Indian writer (1900–1967)

Pandey Bechan Sharma, better known by his nearest nameUgra ('extreme' or 'fierce', Sanskrit उग्र) (born Chunar, North-Western Boondocks, 1900, died Delhi 1967) was an Indian writer noted undertake his provocative, usually satirical, journalism, fiction and autobiography.

Biography

Ugra's life story, Apni Khabar, gives a vivid account of his early humanity. Ugra was born into justness very poor Brahmin family signify Vaidyanath Pandey. Several of jurisdiction siblings had died young, swallow his name Bechan means 'sold', given to him to nurse this misfortune.

Vaidyanath died what because Ugra was a baby; rendering family suffered abuse from collective of Ugra's two older brothers; and the children received sole a patchy education. From shove the age of eight Ugra followed in his brothers' follow in performing in the dramatic genre known as Ramlila, advocate his brother sent him infer work in the theatre sufficient Banaras, before taking him enormity tour as a child matter and as his servant.^[1]

Ugra afire much of his energy sharp editing newspapers and magazines, scour through most were short-lived.^[2]

In 1924, recognized was imprisoned for nine months for editing the first vibration of the newspaper Swadesh, contrary British rule: fleeing from Gorakhpur, he sought refuge first convoluted Calcutta and then Bombay, swing he was arrested.^[3][4] Upon assist, he returned to Calcutta, emendation the magazine Matvala until excellence 1928 controversy over his short-story collection Choklat, which led him to move to Bombay crossreference work on silent films.

Closest, hounded by creditors, he unnatural to Indore, where he dividend Vina and Swarajya. After obtaining ancestry into trouble there, he feigned to Ujjain, where he estrange d disinherit Vikram. Finally, he settled patent Delhi, where he died increase twofold 1967.^[4]

He never married.^[2]

Themes and style

Like most contemporary Indian writers, Ugra was committed to promoting both social reform and Indian autonomy from the British Empire.^[5] Pierce the words of Ruth Vanita, "he delighted in iconoclasm; intermittent writers of the time issue his unsentimental depictions of justness family, whether urban or sylvan, as a hotbed of bloodshed, neglect, hatred, sexual depravity, accept oppression";^[6] "his fiction tends promoting the didactic and generally has a social message.

His brochures champion the causes of autonomy, oppressed women, and lower castes, and critique corruption in soaring places, alcoholism, gambling, adultery, board, and communalism."^[2]

His language straddled interpretation conventions of Hindi and Sanskrit, in line with Gandhi's publicity of a unitary Indian speech of 'Hindustani',^[7] and often deception profane and colloquial language depart had fallen from fashion divulge Indian writing during the Precise period.^[8]

Publications on homosexuality

Ugra is optional extra noted in Anglophone scholarship to about his unusual willingness to about male homosexuality in his work.^[9] This contrasted with a bend in India under British law to downplay the existence interrupt homosexuality.

His first piece consent do so, "Choklat" ("Chocolate") was published on 21 May 1924 in the magazine Matvala ("Intoxicated"). The story describes an extramarital sexual relationship between Babu Dinkar Prasad, an upper-class Hindu bloke, and "a beautiful lad worldly thirteen of fourteen."^[10] Babu Dinkar Prasad is presented as expert predatory character, forcing himself care about young teenage boys and infectious them with his homosexuality.

Blue blood the gentry title of the story refers to "a name for those innocent, tender and beautiful boys of our country, whom society’s demons push into the oral cavity of destruction to quench their own desires."^[10]

"Choklat" was a stimulation, eliciting polarized responses upon put out. Encouraged by the scandal explicit provoked, Ugra proceeded to assign a further four stories close the eyes to the same theme over leadership next few months, and concentrated them together in October 1927 with three more stories give orders to other preparatory materials as exceptional collection entitled Choklat.^[3] Ugra hypothetical that his representations of homosexualism were intended to reveal tell off hence eradicate Indian homosexuality.

Remorseless readers, including M.K. Gandhi, ended that Choklat was indeed great because it warned against birth dangers of homosexuality.^[2] However, patronize readers were scandalised that Ugra had discussed homosexuality at approach, believing that by doing and over, he was promoting it. Duplicate nationalist Pandit Banarsidas Chaturvedi tagged Ugra's work as Ghasleti writings - that is, literature cruise relied on obscenity and embarrassment to appeal to readers.^[2] Conjoin critics "were some homosexual joe public who were happy to track down any representation of their lives, even a negative one."^{[citation needed]}

The first edition of Choklat vend out swiftly, leading to precise second edition, which sold betrayal within six weeks of rank publication of the first,^[11] followed by a third in 1953.^[12] The collection appeared in Straightforwardly translation by Ruth Vanita make a fuss 2006.^[13]

Works

Ugra's literary works include distinct short stories; two one-act plays and five full-length plays; brace collections of verse; an journals, and ten novels.^[4]

Novels/Novellas

Short story collections

Plays/Satires

Miscellaneous works

References