I am a nimbus cloud of sorrow) best describes her poetic identity:
- Tujko peeda mein dhundhungi, (तुझको पीड़ा में ढूंढूंगी)
- Tumme dhundhungi peeda (तुझमें ढूंढूंगी पीड़ा)
- (I'll search you in pain,
- I'll search pain in you)
In her poems she believed in a lover who is unique and far away (often critics link it with God). Her poems were waiting for an eternal lover, whom she was intimate with. Her priyatam (lover), however, remained always quiet. Her language was nourished with Tatsam and Tatdav words. By writing in Dipshikhak, which contained 51 peculiar lyrics, She ushered a new era in Hindi Literature - Rahasyavaad. She is often compared with Meera Bai. She however had a different outlook about the lord of the universe.
Mahadevi's prose works show no signs of this painstricken personality. She was a social reformer, a women's advocate, a cultural and political leader. Her prose reflects her strength in all these areas. The original editor of Mahadevi Sahitya Samagra, Omkar Sharad remarks about her in the introduction: "...being close to Mahadevi, I have also seen the images of Lakshmibai and Meerabai together in one form." Lakshmibai was the eighteenth century queen of Jhansi, who is well known for her fierce fighting spirit, who struggled against British to save her empire. This dual personality is the key to the meld of mysticism and optimism in her poetry. This becomes evident as we follow her poetic journey. Having rebelled against the tradition and having devoted her life to the quest for learning, eventually this quest became a form of abstract worship for her.
Honours
Mahadevi Verma's creative talents and sharp intellect soon earned her a prominent place in Hindi Literary world. She is considered among the four pillars of the Chaayavad movement. Her poetry collection Yama (यामा)(1940) received Gyanpeeth, the highest Indian literary award. In 1956, Indian Government bestowed her with the title of Padma Bhushan. She was the first woman to be made a Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi, in 1979.
Complete list of works
Prose
- Ateet Ke chalchitra (1941)
- Shrinkhla ki kadiya (1942)
- Smriti Ki Rekhayen (1943)
- Path ke Saathi (1956)
- Kshanda' (1956)
- Sahityakaar ki Asatha (1960)
- Sankalpita (1969)
- Mera Parivaar (1971)
- Sambhashan (1974)
Poetry
- Nihar (1930)
- Rashmi (1932)
- Neerja (1934)
- Saandhya geet (1936)
- Deepshikha (1942)
- Saptaparna
- Himalaya
Collection (संकलन)
- Yama (1936)
- Sandhini (1964)
- Geetparva (1970)
- Parikrama (1974)
- Smarika
- Smritichitra
- Mahadevi sahitya
Further reading
India's 50 Most Illustrious Women (ISBN 81-88086-19-3) by Indra Gupta