Foreword to Munshi Premchand

Foreword

to

 Munshi Premchand

                                                                           Prof. S.V.S.S. Narayana Raju.

Munshi Premchand

Written by Gopal Sharma,

ISBN No. 978-93-5324-023-3                            

 

  “It is impossible to arrive at any kind of assessment of modern Indian literature without taking full account of premchand” says Shamsur Rahman Faruqi very aptly when he presents complete short stories in English translation by M. Asaduddin and others and published by penguin this year. The literary genius called premchand is the Shakespeare of Indian fiction and has always influenced a large part of our thinking. In fact, Munshi premchand (1880-1936) is one of the most important writers of the Hindi- Urdu fiction and a complete book encompassing his life and works is required urgently as there is hardly any such book available in the English language. This book fits the bill as it tells the reader not only about the person premchand but also gives a critical review of his work.

                            Premchand’s stories and novels give a life-like picture of village life. He used his pen to great effect for social reform. He married a child-widow when it was considered a sin. Early in his career he took up the Government job of a school teacher but resigned when Gandhi ji asked Indians to contribute to the freedom movement. He changed his name and became “Premchand after one of his books was found to be inflammatory by the British   regime. When he was asked why he didn’t write anything about him, he very gently replied, what greatness do I have to tell anything about. I am ordinary. My life is as ordinary as of anyone suffering now.” He opined that good literature is judged by the sharpness of its perception which stirs our feeling and thoughts into motion. He died of penury at the age of 56 leaving his work behind. Given the exigencies of our times, there can be no better way to celebrate premchand’s legacy than to remember his words.

                        This is a very simple and ordinary narration of such an extra-ordinary man. The book in your hand goes beyond this and tells us about the extraordinary life of the maker of Indian literature and discusses in depth about him and work.

                         I commend professor Gopal Sharma and his work and wish him good luck in his pursuit. There are very few Scholars who have been serving the Hindi Language through English. He is one of them. Dr Sharma had already written on  Nelson Mandela, Narendra Modi and Ram Nath Kovind and now that he writes his second book on premchand, I would like to conclude by quoting here a recent tweet of president Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of the 138 birth anniversary of Munshi Premchand , “Remembering Munshi premchand on his birth anniversary. A fine writer and novelist, his poignant stories centred on farmers, the poor and the extraordinary emotions of ordinary people” what the president said very succinctly and others have been saying in great detail is to support to enrich us and to engage us in following the footsteps of the great such as premchand. This book is also a salutary tribute to him indeed!