Gulab Khandelwal (21 February 1924 – 2 July 2017) was an Indian poet who wrote poetry in different forms such as ''

Lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

'', ''

Sonnets A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...

'', ''Rubais'' (Quatrains), ''Dohas'' (Couplets), ''

Odes Odes may refer to: *The plural of ode, a type of poem * ''Odes'' (Horace), a collection of poems by the Roman author Horace, circa 23 BCE *Odes of Solomon, a pseudepigraphic book of the Bible *Book of Odes (Bible), a Deuterocanonical book of the ...

'', ''

Elegies An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...

'', ''

Lyrical Ballads ''Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems'' is a collection of poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in 1798 and generally considered to have marked the beginning of the English Romantic movement in literature. ...

'', ''

Epics Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

'', ''Poetic Dramas'', ''

Ghazals ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

'', and ''

Masnavi The ''Masnavi'', or ''Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi'' (, DIN 31635, DMG: ''Mas̲navī-e maʻnavī''), also written ''Mathnawi'', or ''Mathnavi'', is an extensive poem written in Persian language, Persian by Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, also known as Rumi. I ...

''. He even introduced some of these forms into Hindi literature and, apart from Hindi, has also written poetry in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and English. The span of his poetic language touches upon

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 ...

on one end and Urdu on the other. Gulab Khandelwal died in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

on 2 July 2017.

Education

Gulab Khandelwal was born in the town of Navalgarh,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

(India). He spent his childhood and received his early education at

Gaya Gaya may refer to: Geography Czech Republic *Kyjov, a town called Gaya in German and Latin Guinea * Gaya or Gayah, a town India *Gaya, India, a city in Bihar **Gaya Airport *Bodh Gaya, a town in Bihar near Gaya *Gaya district, Bihar Niger *G ...

, Bihar. He received his undergraduate education at the

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

, graduating with a BA in 1943. While in Banaras, his inborn poetic faculty matured when he came into contact with the great luminaries of Hindi Literature. He met poets such as

Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' Suryakant Tripathi (21 February 1899 – 15 October 1961) was an Indian poet, writer, composer, and sketch artist who wrote in Hindi. He is considered one of the four major pillars of the Chhayavad period in Hindi literature. He is renowned w ...

Maithili Sharan Gupt Dr Maithilisharan Gupt (3 August 1886 – 12 December 1964) was one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He is considered one among the pioneers of '' Khari Boli'' (plain dialect) poetry and wrote in Khari Boli dialect, at a time when most ...

Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay Ayodhya Singh Upadhyay ‘Hari Oudh', (15 April 1865 – 16 March 1947) was a writer of Hindi literature. He was the Chairman of the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan and had been conferred the title of Vidyavachaspati. Life Hari Oudh was born in the yea ...

'Hariaudh',

Harivansh Rai Bachchan Harivansh Rai Bachchan (; 27 November 1907 18 January 2003) was an Indian poet and writer of the Nayi Kavita literary movement (romantic upsurge) of early 20th century Hindi literature. He was also a poet of the Hindi Kavi Sammelan. He is be ...

, and Bedhab Banarasi. He also met critics such as Pt. Ramchandra Shukla,

Nand Dulare Bajpai Aacharya Nand Dulare Bajpai was born in the village Magrair, Unnao. He was a famous Hindi critic. He was born on 27 August 1906 and died on 21 August 1967. He was head of Hindi Department at Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya from 1941-1947. He also ...

, and Pt. Shrinarayan Chaturvedi. Further early influences include scholars such as Dr.

Sampurnanand Sampurnanand (1 January 1891 – 10 January 1969) was an Indian teacher and politician who served as the second Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1954 until 1960, and later as Governor of Rajasthan. Serving for five years and 344 days, he ...

Kamlapati Tripathi Kamalapati Tripathi (3 September 1905 – 8 October 1990) was an Indian politician, writer, journalist, and freedom fighter. He was a senior Indian National Congress leader from Varanasi constituency. He served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh ...

, and Sitaram Chaturvedi.

Literary career

Gulab Khandelwal started writing poetry at an early age. His first volume of poems was published in 1941 with preface by the famous poet

. Since then, 73 books have been published, including more than 50 volumes of poems and 2 dramatic works in prose, some of which have been digitized by the

Digital Library of India Digital Library of India, initially hosted by Indian Institute of Science, CDAC, Noida, IIIT-Hyderabad during 2000s working in partnership with the Million Book Project, provides free access to many books in English and Indian languages. The ...

