Prem Nath Dar (25 July 1914 – 6 September 1976) was an

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 ...

-language short story writer from the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...

. His short stories are generally recognised as progressive writings of the mid-20th century.

Transformation to a short story writer

In the early 1940s, while in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, he got in touch with Urdu literary circle

Halqa-e Arbab-e Zauq Halqa-e Arbab-e Zauq () is a Pakistani Urdu literary movement begun in Lahore, British Punjab, India on 29 April 1939. Early members included Urdu language poets Noon Meem Rashid, Qayyum Nazar, and Meeraji, the latter of whom was invited by Na ...

, and started writing short stories in Urdu. The writers of Halqae Arbab Zauq used to meet at his house in Sita Ram Bazaar which was attended by some known writers of that time, including Devendra Satyarthi,

Josh Malihabadi Josh Malihabadi (born Shabbir Hasan Khan; 5 December 1898 – 22 February 1982) popularly known as Shayar-e-Inqalab (poet of revolution) was Indian born Pakistani Urdu poet. Known for his liberal values and challenging the established o ...

, Arsh Malciani Jagan Nath, Sagar Nizami, and Rewati Sharan Sharma. The venue later changed to Delhi College, Delhi. After the 1960s, his responsibilities at

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 ...

kept him occupied, leaving less time for literary activities.

Writing style

His writings like the other progressive writers of India, were influenced by socio-political movements and the existing social structure of that time in India. Prem Nath Dar's first collection of short stories, ''Kaghaz Ka Vasudev aur dighar afsaaney'' (), was the reprinted by National Council for Urdu Promotion. It was an instant success and was appreciated by leading Urdu writers of that time from India - Salahuddin Ahamad, Syyed Ahtesshan Hussein,

and Pakistan - Maulana Salahuddin Ahamad, editor ''Adabi Duniya'', Lahore. This collection of short stories is now reprinted by the

National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (, NCPUL) is an autonomous regulatory body in the Government of India.

. His collection of short stories, unpublished during his lifetime was published later on by Maktaba Jamia New Delhi titled Betaal Lamhe ().

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dar, Prem Nath 20th-century Indian short story writers Urdu-language writers from India Urdu-language short story writers Indian male short story writers Writers from Jammu and Kashmir All India Radio people 20th-century Indian male writers 1914 births 1976 deaths