Journal On Premchand Released

Struggles Of Premchand’s Days Are Still Relevant

Rajendra Sharma

EVEN after so many decades of independence, still relevant are the struggles which Premchand fought with his pen. From the peasants suicides and starvation deaths to the growing strangle hold of foreign capital on our national economy, there are many pieces of reality to which Prem Chand gave expression as the most authoritative voice of the Urdu-Hindi speaking people. This was what many speakers underlined at a meet organised by the Safder Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) at the Constitution Club, New Delhi on July 25. On this occasion eminent Hindi writer and Hans (monthly) editor Rajendra Yadav released the Premchand number of SAHMAT Muktanaad, brought out as a part of the programmes releated to 125th birth anniversary of this great literary figure.

Rajendra Yadav termed as a painful reality the fact that Premchand’s struggles are still relevant today. However, he stressed that Premchand would not have been any less relevant for us if the problems he raised had not been there. His relevance is not confined to the issues he raised, but it is because of his concerns. To belong to Premchand’s tradition does not mean that a writer must write on the same issues, rather she/he has to share his concerns. In this context, Yadav emphasised that ideology is not just something one feels and experiences, rather it has to enlighten our lives in one’s own peculiar style, Yadav stressd not Premchand would be even present in our writings just as a father’s image is present in the life of his offspring. Yet, instead of just repeatedly, referring to this relationship the biggest challenge today for a writer is to outgrow Premchand.

Earlier, in his brief presentation, Murli Manohar Prasad Singh drew attention to the return of the realities of Premchand’s age. Satirising on the prime minister’s Oxford speech, he said Govind, who replaced John, has now already promised John during his UK tour. (John & Govind are character in Premchand novels). Singh reminded that the growing pressure of foreign capital is ruinning the peasants and compelling them to commit suicide on the one hand, and ruining the indigenous industries, on the other. However, these are a handful of people who are dubbing it as progress as they are the main beneficiaries of the present dispensation. Naturally, Premchand is more relevant today than ever before.

Hindi poet and union education secretary Sudeep Banerjee presided over the function. He underlined the fact that Premchand broke away from the otherworldly orientation of the 19th century literature, and located “man” in the centre of literature. His writings are the most comprehensive expansion of the this change, and that is why Premchand remains ever relevant. In Banerjee’s opinion, another important reason for Premchand’s continuing relevance is that he never shied from taking side in any real division in society. Whether it was the question of the landless or Dalits, of women or of our enslaved nation, Premchand is always on the side of justice and against the wrong-doers. Still another reason of Premchand’s relevance is that, just like Gandhi, Premchand too presented even complex issues in a language that was lucid and comprehensible for the people.

Chanchal Chauhan, general secretary of the Janwadi Lekhak Sangh, conducted the proceedings of the meeting which saw the participation of a large number of Hindi and Urdu writers, intellectuals and several renowned painters.

The special number of SAHMAT Muktanaad also includes the paintings created by a good number of artists at the call of the SAHMAT on 125th birth anniversary of Premchand. In the beginning of the programme well known theatre personality, M K Raina, detailed the initiatives taken and programmes organised by the SAHMAT so far during the 125^th anniversary of this great Urdu-Hindi writer.