Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
Born 19 August 1907 · Uttar Pradesh
Died 19 May 1979
Authored influential historical research on Kabir and Natha Sampradaya in Hindi literature.
🔔 Add birthday reminderHazari Prasad Dwivedi was a Hindi novelist, literary historian, essayist, critic and scholar. He penned numerous novels, collections of essays, historical research on medieval religious movements of India especially Kabir and Natha Sampradaya, and historical outlines of Hindi literature.
✨ A detail that surprised us
Dwivedi mastered not only Hindi and Sanskrit but also Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Pali, Prakrit, and Apabhramsa, enabling him to study medieval Indian texts in their original languages.
1. In 1907, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi was born in Dubey Chapra village, Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, into a family known for its astrologers, setting the stage for his lifelong mastery of ancient Indian texts and languages.
2. 🌟 By 1930, Dwivedi had joined Visva Bharati in Santiniketan, where he spent two decades absorbing the influences of Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, and others, deeply shaping his literary and aesthetic sensibilities.
3. In 1949, he earned a Doctorate in Hindi literature from the University of Lucknow, cementing his scholarly foundation and launching prolific historical research on medieval religious movements like Kabir and the Natha Sampradaya.
4. 📚 Dwivedi’s 1957 Padma Bhushan award recognized his pioneering reinterpretation of Sahitya-sastra, where his deep knowledge of Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit revived the understanding of Indian literary traditions.
5. From 1950 to 1960, he served as Reader in Hindi at Banaras Hindu University, simultaneously contributing to the first Official Language Commission of India in 1955, influencing language policy in the newly independent nation.
6. ✍️ His 1973 Sahitya Akademi Award-winning collection 'Alok Parva' exemplified his skill in essay writing, blending humor and scholarship drawn from his vast multilingual expertise.
7. Dwivedi’s writings like 'Hindi Sahitya ka Adikala' reshaped Hindi literary criticism by tracing its origins and medieval context with unprecedented rigor.
8. ❓ How did Dwivedi’s unique blend of traditional Sanskrit scholarship and modern literary criticism transform the study of medieval Indian religious poetry and philosophy?
Awards & Honours
- 🏅Padma Bhushan
🔍 One thing most people don't know
Dwivedi’s early education combined traditional Jyotisha (astrology) studies with formal university degrees, earning 'Acharya' in astrology and 'Shastri' in Sanskrit by 1930, a rare blend for a modern literary scholar.
🖼️ Through the Years
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📅 The Journey
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📖 Curated Sources
🌱 What changed because of them
Hazari Prasad Dwivedi's scholarly works provided a critical framework for understanding medieval religious movements, especially Kabir and the Natha Sampradaya, influencing Hindi literary curricula across Indian universities. His role in the first Official Language Commission helped shape language policies in post-independence India. Institutions like Visva Bharati and Banaras Hindu University continue to honor his contributions through academic programs and research centers.
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