Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan (7 March 1911 – 4 April 1987), popularly known by his

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

Agyeya (also transliterated Ajneya, meaning 'the unknowable'), was an Indian writer, poet, novelist, literary critic, journalist, translator and

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

language. He pioneered modern trends in Hindi poetry, as well as in fiction, criticism and journalism. He is regarded as the pioneer of the ''Prayogavaad'' (experimentalism) movement in modern

Hindi literature Hindi literature () includes literature in the various Central Indo-Aryan languages, also known as Hindi, some of which have different writing systems. Earliest forms of Hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃśa such as Awad ...

. Son of a renowned archaeologist

Hiranand Sastri Hiranand Sastri (1878–1946) was an Indian archaeologist, epigraphist and official of the Archaeological Survey of India who was involved in the excavation of numerous sites including Nalanda and Sankissa. His son, Sachchidananda Vatsyayan 'Ag ...

, Agyeya was born in Kasia, a small town near

Kushinagar Kushinagar (Pali: ; Sanskrit: ) is a town in the Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh, India, east of Gorakhpur on National Highway 27, Kushinagar is a Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe Gautama Buddha died. Etymology Acc ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. He took active part in the Indian freedom struggle and spent several years in prison for his revolutionary activities against British colonial rule. He edited the ''

Saptak Saptak means "gamut" or "the series of seven notes". It denotes the set of swaras i.e. Shadja (Sa), Rishabha (Ri), Gāndhāra (Ga), Madhyama (Ma), Panchama (Pa), Dhaivat (Dha), Nishada (Ni), Shadja (Sa) which comprise a musical scale in India ...

'' series which gave rise a new trends in Hindi poetry, known as ''Nayi Kavita''. He edited several literary journals, and launched his own Hindi language weekly ''

Dinaman ''Dinaman'' was a Hindi language weekly magazine founded in 1965. It was published in New Delhi. The newsweekly was started by Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan 'Ajneya', a pioneer of modern Hindi poetry and writing. His Assistant Editors were ...

'', which set new standard and trends in Hindi journalism. Agyeya translated some of his own works, as well as works of some other Indian authors to English. He also translated some books of world literature into Hindi. Agyeya was awarded the

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

(1964),

Jnanpith Award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian ...

(1978) and the internationally reputed Golden Wreath Award for poetry.

Early life and education

Agyeya was born as Sachchidananda Vatsyayan in

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

family on 7 March 1911 in an archaeological camp near Kasia,

Kushinagar district Kushinagar is a district of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India situated in the easternmost part of the state. It has the administrative headquarters at Ravindra Nagar Dhoos. The district is named such after the town Kushinagar, a Buddhist pil ...

, where his father, Hiranand Sastri, an

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

, was positioned for an excavation. His mother was Vyantidevi (d. 1924) who was not much educated. Hiranand Sastri and Vyantidevi had 10 children, of whom Agyeya was the fourth. Agyeya spent his early childhood in

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

(1911–1915). Due to his father's professional appointment at various places, he had to shift to various places including

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

and

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

(1915–1919),

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

(1920),

Nalanda Nalanda (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) was a renowned Buddhism, Buddhist ''mahavihara'' (great monastery) in medieval Magadha (Mahajanapada), Magadha (modern-day Bihar), eastern India. Widely considered to be am ...

(1921) and the

Ootacamund Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located northwest of Coimbatore, and is the headquarters of N ...

and

Kotagiri Kotagiri is a hill station and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the India, Indian state, Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri hills have been the traditional home of the "Kota" tribes. The name 'Kota-giri' itself means 'mountains of the kotas'. ...

(1921–1925). Due to this peripatetic lifestyle, Agyeya came into contact with different Indian languages and

cultures Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

. His father, and who was a scholar in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, encouraged him to study

and taught him some basic English. He was taught Sanskrit and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

and

Maulavi Mawlawi (), is an Islamic religious title given to Muslim religious scholars, or ulama, preceding their names, similar to the titles Mawlānā, Mullah, or Sheikh. Mawlawi generally means a highly qualified Islamic scholar, usually one who has ...

in Jammu.

