Devaki Nandan Khatri

Devaki Nandan Khatri

Durga Prasad Khatri, Devaki Nandan's son, completed some of his incomplete works

Devaki Nandan Khatri (1861-1913) was an Indian writer, who belonged to the first generation of popular novelists in the modern Hindi language.^[1] Also known as Babu Devakinandan Khatri, he was the first author of mystery novels in Hindi. Chandrakanta is the most popular of his works.

Biography

Khatri was born at Samastipur, Bihar. After his earlier education he moved to Tekari Estate in Gaya. He became an employee of the Raja of Benares. He started a printing press called "Lahari" and started a Hindi monthly, "Sudarshan", in 1898. The various works of Khatri and his son Durga Prasad were republished by Lahari Press in the early 21st century.

Khatri made a strong contribution to the learning of the Hindi language by the people of the times. People were so mesmerised by the works Chandrakanta, Chandrakanta Santiti and Bhootnath that they started to learn Hindi just to be able to read the works. Khatri did not write any work at one go and then publish the same. He used to write "bayaans" - chapters - on the run from the British and these were published and distributed widely. People would await the new "bayaans" and congregate around those who could read Hindi to hear the latest exploits in the continuing saga.

Khatri had a home called Khatri Haveli in Ramapura, Varanasi. He was living in Musakhand area when he was writing Chandrakanta.

Works

• Chandrakanta
• Chandrakanta Santati
• Kajar ki Kothari
• Narendra-Mohini
• Kusum Kumari
• Virendra Veer
• Gupt Godna
• Katora Bhar Khoon
• Bhootnath (incomplete; completed by his son, Durga Prasad Khatri, who also wrote the concluding volumes of Bhootnath saga as Rohtasmath)

References

1. ^ Meenakshi Mukherjee (1985). Realism and reality: the novel and society in India. Oxford University Press. p. 60.