'The whole world is but one family' - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10
Mahadevi Verma, a famous Hindi poet and
writer, was born on 26 March 1907, in
Farrukhabad in a family of lawyers. She
was the eldest among her four siblings. She received
her education at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She
went to Allahabad University for higher education
and obtained her Master’s degree in Sanskrit from
Allahabad University. She was a well-known Hindi
poet of the Chhayavaad generation, the times when
every poet used to incorporate romanticism in their
poetry. She is more often called the modern Meera.
Life History
Mahadevi Verma was married to Dr Swarup Narayan
Verma at an early age. After marriage she continued
to live with her family and receive education. She
met her husband for some time in the princely state
of Tamkoi somewhere around 1920. Thereafter, she
moved to Allahabad to further her interest in poetry.
Unfortunately, she and her husband mostly lived
separately and were busy pursuing their individual
interests. They used to meet occasionally. Her
husband died in the year 1966. Then, she decided to
permanently shift to Allahabad.
Writings and Interests
Mahadevi Verma was one amongst the other major
poets of the Chhayavaadi School of the Hindi
literature. She was the epitome of child prodigy.
Not only she wrote fabulous poetry, but also made
sketches for her poetic works such as Deepshikha
and Yatra. Deepshikha is one of the best works of
Mahadevi Verma. She was also famous for her book
of memoirs. She was highly influenced by the values
preached by the Buddhist culture. She was so much
inclined towards Buddhism that, she even attempted
to become a Buddhist Bhikshuni.
Notable Works of Mahadevi Verma
Some of her notable works included: Prose: Ateet ke
Chalchitra, Kshanda, Mera Parivaar, Path ke Saathi,
Sahityakaar ki Aastha, Sambhashan Sankalpita,
Shrinkhla ki Kadiya, Smriti ki Rekhayen.
Poetry: Deepshikha, Himalaya, Neerja, Nihar,
Rashmi, Sandhya Geet, Saptaparna.
Collection: Geetparva, Mahadevi Sahitya, Parikrama,
Sandhini, Smarika, Smritichitra, Yama.
Honours
Her writings were well-acclaimed and earned her an
important position in the world of Hindi literature.
Mahadevi Verma
Her amazing poetry collection Yama brought her
the Gyanpeeth Award (1940), the highest Indian
literary award. In the year 1956, the Government of
India honoured her by conferring the title of Padma
Bhushan upon her. She was the first Indian woman
to become a Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi in the
year 1979. Her most famous works include Atita ke
Chalchitra (The Moving Frames of the Past) and
Smriti ki Rekhayen (The Lines of Memory). Her
famous poetic publications are Nihar, Rashmi, Neerja
and Sandhya Geet. Her work Shrinkhala ki Kadiyan
reflects the plight of Indian women.
As Mirabai
Mahadevi Verma was deeply aesthetic. Her poetry
is marked by a constant pain, the pain of separation
from her beloved, the Supreme Being. Due to this she
is also sometimes compared to Mirabai. There is an
element of mysticism in her poetry. Her poems are
addressed to her distant lover, while her lover remains
quiet and never speaks. With her work Deepshikha,
which contains 51 poems, she ventured into new field
of Hindi literature—Rahasyavaad. She also served as
an Editor of the famous Hindi monthly Chand.
Social Reformer
Mahadevi Verma was also a social reformer. She
strongly advocated the cause of women in India. Many
of her prose works reflect her views on the plight of
Indian women. She was appointed the first Principal