P c gupta

PROF. P. C. GUPTA ( 1908-1970 )

Prakash Chandra Gupta , an eminent professor of English and a prolific writer both in Hindi and English was born in Bhakkar village of Punjab , India on 16th March in 1908. His first wife Ms. Rameshwari Goyal had a masters degree in English and was proficient in Music and Poetry . Her book in Hindi “ Jeevan Ka Sapna ( Dream of Life ) was published posthumously in 1937 . She died in 1935 during childbirth . P.C. Gupta remarried Ms.Sarla Goyal the younger sister of Rameshwari in 1939. Sarla was an active independence worker during her early years and a founder member of the National Federation of Indian Women. She was also a member of the Indian Delegation to the first International Women’s Conference in Copenhagen and Moscow(1953).

Early Years and Education

After initial years of rural education in a small western province, proper regular schooling for Prakash began in 1921. He emerged a scholarly boy with interests in Cricket, Photography and drama and a voracious reader of Hugo, Connan Doyle , Premchand , Sharat Chandra, among others, the beginnings of his leaning toward literature . One of his classmates was A.B.Lal who later served as a professor of Political Science at Allahabad University and finally the Vice Chancellor of that University.

Prakash finished high school in Grade A in 1925 and successfully completed the Intermediate Exam in 1927, ranking first among all students.. He also cleared pre exam in Sanskrit from Kashi Hindu University in 1926 . His days in Banaras were spent in the guidance of Madan Mohan Malviya and co students like Ram Manohar Lohia , Rudra Dutt Bharadwaj , Janardan Jha , Brij Lal, amongst others

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1929. He achieved first class and ranked 2nd among all students in Allahabad University – the Oxford of India. He spent these days among many brilliant students and teachers including Dr. Amarnath Jha, Prof A.B. Lal , Prof R.N Deb , Sri Aditya Nath Jha (Later Governer of Delhi ) Harivansh Rai Bachchan , and Mahadevi Verma ,who later became literary colleagues.

Under intense pressure from his father, Prakash appeared for Civil Services Exams and cleared them but chose the fields of education and literature as his career . It was during this time that his first sketch Headlights was published in the Allahabad University magazine .

Initially drawn to the Independence struggle, Prakash soon reverted to his first love – literature – in Allahabad .

Teaching Career

His first stint teaching English Literature was at St. John’s College in Agra from 1931 to 1941 . Here he taught literary greats like Dr. Narendra , Dr. Nemi Chandra Jain , Bharat Bhushan amongst others . For a short period Prakash was also co editor of “Sahityik Sandesh” (Literary Message). During his tenure he regularly wrote articles, primarily literary criticisms, for this magazine. Some of these articles were also broadcast on Delhi All India Radio .

He joined Allahabad University in 1941 and continued there until he retired in 1970. During this time, he was promoted to Professor of English Literature, and he retired as the Head of the Department of English , Allahabad University . This span saw his creative writing both in English and in Hindi grow by bounds and his bonding with writers groups and associations -- Progressive Writers Group , IPTA , The Levelers Club , Parimal etc —flourished.

Friends, Colleagues, Peers at Allahabad

This eminent list includes A.B Lal , R.N. Deb , K.K. Malhotra , O.P. Bhatnagar , M.S Kamthan , Azhar Ansari , Bhawani Shankar , Mohan Lal , C.M. Chatterjee , H.D. Srivastava , A.N. Agarawal – all great scholars and educationalists at the Allahabad University .

The literary family he belonged to had faces like Nirala , Sumitra Nandan Pant , Mahandevi Verma , Firaq Gorakhpuri , H.R. Bachchan , U.N. Ashq , Amrit Rai, Naresh Mehta, and Markandey Singh – to name a few .

Literary Words

Writing in both Hindi and English and dabbling in creative and critical articles, Prakash also published recollections, remembrances, short stories , and travel memoirs. . Although he experimented with writing short stories, poetry, and plays, his forte remained sketches and literary criticism. He excelled in translation and his initial foray was in translation from English to Hindi – for example the works of Gorky and other Russian sketches and stories. During the latter part of his career, he translated Hindi articles and poetry to English with main emphasis being on the works of Premchand . His works regularly appeared in publications like “Sahitya Sandesh” , “Hans”, “Naya Sahitya”,”Naya Path”, “Jyotsna”, “Rashtra Bhartiya”, “Vishwa Bhartiya”, “Calcutta Review”, and “Hindi Review”.

He was the pioneer setting the trend of writing sketches in Hindi.

Other Accomplishments

His only visit to a foreign country was in 1954 when he traveled to USSR as a member of the teaching delegation touring Russian Universities. His only radio commentary was broadcast in 1964 on All India Radio, Allahabad, covering the ashes immersion of Pandit J.L.Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.

Publications

Hindi :-

Naya Hindi Sahitya, Rekha Chitra, Purani Smritiyan aur Naye Sketch, Adhunik Hidi Sahitya- Ek Drishti, Hindi Sahitya ki Janwadi Parampara, Sahitya Dhara, Vishakh, Rekha Chitra, AAJ Ka Hindi Sahitya, Premchand.

English :-

Studies and Sketches, The English Novelist, The Art of Galsworthy and other studies, My India, Premchand, Literature and Society.

Translations :-

Stalingrad ka Maha Yudh, Janta Ajey Hai, Paharon ki Beti ( All Russian Stories) , A Handtol of Wheat and other stories

Editorial :-

Short Stories- A selection, An Anthology of English Prose, Pragati

Unpublished :-

The complete list is not available as no earlier attempt has been made although material available at home indicated close to 150 articles in Hindi and English on diverse subjects.

Dr Vibha Gupta - daughter of Prof P.C. Gupta ( and herself an eminent and now retired professor of Hindi from Delhi University ) has taken up the mantle for re-publishing the entire works of Prakash and is also compiling his unpublished works so as to try and have them published as a fitting tribute in the cenetenary year-2008,