Chapter : 5. Novels, Society & History
The Novel in Hindi
(b) The Novel in Hindi :
Early Hindi novels were actually translated and adapted from English and Bengali under the influence of Bhartendu Harishchandra, the pioneer of modern Hindi literature.
(i) The first proper modern novel was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi. Srinivas Das's novel, published in 1882, was titled Pariksha-Guru. The characters in the novel are caught in the difficulty of adapting to colonised society and at the same time preserving their own cultural identity. The novel tries to teach the reader to remain rooted in the values of their own tradition and culture, and to live with dignity and honour. In the novel the characters take to new agricultural technology, modernize trading practices, change the use of Indian languages, transmitting both Western sciences and Indian wisdom. The young are urged to cultivate the 'healthy habit' of reading the newspapers. But the novel emphasises that all this must be achieved without sacrificing the traditional values of the middle-class household. with all its good intentions, Pariksha-Guru could not win many readers.
(ii) Devaki Nandan Khatri's Chandrakanta is believed to have contributed immensely in popularizing the Hindi language and the Nagri script among the educated classes of those time.
(iii) It was with the writing of Premchand that the Hindi novel achieved excellence. He drew on the traditional art of Kissa-goi (storytelling). Many critics think that his novel Sewasadan, published in 1916 lifted the Hindi novel from the realm of fantasy, moralising and simple entertainment to a serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues. Sewasadan deals mainly with the poor condition of women in society. Issues like child marriage and dowry are woven into the story of the novel.
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