After passing his

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

in 1925 from the

University of Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South Asia; being the oldest and largest publ ...

, Agyeya moved to

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, joined the

Madras Christian College Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institut ...

, and did Intermediate in Science in 1927, studying mathematics, physics and chemistry. In the same year, he joined the

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is a private nonprofit Liberal arts college, liberal arts Universities in Pakistan, university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, where he studied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English, and received a Bachelor of Science in 1929, standing first in a class. Thereafter he enrolled for an M.A. in English, but dropped out, and joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA), a revolutionary organisation, with a view to fight for

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

, and participated in rebellious activities against the British colonial government. In November 1930, he was arrested on account of his involvement in the attempt to help

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was an Indian anti-colonial revolutionary who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer in December 1928 in what was intended to be retaliation for the deat ...

, a socialist revolutionary and leader of HSRA, to escape from jail in 1929. He was then sentenced on charge of

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...

against British rule in India. He spent the next four years in jail in Lahore, Delhi and Amritsar. During these prison days, he started writing short stories, poems and the first draft of his novel '' Shekhar: Ek Jivani''. He was associated with the Progressive Writers Association (PWA) and, in 1942, he organised the All India Anti-Fascist Convention. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1942, he joined the Indian army and was sent to the Kohima Front as a combatant officer. He left the army in 1946. He stayed at

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

(Uttar Pradesh) for sometime and remained active in local literary groups. During this period, he published several translations into English of other writers, and a collection of his own poems, ''Prison Days and Other Poems''. Agyeya married Santosh Malik in 1940. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1945. He married

Kapila Vatsyayan Kapila Vatsyayan (25 December 1928 – 16 September 2020) was a leading scholar of Indian classical dance, art, architecture, and art history. She served as a member of parliament and bureaucrat in India, and also served as the founding directo ...

(

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Malik) on 7 July 1956. They separated in 1969. He died on 4 April 1987, aged 76, in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. He was cremated at

Nigambodh Ghat Nigambodh Ghat is located on the banks of the Yamuna river coast in Delhi, situated on the Ring Road, Delhi at the back of the historic Red Fort. It consists of a series of bathing and ceremonial stepped piers leading to the waters of the rive ...

Career

After his release from jail in 1934, Agyeya worked as a journalist in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, and from 1939 for

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

. Agyeya edited ''Sainik'' from Agra (1936–1937), ''Vishal Bharat'' from Calcutta (1937–1939), ''Prateek'' (1947) and ''Naya Prateek'' (1973) respectively from Allahabad and New Delhi. In English. he edited ''Vak'' (1951). He served as an editor of

Jayprakash Narayan Jayaprakash Narayan Srivastava (; 11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), also known as JP and ''Lok Nayak'' (Hindi for "People's leader"), was an Indian politician, theorist and Indian independence activist, independence activist. He is mai ...

's ''Everyman's Weekly'' (1973–1974) and editor-in-chief of Hindi daily ''

Navbharat Times ''Navbharat Times'' (NBT; ) is a Hindi newspaper distributed in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Kanpur. It is from the stable of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd (BCCL), which also publishes other dailies including ''The Times of India'', ''The Economic ...

'' (1977–1980) of the Times of India Group. He travelled to Japan in 1957–58, where he learned about Zen Buddhism which influenced him and his writing style. In 1961, he joined the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

as a visiting lecturer in Indian Literature and Civilization, and remained there until June 1964. In 1965, he returned to India and became Founder Editor of the newsweekly ''

'' of the Times of India Group. When the members of the

Hungry generation The Hungry Generation () was a literary movement in the Bengali language launched by what is known today as the Hungryalist quartet, i.e. Shakti Chattopadhyay, Malay Roy Choudhury, Samir Roychoudhury and Debi Roy (''alias'' Haradhon Dhara), du ...

or ''Bhookhi Peerhi'' movement were arrested and prosecuted for their anti-establishment writings, Agyeya through ''Dinmaan'' relentlessly supported the young literary group of Culcutta till they were exonerated. His dispatches on

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

's famous famine are considered milestones in pro-people reporting. He remained in India till 1968, before embarking on a trip to Europe. In 1969 he returned to

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

as Regents Professor, and continued there until June 1970. In 1976, he had an 8-month stint at

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

, as a visiting professor. Later he joined University of Jodhpur, Rajasthan as Professor and Head of the Department of Comparative Literature.

