Bhakt Singh

Guru Bhakt Singh 'Bhakt' (गुरु भक्त सिंह 'भक्त', August 7, 1893 - May 17, 1983) was the renowned poet and dramatist. He is known as "Wordsworth of India".

Life

Guru Bhakt Singh was born in Zamania, Gazipur in a civil servant family. His father, Shri Kalika Prasad Singh, in civil service, held the charge of the Government hospital, Zamania-Gazipur. After completing his primary education in Balia and Gorakhpur, he came to Allahabad. Here he completed his B.A. and L.L.B.. After working as an advocate for sometime, he switched to government job. In Allahabad, he came in contact with many famous poets and writers.
He was one of the knot of brilliant scholars of the Muir Central College, Allahabad, which had in its batch of graduates, illuminaries like Dr. Amar Nath Jha and others who in their own sphere have made a mark. During his school career at Govt. High School Allahabad or during his college life at the Muir Central, little was known of Bhakt Jee's poetic proctivities. Baring a few. even his closet friends, could not get no inkling of his poetic compositions, for which his taste and a natural gift from his early childhood. It is said of him that at eight he composed verses in vernacular which surprised his parents and recalled to their memories the foretelling of the saint who had forecasted in the child a great poet and scholar.

Poetic Themes

Guru Bhakt Singh dealt with different subjects and wrote on various aspects and objects of nature. His magic touch imparts life to dullest and meanest objects which have escaped notice of almost most of us.
He would not walk in the beaten path of mystic vagueness and jugglery of words nor does the believe in befogging the clarity of ideas by high sounding words and absure twists. Simple idiomatic words in common use are his vehicle of thought.
His keen observation of nature and vivid description which address to the feeling and imagination are always impregnated by poets pen with the joys and distress, hopes and fears of man which give wonderful freshness to his realistic touches.

Details about his work

In the year 1925 all of a sudden when Saras Suman, the first poetic work of Shri Guru Bhakt Singh Bhakta was published through the efforts of Nagari Pracharini Sabha Ballia, its meteroic brilliance dazzled the Hindi world and overnight he was declared poet. Pt. Ajodhya Singh Upadhya Hariaudh declared him the founder of the Nature school in Hindi and the eminent scholar Dr. Amar Nath Jha saw in him the genius of Wordsworth, sweetness of Hafiz and vividness of Goldsmith.
Collection of his poems, mostly on Nature, which appeared later as Kusum Kunj and Bansi Dhwani added new feathers to his cap.
In 1935, when that dramatic poetry Nurjehan appeared, it was atonce acclaimed and welcomed as the master piece of Hindi literature which had broken new soil and was atonce original in imageries and rich in language and ideas. Of it says Dr. Amar Nath Jha, "Those critics who complain against the barreness of modern Hindi Poetry and turn up their nose against its mystic vagueness and obscurity will do well to read "Nurjehan". Thakur Guru Bhakta Singh has won for himself a unique position.
In 1948 appeared his second Mahakavya Vikramaditya a dramatic piece in verse which bears the imprint of scholarship and research and its inclusion in post graduate course of different universities has put a seal to the hall mark of its excellence.

Awards and honours

Honoured with 'साहित्य- वारिधि' award in the Uttarpradesh Hindi Sahitya Samelan.
Honoured by Morarji Desai(Former Prime Minister), in Aug 1977, for his exemplary services to the Hindi Literature.
He received "मंगला प्रसाद पारितोषिक" award for Nurjahan.
He was also awarded with रत्नाकर पदक,
बलदेव दास पदक,
मंगला प्रसाद पारितोषिक

Bibliography

Poetry

Saras Suman (1925)
Kusum Kunj (1927)
Vanshidwani (1932)
Nurjahan (1935)
Vikramaditya (1944)
Do Phool (1963)

Dramas

Prem-paash (1919) - Unpublished
Tasneem (1920) - Unpublished
Radhiya (1924) - Unpublished