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 | |
| Born | June 19, 1871 |
| Died | April 23, 1926 (aged 54) |
| Occupation | Writer, journalist, social reformer |
| Language | Hindi |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | University of Calcutta |
| Literary movement | Indian independence movement, Hindi journalism |
| Years active | 1900–1926 |
| Notable works |
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Madhavrao Sapre (June 1871 – 23 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]
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
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.
Notable works
- 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
- Hindi Dasbodh (Marathi work by Samarth Ramdas)[12]
- Geeta Rahasya (By Bal Gangadhar Tilak)[12]
- Mahabharat Mimamsa (Marathi work by Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya)[12]