.Digital Library of India
/ref> Six of his books have received awards from the

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 ...

government and one has received an award from the

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 ...

government. Some of his books were selected as textbooks for colleges in

and

, with ''Alok Vritt'' used in the intermediate board in

, India, since 1976. Mahakavi Gulab translated some of his poems in English in ''Gulab Khandelwal: Selected Poems'', which was published in 1986 with preface by Dr.

Karan Singh Karan Singh (born 9 March 1931) is an Indian politician and philosopher. He is the titular Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. From 1952 to 1965 he was the '' Sadr-i-Riyasat'' (President) of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. ...

, ex-Prince of Kashmir. In recognition of this and his achievements in his literary career, he was awarded honorary citizenship of Baltimore City, USA on 13 July 1985. Furthermore, both the mayor of the City of Baltimore and the governor of Maryland state declared this day as Hindi Day. Mahakavi Gulab was the president of Archana, a literary society of

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

founded in the 1950s, and presided over many events organized by multiple literary organizations. He was the president of Akhil Bhartiya Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Prayag, for 18 years. He was also the president of Bharati Parishad, an organisation founded by Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya. For 15 years, he was the senior member of the editorial board of ''Vishwa'', a literary magazine by the International Hindi Association. He was also the president of the International Hindi Association. Mahakavi Gulab lived mostly in the USA, but visited India every year. Until his death, he was active in his literary pursuit. In addition to his involvement in the Indian literary organizations, he also worked extensively with Indian organizations in the United States. He presided on meetings in New York on Vishwa Hindi Sammelan, an organization which strives towards the firm establishment of the Hindi language. At the age of 82, he wrote his auto-biography ''ज़िन्दगी है कोई किताब नहीं (Zindagi Hai Koi Kitaab Nahi)''.

Awards

Some of his books were presented awards by Hindi Sansthan (U.P. Government), India # ''Usha'' – by U.P. Government in 1967 # ''Roop Ki Dhoop'' – by U.P. Government in 1971 # ''Sau Gulab Khile'' – by U.P. Government in 1975 # ''Kuchh Aur Gulab'' – by U.P. Government in 1980 # ''Ahalya'' – Vishisht Puraskar by U.P. Government in 1980 # ''Har Subah Ek Taza Gulab'' – Nirala Puraskar by U.P. Government in 1989 # ''Adhunik Kavi-19'' – Akhil Bharatiya Granth Puraskar by Bihar Government # ''Ahalya'' – Akhil Bharatiya Rambhakti Puraskar by Hanuman Mandir Trust, Kolkata, 1984 Some of his books were selected as textbooks for colleges: # ''Kach Devyani'' – Had been in Intermediate in Magadh University, Bihar (India) # ''Usha (Mahakavya)'' – Had been in B.A. in Magadh University, Bihar (India) # ''Ahalya (Khand-kavya) – Had been subject for dissertation in Awadh University, U.P. (India) # ''Ahalya (Khand-kavya)'' – Had been in B.A. in Magadh University, Bihar (India) # ''Alok-Vritt (Khand-kavya)'' – Had been in B.A. in Magadh University, Bihar (India) # ''Alok-Vritt (Khand-kavya)'' – Is in Intermediate Board in Uttar Pradesh (India) since 1976