Works

During the four years in prison, Agyeya started writing short stories and published them in '' Hans'', edited by

Premchand Dhanpat Rai Srivastava (31 July 1880 – 8 October 1936), better known as Munshi Premchand based on his pen name Premchand (), was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani language, Hindustani literature. Premchand was a pioneer ...

. He also started writing the first draft of his autobiographical novel ''Shekhar: Ek Jivani'', followed by its second and third draft. His first collection of poems, ''Bhagnadutta'', appeared in 1933. After his release from the jail, he published his first short story collection, ''Vipathga'', in 1937, and in 1941, he published the first volume of ''Shekhar: Ek Jivani'', followed by the second volume in 1944. Its third volume, though announced, was never published. In 1943, he edited and published ''Tar Saptak'', a collection of poems by seven young writers, whose poems were not published before. Considered the first anthology of modern Hindi poetry and a milestone in the history of Hindi literature, ''Tar Saptak'' gave rise to the ''Prayogvad'' (

Experimentalism Experimentalism is the philosophical belief that the way to truth is through experiments and empiricism. It is also associated with instrumentalism, the belief that truth should be evaluated based upon its demonstrated usefulness. Experimentalism is ...

) in Hindi poetry, and established a new trends Hindi poetry, known as ''Nayi Kavita'' (New Poetry). ;Poetry collections: * Bhagndoot (1933) * Chinta (1942) * Ityalam (1946) * Hari ghaas par kshan-bhar (1949) * Baawra aheri (1954) * Indradhanu raunde hue ye (1957) * Ari o karuna prabhamaya (1959) * Angan Ke Par Dwar (1961) * Poorva (1965) * Sunahale Shaivaal (1965) * Kitni naavon mein kitni baar (1967) * Kyonki main usei jaanta hoon (1969) * Saagar-mudra (1970) * Pahle main sannata bunta hoon (1973) * Mahavriksha ke neeche (1977) * Nadi ki baank par chhaya (1982) * Sadanira-1 (1986) * Sadanira-2 (1986) * Aisa koi ghar aapne dekha hai (1986) * Maruthal (1995) * Sarjana ke kshan (Selection) * Thaur thikaane (Handwritten, circulated xeroxed) * Karaawas ke din (Trans. from English by Uday Shankar Shrivastava) * Kavishri ( Ed. Shiyaram Sharan Gupt) * Aaj ke lokpriy kavi (Ed. Vidya Niwas Mishra) * Kaavya-stabak ( Ed by Vidya Niwas Mishra & Ramesh Chandra Shah) * Sannate ka chhand (Ed by Ashok Vajpeyi) * Ajneya: Sanklit kavitayen (Ed by Namvar Singh) Novels: * Shekhar: Ek Jeevani I (1941) * Shekhar: Ek Jeevani II (1944) * Shekhar: Ek Jeevni III (Unpublished) * Nadi ke dweep (1952) * Apne-apne ajnabi (1961) * Barahkhambha (co-writer, 1987) * Chhaya mekhal (Incomplete, 2000) * Beenu bhagat (Incomplete, 2000) Stories

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

: * Vipathga (1937) * Parmpara (1944) * Kothri ki baat (1945) * Sharnaarthi (1948) * Jaydol (1951) * Amarvallari tatha anya kahaniyan(1954) * Kadiayan tatha anya kahaniyan (1957) * Acchute phool tatha anya kahaniyan (1960) * Ye tere pratiroop (1961) * Jigyasa tatha anya kahaniyan (1965) * Meri priy kahaniyan (Selection, 2004) * Chhorra hua rasta (Sampoorn kahanitan-1, 1975) * Lautti pagdandiyan (Sampoorn kahaniyan-2, 1975) * Sampoorn Kahaniyan (2005) * Adam Ki diary (Ed by Nand Kishore Acharya, 2002) Play: * Uttar Priyadarshi Travelogue: * Are Yayavar Rahega Yaad (1953) * Kirnon ki khoj mein (Selection, 1955) * Ek Boond Sahsa Uchhli (1960) Criticism: *

