Subhadra Kumari Chauhan

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Subhadra Kumari Chauhan bigraphy, stories - Indian poet

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan : biography

1904 – February 15, 1948

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904 – February 15, 1948) was an Indian poetess famous for Hindi poems composed primarily in Veer Ras, one of the nine Ras’ (English: Flavour/Subgenre).

Early life

Born in Nihalpur village in Allahabad District in Uttar Pradesh. She initially studied in the Crosthwaite Girls’ School in Allahabad and passed the middle-school examination in 1919. After her marriage to Thakur Lakshman Singh Chauhan of Khandwa in the same year, she moved to Jabalpur.Her father is Dileep Chauhan.

Death

She died in 1948 in a car accident near Kalbodi (in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh). An Indian Coast Guard ship has been named after her. A Statue of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan has been installed by the Madhya Pradesh Government in front of the Municipal Corporation office of Jabalpur.

Works

Collections of poems

  • Tridhara
  • Mukul (1930)
  • Yeh Kadamb Ka Ped

These anthologies consist some of the well-known poems like Jhansi ki Raani, Veeron Ka Kaisa Ho Basant and Yeh Kadamb Ka Ped.

  • Seedhe-Saade Chitra (1946)
  • Seedhe-saade Chitra(1946)
  • Mera naya bachpan(1946)

Family

She had five children: Sudha Chauhan (now deceased), Ajay Chauhan (now deceased), Vijay Chauhan (now deceased), Ashok Chauhan (now deceased) and Mamta Chauhan (Bhargava), currently residing in Buffalo, New York. The widows of Ajay and Ashok Chauhan currently live in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

Career

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan joined the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921 and was the first woman Satyagrahi to court arrest in Nagpur. She was jailed twice for her involvement in protests against the British rule in 1923 and 1942.

Writing career

She has authored a number of popular works in Hindi poetry. Her most famous composition is Jhansi Ki Rani, an emotionally charged poem describing the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai. The poem is one of the most recited and sung poems in Hindi literature. This and her other poems, , Rakhi Ki Chunauti, and , openly talk about the freedom movement. They are said to have inspired great numbers of Indian youth to participate in the Indian Freedom Movement. Here is the opening stanza of Jhansi ki Rani:

Original Hindi text:

सिंहासन हिल उठे राजवंशों ने भृकुटी तानी थी, बूढ़े भारत में आई फिर से नयी जवानी थी, गुमी हुई आज़ादी की कीमत सबने पहचानी थी, दूर फिरंगी को करने की सबने मन में ठानी थी। चमक उठी सन सत्तावन में, वह तलवार पुरानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी।।

Roman transliteration using ITRANS:

simhasan hil uthe, rajavanshon ne bhrikuti tani thi, boodhhe bharat mein aayi, phir se nayi jawaani thi, gumi hui azadI ki keemat sab ne pahachani thi, door firangi ko karne ki sab ne man mein thani thi. chamak uthi san sattawan mein, woh talwaar puraani thi, bundele harbolon ke munh ham ne sunI kahani thi, khoob ladi mardani woh to jhansI wali rani thi.

English translation:

The thrones shook and royalties scowled Old India was re-invigorated with new youth People realised the value of lost freedom Everybody was determined to throw the foreigners out The old sword glistened again in 1857 This story we heard from the mouths of Bundel bards Like a man she fought, she was the Queen of Jhansi

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan wrote in the Khariboli dialect of Hindi, in a simple, clear style. Apart from heroic poems, she also wrote poems for children. She wrote some short stories based on the life of the middle class too.