Research

A Dissertation For M.A. was presented by Mukul Khandelwal under the guidance of Shri Shyam Nandan Singh in 1978 from Magadh University and two dissertations were presented under the guidance of Shri Hans Raj Tripathi from Awadh University. Degree of Ph. D has been awarded to the following persons on his literature: # Sagar University, Madhya Pradesh to Yashvant Singh in 1966 (''Hindi Ke Vaad-Mukt Kavi'') # Magadh University, Bihar to Ravindra Roy in 1985 (''Gulab Khandelwal : Vyaktitva Aur Krititva'') # Meerut University, U.P. to Vishnu Prakash Mishra in 1992 (''Gulab Khandelwal : Jeevan Aur Sahitya'') # Ruhelkhand University, U.P. to Poorti Avasthi in 1994 (''Kavi Gulab Khandelwal Ke Sahitya Ka Alochnatmak Adhyayan'') # Mahatma Jyotiba Phule University, U.P. to Sneh Kumari Kanojiya in 2006 (''Gulab Khandelwal Ke Kavya Ka ManoVaigyanik Adhyayan'') # Kurukshetra University, Haryana to Raj Yadav Under the guidance of Shri Ramapati Singh in 2006 # Awadh University, Faizabad, U.P. to Ankita Mishra in 2011 (''Kavi Gulab Ki Kavya Drishti'') # Nagpur University, Maharashtra to Monika Vishnoi in 2021 (''Mahakavi Gulab Khandelwal Ki Kavya Bhasha Aur Shilp Vidhan'') # Sikar University, Rajasthan, to Rakesh Kumar Gujarniya in 2022 (''Gulab Khandelwal Ke Kavya Mein Rashtriya Chetna Ki Abhivyakti'')

Recognition

US and Canada # Gulab Khandelwal was awarded the Honorary Citizenship of Baltimore City (USA) on 13 July 1985 "for his achievements and eminent gifts to our times." This day was declared as Hindi Day in the entire state by the Governor of Maryland. The Mayor of Baltimore also declared this day as Hindi Day in the City of Baltimore. # He was awarded the Vishisht Samman (Special Literary Award) by the Antar Rashtriya Hindi Samiti, Washington D.C. (USA) on 6 December 1986. # On Republic Day celebration of India, 2006, he was honoured and the title of 'Kavi Samrat' was bestowed upon him by the Governor of Maryland, USA. # He has been honoured by Hindi Parishad Toronto and Edmonton (Canada) and has been honoured by numerous literary and non-literary institutions in India and USA. # The Mahakavi Gulab Khandelwal Smriti Scholarship was hosted by the Institute for South Asia Studies at

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 ...

in 2018, in support of research in Hindi literature. The $2000 award was given to Anirudh Karnick (a PhD student in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

) in April 2019. India # Gulabji was felicitated by Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sahitya Sammelan in 1979. # He was conferred the highest honour of Sahitya Vachaspati (equivalent to the degree of PhD), by Akhil Bharatiya Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, under the president-ship of Padma Bhushan Dr.

Ramkumar Verma Ramkumar Verma (15 September 1905 – 15 October 1990) was a Hindi poet who published one act-plays and several anthologies of his work. Life history He was associated with the HBTU Kanpur. He hails from a shrivastava kayastha family. He was ...

, in 1989. # His two books – ''Bhakti-Ganga'' and ''Tilak Kare Raghubeer'', were released by the President of India, honourable Shri

Shankar Dayal Sharma Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the President of India from 1992 to 1997. Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahabad and Lucknow and received a doctorate i ...

in 1997. # He was felicitated jointly by the then Governor of U. P. Shri

Vishnu Kant Shastri Vishnu Kant Shastri (2 May 1929 – 17 April 2005) was an Indian politician who served as the governor of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. He was also an academic, scholar, poet, philosopher, author, critic, orator, editor and administrator ...

, Ex Chief Minister of U. P. Shri

Mulayam Singh Yadav Mulayam Singh Yadav (22 November 1939 – 10 October 2022) was an Indian politician, a socialism, socialist figure and founder of the Samajwadi Party. Over the course of his political career spanning more than six decades, he served for three t ...

, Pujya Morari Bapu, and Ex Attorney General Shri Shanti Bhushan in Etawah, U.P, in 2001.

Music

Gulab Ji's Bhakti Geet and Ghazals are sung by many artists in India as well as the USA.

Works

Works of Gulab Khandelwal

References

External links

Gulab Khandelwal at Kavita Kosh
Hindi
Gulab Khandelwal at Flickr
Books
Hail America by Gulab KhandelwalSome Poems of Gulab Khandelwal

Gulab Khandelwal in Open Library
* Gulab Khandelwal in Wikipedia Hindi गुलाब खंडेलवाल
Watch Gulab Khandelwal Live

Gulab Khandelwal Posthumous Site

Mahakavi Gulab Khandelwal Smriti Scholarship

Gulab Khandelwal Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khandelwal, Gulab 1924 births 2017 deaths Indian male poets Poets from Rajasthan Indian male composers