Trishanku Trishanku (), born Satyavrata, is a king of the Suryavamsha (Solar dynasty) featured in Hindu texts. His legend is described in the epic Ramayana''.'' He is the father of Harishchandra. Etymology The name ''Trishanku'' is a combination of Sanskri ...

* Hindi sahitya: Ek adhunik paridrishya * Atmanepad * Aatmparak * Aalwaal * Likhi kagad kore * Jog likhi * Adyatan * Samvatsar * Smriti ke paridrishya * Srot aur setu * Vyakti aur vyavastha * Yug-sandhiyon par * Dhaar aur kinaare * Bhartiya kala drishti * Smritichhanda * Kendra aur paridhi * Srijan: kyon air kaise * Kavi-Nikash * Kavi-drishti (Prefaces) * Tadbhav (Selection by Ashok Vajpeyi) * Lekhak ka Dayittva (Ed by Nand Kishore Acharya) * Khule Mein Khada Ped (Ed by Nand Kishore Acharya) Light Essyas: * Sab rang * Sab rang aur kuchh raag * Kahan hai dwaraka * Chhaya ka jangal Diary: * Bhavanti * Antara * Shaswati * Shesha * Kaviman (Ed by Ila Dalmia Koirala) Memoirs: * Smriti-lekha * Smriti ke galiyaron se * Main kyun likhta hoon Edited: * Tar Saptak * Doosra Saptak * Teesra Saptak * Chautha Saptak * Pushkarini * Naye ekanki * Nehru abhinandan granth (co-editor) * Roopambara (Sumitrnandan Pant abhinandan granth) * Homvati smarak granth * Sarjan aur sampreshan * Sahitya ka parivesh * Sahity aur samaj parivartan * Samajik yatharth aur katha-bhasha * Samkaleen kavita mein chhand * Bhavishya aur sahitya * Indian Poetic Tradition (With Vidya Niwas Mishra and Leonard Nathan) Introducing: * Naye Sahitya Srishta-1 Raghuveer Sahay: Seedihiyon par dhoop mein * Naye Sahitya Srishta-2 Sarveshawar Dayal Saxena: Kaath ki ghantiyan * Naye Sahitya Srishta-3 Ajit Kumar: Ankit hone do * Naye Sahitya Srishta-4 Shanti Mehrotra Conversations: * Aparoksh, Ramesh Chandra Shah & others * Rachna: Kyon aur kinke beech, Sharad Kumar, Geeti Sen & Others * Agyeya Apne bare mein (AIR Archives), Raghuveer Sahay & Gopal Das * Kavi Nayak Ajneya, Ila Dalmia & Neelima Mathur In English: * Prison days and other poems (Poetry) * A sense of time (Essays) Selection (general): Sanchayita (Ed Nand Kishore Acharya) Translations: * Shrikant (Sharat Chandra, from Bengali, 1944) * Gora (Rabindranath Thakur, from Bengali) * Raja (Rabindranath Thakur, from Bengali) * Vivekanand (With Raghuvir Sahay, from Bengali) * The resignation (Jainendra Kumar, into English) * The seventh horse of the sun (Dharmveer Bharti, into English) * The Silent waters (Poems of Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena, in 'Thought') * Vazir ka Feela (Ivo Andric, from English) * Mahayatra (

Pär Lagerkvist Pär Fabian Lagerkvist (23 May 1891 – 11 July 1974) was a Swedish author who received the 1951 Nobel Prize in Literature. Lagerkvist wrote poetry, plays, novels, short stories, and essays of considerable expressive power and influence from hi ...

