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Madhavrao Sapre

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Madhavrao Sapre
Cover of Madhavrao Sapre ki Kahaniyan, featuring Madhavrao Sapre seated, with Bal Gangadhar Tilak in the background
Cover of Madhavrao Sapre ki Kahaniyan, featuring Madhavrao Sapre seated, with Bal Gangadhar Tilak in the background
Born(1871-06-19)June 19, 1871
Patharia, Damoh district, British India (now in Madhya Pradesh, India)
DiedApril 26, 1926(1926-04-26) (aged 54)
Raipur, Central Provinces, British India (now in Chhattisgarh, India)
OccupationWriter, journalist, social reformer
LanguageHindi
NationalityIndian
Alma materUniversity of Calcutta
Literary movementIndian independence movement, Hindi journalism
Years active1900–1926
Notable works
  • Ek Tokri Bhar Mitti (First Hindi short story)
    Vigyan Shabdkosh (Science Dictionary)

Madhavrao Sapre (June 1871 – 26 April 1926) was an Indian writer, journalist, and social reformer, widely regarded as a pioneer of Hindi short stories. He is best known for Ek Tokri Bhar Mitti, considered the first Hindi short story. His contributions extended beyond storytelling to include editing, translation, lexicography, and institution-building.[1]

Sapre played a key role in developing economic terminology in Hindi and edited the Vigyan Shabdkosh (Science Dictionary) in 1902 under the Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha. Many scholars also consider him one of the first Hindi literary critics.[2][3]

Early life

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Sapre was born in June 1871 in Patharia, Damoh district, in present-day Madhya Pradesh. He belonged to a Marathi-speaking family and completed his education in Bilaspur, graduating from Calcutta University in 1899. After initially working as a tehsildar, he left his job to engage in activities related to India's independence movement and Hindi literary development.[3][4][5]

Career

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In 1900, Sapre founded Chhattisgarh Mitra, one of the earliest Hindi magazines, from Pendra in present-day Chhattisgarh. Although Chhattisgarh Mitra had a short run, it is credited with laying the foundation of Hindi journalism in the region.[6] He edited several Hindi language journals, including the Hindi edition of Kesari. He translated notable works of Marathi literature into Hindi, including Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Geeta Rahasya and Samarth Ramdas's Dasbodh.[7]

He was instrumental in standardizing Hindi economic terminology and compiling a science dictionary (Vigyan Shabdkosh) for the Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha. He also started the Hindi Mathematical Magazine in Nagpur in 1906 to support Hindi literary writers, however, it was shut down by the British government due to its nationalist content in 1908.[8][9]

In 1920, Sapre founded the Hindi Mandir in Jabalpur. In 1921, he founded the National School and established the first girls' school, Janaki Devi Mahila Pathshala, in Raipur. In 1924, he chaired the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan session in Dehradun. He died on 23 April 1926 at Tatipara, Raipur.[8][10]

For the past twenty-five years, Pt. Madhavrao Sapre had been a cornerstone of Hindi, contributing significantly to the institutions of literature, society, and politics. He traveled across the villages of the region, using his pen to voice the needs of the nation and the suffering of the poor, oppressed by foreign rule. He immersed himself in religion, driving it toward national service, and humbly erased his own presence to uplift those around him, ensuring their significance and making them enduring.

—Makhanlal Chaturvedi wrote in Karmveer on 11th September 1926 about Madhavrao Sapre's struggles, literary contributions, and his role in Hindi journalism, social service, and political activism.[11]

Notable works

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  • Swadeshi Andolan aur Boycott[12]
  • Europe ke Itihas Se Seekhne Yogya Baatein[12]
  • Hamare Samajik Hras ke Kuch Karanon ka Vichar[12]
  • Madhavrao Sapre ki Kahaniyan (Edited by Devi Prasad Verma)[12]
Translations

Legacy

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Madhavrao Sapre Smriti Newspaper Museum

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On 19 June 1984, the "Madhavrao Sapre Smriti Samacharpatra Sangrahalaya Evam Shodh Sansthan" was established in Bhopal to preserve the nation's intellectual heritage. It was named to honor Madhavrao Sapre's contributions to Hindi journalism and literature.[13][14]

National Creativity Award

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The Chhattisgarh government instituted the "Pandit Madhavrao Sapre Rashtriya Rachnatmakta Samman" (National Creativity Award) to recognize excellence in creative writing and contributions to Hindi literature. The award is presented annually by the state's Public Relations Department.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ "पत्रकारिता को राष्ट्रीय और लोकधर्मी संस्कार देने वाले संपादक थे माधवराव सप्रे" (in Hindi). Prabhasakshi. June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Hindi Kahani Ka Itihas, Bhag-1, Gopal Rai, Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, Sanskaran-2011, Pustak-48.
  3. ^ a b Sharma, Abhishek (June 19, 2021). "हिंदी सहित्‍य और पत्रकारिता को विज्ञान और अर्थशास्त्र का समृद्ध शब्दकोश" (in Hindi). Dainik Jagran.
  4. ^ Bharat, E. T. V. (2021-06-19). "हिन्दी की पहली कहानी लिखने वाले पं. माधवराव सप्रे, जिन्होंने महिलाओं की आजादी पर खूब लिखा". ETV Bharat News (in Hindi). Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  5. ^ "पं.माधवराव सप्रे: हिंदी के विस्मृत महानायक". www.hindusthansamachar.in. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  6. ^ "'छत्तीसगढ़ मित्र' और 'हिंदी केसरी' के माध्यम से पत्रकारिता में किया गया माधवराव सप्रे का कार्य अविस्मरणीय - Pandit Madhavrao Sapre Birth Anniversary work in journalism through Chhattisgarh Mitra and Hindi Kesari is unforgettable jagran special". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  7. ^ Dwivedi, Sanjay (June 19, 2021). "पं. माधवराव सप्रे होने के मायने" (in Hindi). Dainik Tribune.
  8. ^ a b "Pandit Madhav Rao Sapre National Creativity". Chhattisgarh Culture Department. January 2025.
  9. ^ "माधवराव सप्रे जयंती: राजद्रोह का मुकदमा झेलने वाले हिंदी के पहले पत्रकार | - News in Hindi - हिंदी न्यूज़, समाचार, लेटेस्ट-ब्रेकिंग न्यूज़ इन हिंदी". News18 हिंदी (in Hindi). Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  10. ^ "पंडित माधवराव सप्रे जयंती - 'छत्तीसगढ़ मित्र' और हिंदी 'केसरी' के माध्यम से पत्रकारिता में किया गया कार्य अविस्मरणीय". Dainik Jagran. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  11. ^ "माधवराव सप्रे का महत्व". Tadbhav.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Mukim, Mantra (2023-05-19). "Madhavrao Sapre at the Advent of Writing: Reading the "First" Hindi Short Story". Interventions. 25 (4): 485–502. doi:10.1080/1369801X.2022.2099941. ISSN 1369-801X.
  13. ^ Shukla, Pankaj (June 19, 2021). "माधवराव सप्रे जयंती: राजद्रोह का मुकदमा झेलने वाले हिंदी के पहले पत्रकार". News 18.
  14. ^ Mishra, Ambreesh (September 26, 2005). "Museum of rare and old newspapers in Bhopal chronicles growth of Indian journalism". India Today.
  15. ^ "राज्य अलंकरण:राजेन्द्र धोड़पकर को मिलेगा छत्तीसगढ़ सरकार का प..." Nai Dunia]. June 2023.
  16. ^ "Chhattisgarh Culture Department | Welcomes to you". www.cgculture.in. Retrieved 2025-02-26.

Bibliography

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