10 Greatest Hindi Poets of India
10. Makhanlal Chaturvedi:
He was born on April 4, 1889, in Bavai village of Madhya Pradesh. Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi was an eminent poet of Hindi literature. He was the editor of national journals like ‘Prabha’ and ‘Karmaveer’. The collection of his poems include, ‘Him Tarangini’, ‘Samarpan’, ‘Yug Charan’, ‘Dip se Dip Jale’, ‘Sahitya Devta’, ‘Kaisa Chand Bana Deti Hai’, and ‘Pushp Ki Abhilasa’. He was the first recipient of the prestigious Sahitya Akademy Award, for his work ‘Him Tarangini’, in 1954. He passed away on January 30, 1968.
9. Maithilisharan Gupt:
Born in Chirgaon, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, on August 03, 1889, Maithilisharan Gupt was a distinguished poet of modern Hindi literature. It was he, who introduced Khari Boli – a dialect – in Hindi writing. His striking verses are, ‘Saket’, ‘Rang Mein Bhang’, ‘Bharat Bharti’, ‘Plassey Ka Yuddha’, and ‘Kaaba Karbala’. He was also briefly associated with Indian politics. He breathed his last on December 2, 1964.
8. Harivansh Rai Bachchan:
This torch-bearer of Chayavad (romantic) generation was born on November 27, 1907 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. He is known for ‘Madhushala’ – a book of verses. He worked very hard in promoting Hindi as the official language of India. During his stint at the External Affairs Ministry, he translated some of the major works into Hindi, including Othello, Macbeth, Bhagawad Gita, Rubaiyat and the works of W.B. Yeats. Apart from his other acclaimed works, the four-part serial biography, ‘Kya Bhooloon Kya Yaad Karoon’, ‘Need Ka Nirmaan Phir’, ‘Basere Se Door’, and the last ‘Dashdwaar Se Sopaan Tak’, also need a mention. He died on January 18, 2003.
7. Mahadevi Verma:
She was one of the prominent poets of romanticism in Chayavad era. Born in 1907, in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh, Mahadevi Verma was popularly known as Modern Meera. The poet was the first headmistress of the Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth. Some of her poetry work includes, ‘Deepshikha’, ‘Himalaya’, ‘Neerja’, ‘Nihar’ and ‘Rashmi Geet’. Her outstanding poetry collection, ‘Yama’, received the prestigious Jnanpith award in 1940. She was deeply influenced by Buddhism. She died in 1987.
6. Sumitranandan Pant:
He was born on May 20, 1900 in Kumaon, Uttrakhand. Belonging to a place so enriched with flora and fauna, it was usual for Sumitranandan to develop an inclination towards nature. He took to poetry at very young age. At some point of time, he was under the influence of Sri Aurobindo. In 1961, he was honored with a Padma Bhushan and a Jnanpith Award in 1968 for his most famous poems ‘Chidambara’. Apart from ‘Pallav’, ‘Veena’, ‘Granthi’ and ‘Gunjan’, his other acclaimed work is ‘Kala aur Burha Chand’, for which he received the coveted Sahitya Academy Award. He died on December 28, 1977.