's trilogy, from English) Self-translated works: * Islands in the stream (Nadi ke dweep, into English) * To each his stranger (Apne apne ajnabi, into English) * The unmastered lute and other poems (Asadhya Veena and other poems into English, Ed by Pritish Nandy) * The revolving rock and other poems (Chakrant Shila and other poems into English, Ed Pritish Nandy) * First Person, Second Person (Poems, into English with Leonard Nathan) * Signs and silences (Poems, into English with Leonard Nathan) * Nilambari (Poems, into English) * Truculent clay (Bhavanti, into English with Manas Mukul Das) * Preparing the ground (Antara, into English with Manas Mukul Das) Translations in other languages: (Indian languages list too long) * German: Sekh Ktoratien (By Lothar Lutze) * : Stand-orte (By Lothar Lutze) * Swedish : Den arket (By orten Al Bud) * Servo-Croatian: Catoetien * : prvo liche drugo liche * :Vsak ima svoyega tuicha (By Tregoslav Andrich) Films on Ajneya: * Sarswat Van Ka Bavra Aheri, Producer Durgavati Singh, Doordarshan, New Delhi * Sannate ka Chhand, Dir. Pramod & Neelima Mathur, Vatsal Nidhi, New Delhi * Deep Akela, Dir. Pramod Mathur, MGAHVV, Wardha * Kavi Bharti,

Bharat Bhawan Bharat Bhavan is an autonomous multi-arts complex and museum in Bhopal, India, established and funded by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.The architect of the Bharat Bhavan is Charles Correa. Opened in 1982, facing the Upper Lake, Bhopal, it hou ...

, Bhopal

Reception

Agyeya was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1964 for his collection of poems ''

Angan Ke Par Dwar ''Angan Ke Par Dwar'' (; ) is a 1961 poetry collection by Sachchidananda Vatsyayan, generally known by his pen-name, Agyeya. The book received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1964. Content The poems of the book were written during the period 1959 ...

'', and the Jnanpith Award in 1978 for ''Kitni Naavon Mein Kitni Baar''. He was also awarded the Bharatbharati Award and the Golden Wreath Award for poetry in 1983. Agyeya is considered to be one of the most influential Hindi writers of the 20th-century and is seen as the founder of ādhuniktā (modernism) in Hindi literature. He is considered 'the most westernised' among the Hindi writers between the 1940s and the 1960s. He was often criticised for his excessive use of intellectualism and individualism in his writings. The scholar Sushil Kumar Phull calls Agyeya an 'intellectual giant' and 'pundit of language' (master of language), and compares him with English poet

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

for his obscure and condense language which he used in his poetry.

Dramatic productions

His verse play ''Uttar Priyadarshi'', about the redemption of King Ashoka was first staged in 1966 at Triveni open-air theatre in Delhi in presence of the writer. Later it was adapted to Manipuri, by theatre director,

Ratan Thiyam Ratan Thiyam (born 20 January 1948) is an Indian playwright and theatre director, and the winner of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987, one of leading figures of the "''theatre of roots''" movement in Indian theatre, which started in the 197 ...

in 1996, and since been performed by his group, in various parts of the world.Review: Uttarpriyadarshi
by Renee Renouf, ''ballet magazine'', December 2000,

References

External links

Agyeya
at

Penguin India Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a smal ...

Agyeya
at
Agyeya
at

at {{DEFAULTSORT:Vatsyayana, Sachchidananda Hirananda 1911 births 1987 deaths Hindi-language poets Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath laureates Hindu poets Madras Christian College alumni Forman Christian College alumni People from Kushinagar district Indian magazine editors Indian magazine founders Poets from Uttar Pradesh 20th-century Indian poets University of Madras alumni Businesspeople from Uttar Pradesh Journalists from Uttar Pradesh Indian male poets Indian male journalists 20th-century Indian journalists 20th-century Indian businesspeople 20th-century Indian male writers Punjabi Brahmins Translators to Hindi Hindi-language writers Hindi-language novelists Translators of Rabindranath Tagore