Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
Birth : 1908-09-23
Death : 1974-04-24
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, was an Indian Hindi poet, essayist, patriot and academic, who is considered as one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He remerged as a poet of rebellion as a consequence of his nationalist poetry written in the days before Indian independence. Wikipedia
Ramdhari Singh, known by his pet name ‘Dinkar’. Dinkar was born on 23 September 1908, in Simaria village, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Begusarai district in Bihar) to Babu Ravi Singh and Manroop Devi. He was married in Tabhka village of Samastipur district in Bihar . As a student, his favourite subjects were history, politics and philosophy. At school and later in college, he studied Hindi, Sanskrit, Maithili, Bengali, Urdu and English literature. Dinkar was greatly influenced by Iqbal, Rabindranath Tagore, Keats and Milton and translated works of Rabindranath Tagore from Bengali to Hindi. The poetic persona of the poet Dinkar was shaped by the pressures and counter-pressures of life during the Indian freedom movement. A tall man, 5 ft 11 inches in height, with a shining white complexion, long high nose, large ears and broad forehead, he tended to have a noticeable appearance.
As a student, Dinkar had to battle day to day issues, some related to their family’s economic circumstances. When he was a student of Mokama High School, it was not possible for him to stay on till school closed at four p.m. as he had to leave the class after the lunch break to catch the steamer back home. He could not afford to be in the hostel which would have enabled him to attend all periods. How could a student who had no shoes on his feet manage the hostel fees? His poetry later showed the impact of poverty. This was the environment in which Dinkar grew up and became a nationalist poet of radical views. In 1920, Dinkar saw Mahatma Gandhi for the first time. About this time, he founded the Manoranjan Library at Simariya. He also edited a handwritten Pamphlet.
Born: 23 September 1908, Simariya
Died: 24 April 1974, Begusarai
Education: Patna College
Parents: Babu Ravi Singh, Manroop Devi
Awards: Jnanpith Award, Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Bhushan