Kedarnath Singh (7 July 1934 – 19 March 2018) was an Indian poet who wrote in Hindi.[1] He was also an eminent critic and essayist. He was awarded the Jnanpith Award (2013), Sahitya Akademi Award (1989) in Hindi for his poetry collection, Akaal Mein Saras (Cranes in Drought).

Kedarnath Singh
Kedarnath Singh
Kedarnath Singh
Born(1934-07-07)7 July 1934
Chakia, Benares State, British India
Died19 March 2018(2018-03-19) (aged 83)
New Delhi, India
OccupationPoet
NationalityIndian
Notable awards

Early life

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He was born on 7 July 1934 in village Chakia of (Bairia) Ballia District in Eastern Uttar Pradesh[2] in Gautam Rajput[3] family. He completed his graduation from Udai Pratap College, Varanasi. He passed M.A. from Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya and did his Ph.D. from the same university. In Gorakhpur, he spent some time as a Hindi Teacher and went to Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he served as a professor and the head of department of Hindi Language in Indian Languages Center and retired as a professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He lived in New Delhi. He died on 19 March 2018 in Delhi.[4][5]

Poetic style

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Kedar Nath Singh's poetry is characterized by simple, everyday language and images that string together to convey complex themes. One of his major poems is Bagh, a long poem with the tiger as its central character. Published in the mid 1980s, the poem remains one of the most widely read long poems in Hindi literature and is included in many university curricula. At some level, Bagh bears a striking resemblance to Ted Hughes' Crow, but the two remain independent in their treatment and scope. “He was a poet of both presence and absence, of love and loss, of anxieties and questions...," said culture critic and poet Ashok Vajpayee.(5)[6]

Major works

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The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the 49th Jnanpith Award to Shri Kedarnath Singh, at a function, in New Delhi on November 10, 2014
  • Poem Collection : Abhi Bilkul Abhi, Zameen pak Rahi Hai, Yahan se Dekho, Akaal mein Saaras, Baagh, Tolstoy aur cycle
  • Essay and Stories : Mere Samay ke Shabd, Kalpana aur chhayavad, Hindi kavita mein bimb vidhan, Kabristan mein Panchayat
  • Others :Taana Baana

Awards and honours

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He received the Jnanpith award in 2013.[7] He also received Sahitya Akademi award in 1989, the Kumaran Aashan, and the Vyas Award.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Kedarnath Singh, 1934". loc.gov. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  2. ^ "Renowned Hindi Poet Kedarnath Singh Receives Jnanpith Award, 2013". Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. ^ Singh, Kedarnath (June 2003). Mera Sakshatkar. Kitabghar Prakashan. ISBN 9788170165361. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh dies in Delhi at 83". Scroll.in. 19 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  5. ^ "नहीं रहे ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार से सम्मानित मशहूर कवि केदारनाथ सिंह, साहित्य जगत में शोक की लहर". NDTVIndia. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Jnanpith recipient poet Kedarnath Singh no more". The Times of India. 20 March 2018. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Kedarnath Singh chosen for Jnanpith". The Hindu. 21 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
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