Prayagraj: Invaluable heritage of literary splendor

Prayagraj is not only a land of history and culture, but has also been a stronghold of literature and intellectual thinking. This holy land gave birth to many great poets, writers and poets, who gave a new direction to the language and society with their creations.

Legendary writers of Hindi literature

This city gave many invaluable creators to Hindi literature. Literature maestros like Mahadevi Verma, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Upendranath 'Ashk' and Harivansh Rai Bachchan have had a deep connection with Prayagraj.

Many eminent poets and writers have been associated with this place, the prominent names of which are as follows:

• Mahadevi Verma – prominent poetess of the Chhayavad era, awarded the Gyanpith Award.

• Sumitranandan Pant – poet of nature, invaluable pillar of Hindi literature.

• Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' – creator of the wonderful confluence of Chhayavad and Progressivism.

• Harivansh Rai Bachchan – immortal creator of ‘Madhushala’, poet who made Hindi poetry popular.

• Upendranath ‘Ashk’ – famous for realistic stories and novels.

Prayagraj also has an important place in the world of Urdu literature. Poets like Akbar Allahabadi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Nooh Narvi, Tegh Allahabadi and Asghar Gondvi gave new heights to literature with their poetry. Prayagraj’s contribution to Urdu literature has also been very important. Many famous poets from here gave heights to Urdu literature:

• Firaq Gorakhpuri – famous Urdu poet and literature critic, Jnanpith Award winner.

• Akbar Allahabadi – famous for humorous-satire and social reform poetry.

• Nooh Narvi, Tegh Allahabadi and Asghar Gondvi – famous poets who contributed to Urdu ghazals and nazms.

Firaq Gorakhpuri and Mahadevi Verma were honoured with the Jnanpith Award for their invaluable literary services.

Revolutionary Literature and Social Consciousness

This city was not just limited to literature, but also became a centre of social and political consciousness. Writers like Rajendra Yadav, Kamleshwar, Dudhnath Singh and Namvar Singh continued to spread awareness in the society through their writings.

Among the famous scholars of Sanskrit, the names of Sir Ganganath Jha, Dr. Baburam Saxena, Pandit Raghuvar Mittulal Shastri and Professor Suresh Chandra Srivastava are prominent. All of them were students of Prayagraj University and later became teachers there.

Prayagraj is also proud of eminent scholars of Arabic and Persian literature. Dr. Abdul Sattar Siddiqui, his colleague Mohammad Naimur Rahman and his disciple Professor Hindi made significant contributions in this field.

Professor Naimur Rahman was famous for his well-organised and huge personal library, which contained tens of thousands of books. This library was open to all, so that students and researchers could benefit from it. Apart from this, he was also known for providing selfless support to his students financially, intellectually and academically.

Centre of Hindi Publishing

Prayagraj has also been a major centre of Hindi publishing industry. Prestigious publications like Lokbharati, Rajkamal and Neelabh spread Hindi literature across the country.

Another important chapter in the literary history of Prayagraj is associated with the "Kitabistan" publication, which was established by the Rehman Brothers—Kalimur Rehman and Obaidur Rehman.

They published thousands of books, including the works of many eminent writers including Nehru. Kitabistan also has the distinction of becoming the first publishing house in India to open a branch in London in 1936.

Connection with World Literature

Not only Indian literature but scholars of English and other languages have also contributed here. Nobel Prize (1907) winner Rudyard Kipling worked as an assistant editor of The Pioneer newspaper in Prayagraj.

Prayagraj has always been a land of intellectuals, poets and writers. Even today, this city remains a source of inspiration for the new generation of writers and thinkers.

Prayagraj has left a deep mark not only in the literature of Hindi but also in Urdu, Sanskrit, and other languages. The litterateurs, poets and writers here have not only expanded the definition of literature but have also raised issues of change in society, social justice and deep problems of society through their writings.

Literary contribution of Prayagraj

Prayagraj: Invaluable heritage of literary splendor