PREMCHAND

PREMCHAND

Munsi Premchand

Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava (31 July 1880 – 8 October 1936), better known by his pen name Munshi Premchand, was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindi-Urdu literature. He is one of the most celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent, and is regarded as one of the foremost Hindi writers of the early twentieth century.^[4] He began writing under the pen name "Nawab Rai", but subsequently switched to "Premchand". Munshi being an honorary prefix. A novel writer, story writer and dramatist, he has been referred to as the "Upanyas Samrat" ("Emperor among Novelists") by writers. 

Early life

Munshi Premchand was born on 31 July 1880 in Lamhi, a village located near Varanasi (Benares) and was named Dhanpat Rai ("master of wealth"). His ancestors came from a large Kayastha family.

            His grandfather, Guru Sahai Rai was a patwari (village land record-keeper), and his father Ajaib Rai was a post office clerk. His mother was Anandi Devi of Karauni village.

Dhanpat Rai was the fourth child of Ajaib Lal and Anandi; the first two were girls who died as infants, and the third one was a girl named Suggi  His uncle, Mahabir, a rich landowner, nicknamed him "Nawab" ("Prince"). "Nawab Rai" was the first pen name chosen by Dhanpat Rai.

When he was 7 years old, Dhanpat Rai began his education at a madrasa in Lalpur, located near Lamahi. He learnt Urdu and Persian from a maulvi in the madrasa. When he was 8, his mother died after a long illness.

He learnt English at a missionary school, and studied several works of fiction including George W. M. Reynolds's eight-volume The Mysteries of the Court of London He composed his first literary work at Gorakhpur, which was never published and is now lost. It was a farce on a bachelor, who falls in love with a low-castewoman. The

character was based on Premchand's uncle, who used to scold him for being obsessed with reading fiction; the farce was probably written as a revenge for this.

Born	Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava 31 July 1880 Lamhi, Benares State, British India
Died	8 October 1936 (aged 56) Varanasi, Benares State, British India
Occupation	Writer, Novelist
Language	Hindi, Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu)
Nationality	Indian
Notable works	Godaan, Bazaar-e-Husn, Karmabhoomi, Shatranj ke khiladi, Gaban, "Mansarovar","Idgah"
Spouse	Shivarani Devi
Children	Amrit Rai