Kedarnath Agarwal

Kedarnath Agarwal (केदारनाथ अग्रवाल) (also spelt as Agrawal and Aggarwal) (1911–2000) was a famous Hindi language poet and litterateur.

Biography

Kedarnath was born on April 1, 1911 to Hanuman Prasad Gupta and his wife Ghasiti Devi. He was born in the village of Kamasin in Banda district in the Bundelkhand region of the present-day Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He acquired the B.A. and L.L.B. degrees, and became a practising advocate in Banda in 1938.

However, his first love was Hindi literature, and he contributed much to that field. He was a member of the "Pragati Lekhak Sangh," a body inspired by the leftist Progressive Writers' Movement. His writings have been translated into English, German, and Russian.

In recognition of these contributions, Kedarnath Agarwal was awarded the Soviet Land Nehru Prize in 1973. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1986. In 1995, Bundelkhand university conferred an honorary doctorate in literature (D.Litt) upon him. Other accolades included the "Hindi Sansthan Uttar Pradesh Puraskar" (1981); "Tulsi Puraskar" (1986); "Mythili Sharan Gupta Puraskar" (1990-91); and the "Sahitya Vachaspati Manad Upaadhi" (1990).

Kedarnath Agarwal was also involved in several educational and literary bodies. He served as president of the Arya Kanya Intermediate College for many years. He was associated with the Vinoba Bhave College located in Kamasin village, his birthplace. He also served for one year as president of the local Bar Association in Banda.

Kedarnath Agarwal was married to Parvati Devi. The couple were the parents of two daughters and a son. Kedarnath Agarwal, eminent Hindi litterateur, died in the evening hours of June 22, 2000.

Published work

Kedarnath Agarwal's published books are as follows:
* "Yug Ki Ganga"
* "Neend Ke Badal"
* "Lok Aur Alok"
* Phool nahin Rang Bolte Hain
* Aag Ka Aayeena
* Bambay ka Raktasnan
* Gulmehndi
* Pankh aur Patwar
* Mar Pyar ki Thapein
* He Meri Tum
* Kahein Kedar Khari Khari
* Apoorva
* Jamun Jal Tum
* Bole Bol Amol
* Jo Shilayein Todte Hain
* Aatma Gandh
* Anhari Haryali
* Khuli Aankhein Khuli Daine
* Pushpadeep

The "Kedar Samman"

The "Kedar Shod Peeth" is a foundation dedicated to commemorating Kedarnath Agarwal's contributions to literature. Every year, it awards the "Kedar Samman" to one person who has made outstanding contributions to literature.

External links

* [http://kedar.bandainfo.com Kedarnath Agarwal's Home Page]
* [http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/P_0249.htm "Pragati Lekhak Sangha" on Banglapedia]