India is a very diverse country and hence, home to several cultures. Indian culture is enriched with numerous languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, Telegu, etc.; thus, literature in these languages evolved with time. The word Literature is derived from the Latin word ‘litteratura’ which refers to any form of writing that has some literary merit. The literature is broadly classified into fiction and non-fiction. The period of modern literature has been called Adhunik Kaal and Hindi emerged as one of the major languages in Northern India and many other regional languages like Bengali, Odia, etc. also made their impact.
Also Read: Medieval Period Literature of India
Sanskrit Literature in Ancient India
Dravidian (South India) Literature of India
Hindi Literature in Modern India
The literature in Hindi made significant developments during the Medieval period as several writers like Amir Khusrau made significant contributions to the development of Hindi literature. In the modern age, many important texts also write like Andher Nagari, a famous drama, written by Bharatendu Harishchandra. Another nationalist important work of the 1850s was Bharat Durdhasa. Another major writer of this period was Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, the whole phase was named after him.
Later, scholars like Swami Dayanand Saraswati wrote Satyartha Prakash. Writers like Munshi Prem Chand, Surya Kant Tripathi Nirala, and Maithili Sharan Gupt questioned the orthodoxies in society. Prem Chand wrote many works like Godan, Bade Bhhaiya, etc. in Hindi and Urdu. Mahadevi Verma is one of the famous female writers of the 20th who was also awarded Padma Vibhushan for his Hindi literature.
Gujarati, Rajasthani and Sindhi Literature
Narsinh Mehta is a famous name in the Gujarati literature arena who composed devotional songs for Lord Krishna with local folk traditions. Narmad wrote poetry and Govardhan Ram composed a classic Gujarati novel, Saraswati Chandra. Dr. K. M. Munshi also fiction and non-fiction Gujarati works. In Rajasthani two main forms of fictional writing are popular; Dingal and Pingal. Dhola Maru is a famous text of this type. Mirabai wrote literature in Braj.
The stories of Rajasthani writers are usually oral and were spread by bards. The Sindhi literature is deeply influenced by Rajasthani and Gujarati literature. Dewan Kauramal and Mirza Kalish Beg are two prominent names in the field of Sindhi literature.
Bengali, Odia, and Assamese Literature
The Bengali literature took a definite shape during the national freedom struggle. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was amongst the first to write in Bengali and English during British rule. Prominent writers like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Akshay Kumar Dutta also contributed to Bengali literature but nationalist Bengali literature reached its zenith with the writings of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee who wrote works like Anand Math and Vande Mataram.
Rabindranath Tagore, the first Nobel prize winner from Asia, wrote his masterpiece Geetanjali in Bengali. The Assamese literature was dominated by Buranjis (court chronicles). Shankaradeva composed devotional poetry in Assamese, and Padmanaba Gohain Barua and Lakshmi Nath Bezbarua also made their marks in Assamese literature. In Odia language, the first major work was of Sarala Das, and in the Medieval period, writers like Upendra Bhanja wrote works in the Odia language. Radha Nath Ray and Fakir Mohan Senapati also left their mark in the field of Odia literature.
Kashmiri, Punjabi and Marathi Literature
There are several works written in Kashmiri during the Medieval period but the political power passed to the Dogra family in Jammu in 1846, and Kashmiri was eclipsed by the Dogri language. The Punjabi literature is influenced by the politics of Punjab and it used two major scripts; Persian and Gurumukhi. Modern literature was influenced by the nationalist writings and “Rang de Basanti Chola” of Legendry Bhagat Singh is an example of the same.
Bhai Vir Singh wrote Rana Surat Singh to showcase the anti-British sentiments. Contemporary writers like Dr. Mohan Singh and Puran Singh are making significant contributions to Punjabi literature. The nationalist movement affected the Marathi poetry and prose writing too. Bal Gangadhar Tilak made a significant contribution in this context. He published a regional newspaper Kesari in Marathi. Other poets like M.G. Ranade, G.T. Madholkar, and K.T. Telang also contributed to Marathi literature through their poetries.
Thus, the nationalist movement played a significant role in the development of modern literature in India.
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