Premchand

Premchand (born July 31, 1880, Lamahi, near Varanasi, India—died October 8, 1936, Varanasi) was an Indian author of novels and short stories in Hindi and Urdu who was a pioneer in adapting Indian themes to Western literary styles.

Premchand worked as a teacher until 1921, when he joined Mahatma Gandhi’s noncooperation movement. As a writer, he first gained renown for his Urdu-language novels and short stories. Except in Bengal, the short story had not been an accepted literary form in northern India until Premchand’s works appeared. Though best known for his works in Hindi, Premchand did not achieve complete fluency in that language until his middle years.

Literary works

Premchand’s first major Hindi novel, Sevasadana (1918; “House of Service”), dealt with themes of prostitution and moral corruption among the Indian middle class. Premchand’s works depict the social evils of arranged marriages, the abuses of the British bureaucracy, and the exploitation of the rural peasantry by moneylenders and officials.

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Much of Premchand’s best work is found among his 250 or so short stories, collected in Hindi under the title Manasarovar (“The Holy Lake”). Compact in form and style, they draw, as do his novels, on a notably wide range of northern Indian life for their subject matter. Usually they point to a moral or reveal a single psychological truth.

Premchand’s most celebrated novel is Godan (1936; “The Gift of a Cow”). The work centers on Hori, a poor farmer in the village of Belari in Uttar Pradesh who dreams of owning a cow—a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Honest, hardworking Hori buys the cow but gets caught in a cycle of debt and in a conflict with his jealous brother, who poisons the prized cow. Hori struggles through life and dies chasing his dreams. The story, an indictment of exploitative systems and societal pressures, reflects the harsh realities of peasants in colonial India, underscoring their struggles against systemic oppression and poverty.

Premchand’s other novels include Premashram (1922; “Love Retreat”), Rangabhumi (1924; “The Arena”), Gaban (1931; “Embezzlement”), and Karmabhumi (1931; “Arena of Actions”).

Adaptations

Premchand’s works have inspired numerous adaptations across film and television. In 1938 Seva Sadan was adapted into a film featuring vocalist and actor M.S. Subbulakshmi in the lead role, set against the backdrop of Varanasi. The 1966 film Gaban, based on his novel, starred Sunil Dutt, Sadhana Shivdasani, and Leela Mishra, with music composed by the duo Shankar-Jaikishan. In 1977 renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray adapted Premchand’s short story “Shatranj ke Khiladi” (“The Chess Players”) into a critically acclaimed film that won the National Film Award for best feature film in Hindi in 1978. Doordarshan, India’s national broadcaster, has aired TV shows, such as Munshi Premchand’s Guldasta (2009) and Tehreer…Munshi Premchand Ki (2004), based on Premchand’s stories.

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