Mohan Rakesh

Mohan Rakesh (मोहन राकेश; 8 January 1925 – 3 December 1972) was one of the pioneers of the Nai Kahani ("New Story") literary movement of the Hindi literature in India in the 1950s. He wrote the first modern Hindi play, Ashadh Ka Ek Din (One Day in Aashad) (1958), which won a competition organised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. He made significant contributions to the novel, the short story, travelogue, criticism, memoir and drama.^[1] Mohan Rakesh's Aadhe-adhure is one of the most significant plays about urbanmiddle class family and poignantly projects the transition of values in the changing urban scenario in India.^[2] He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1968.^[3]

Early life and education

He was born as Madan Mohan Guglani on 8 January 1925 in

He started his career as a postman at Dehradun from 1947 to 1949, after that he shifted to Delhi, but found a teaching job in Jalandhar, Punjab for a short while.^{[citation needed]} Subsequently, he remained Head of the Hindi department at DAV College, Jalandhar (Guru Nanak Dev University) and taught Hindi at Bishop Cotton School in Shimla for two years before coming back to teaching Jalandhar. In Shimla, he had Ruskin Owen Bond among his students. Eventually, he resigned from his job in 1957 to write full-time. He also briefly edited Hindi literary journal Sarika, from 1962 to 1963.^{[citation needed]}

His novels are Andhere Band Kamare (Closed Dark Rooms) and Na Aane Wala Kal (The Tomorrow That Never Comes). His plays include

(Region 3) in 2011.

radio play for All India Radio Jalandhar, and broadcast under the title Sundri, though his struggle over different versions of the play lasted for nearly 20 years.^[8] Prominent Indian directors Om Shivpuri, Shyamanand Jalan, Arvind Gaur and Ram Gopal Bajaj directed this play.^[9]

In 2005, this very writing process of the play, and Mohan Rakesh's diary, writings, and letters about the play, were recreated in a play titled Manuscript, by a Delhi theatre group.

In July 1971, he received the

Jawarharlal Nehru Fellowship for research on 'The Dramatic Word'. However, he could not complete it and died on 3 January 1972.^[10][11]

Personal life

His second marriage in 1960 too ended soon. However, in his third marriage to Anita Aulakh in 1963, he had found love. At the time of the marriage Anita was 21 year old. After his death, she continued to live in Delhi and, now in her seventies, lives in East of Kailash neighbourhood. Her autobiographical work, Satrein Aur Satrein, was first serialized in the Hindi magazine Sarika, and later published in 2002.[10]^[12]

Literary work

Novels (Upanyas)

• Andhere Band Kamre (1961)
• Na Aanewala Kal (1968)
• Antaraal (1972)
• Bakalama Khuda (1974)

Plays (Natak-Ekanki)

• Aadhe Adhure
  ISBN 978-81-8361-325-5
• ISBN 978-81-267-1595-4
• ISBN 9788170284093
• Mohan Rakesh ke Sampurn Natak, 1993, Rajpal.
  ISBN 81-7028-152-0
  .

]

History

Posthumously published

• Pairon Tale Ki Zameen (1973)

^{(Left incomplete, later completed by Kamleshwar)[10]}

• Ande Ke Chilke, anya ekanki tatha beej natak (1973)
• Rata Bitane Taka Tatha Anya Dhvani Nataka, 1974, Radhakrishna Prakashan.
  ISBN 81-7119-332-3
  . (Radio plays)

Translation

• Mrichchkatikam, (Sanskrit play)
• Shakuntalam (Sanskrit play)

Story anthologies (Kahani Sangrah)

• 10 Pratinidhi Kahaniyan (Mohan Rakesh)
• Rat ki Bahon Mein
• Mohan Rakesh ki meri prem Kahaniyan

Kannada translations

Plays

• Aashadada Ondu Dina by Siddhaling Pattanshetti (1973, 1978, 1979, 1988, 1993, 2000, 2011, 2012, 2017) (Ashadh Ka Ek Din / आषाढ़ का एक दिन (One Day in Ashadha, 1958))
• Alalegalalli Rajahamsagalu by Siddhaling Pattanshetti (1980, 1988, 2017) (Lahron Ke Rajhans / लहरों के राजहंस (1963))
• Aadha Adhure by Siddhaling Pattanshetti (1976, 1989) (Aadhe Adhure / आधे अधूरे (1969))
• Kaala Kelagina Nela by Siddhaling Pattanshetti (2011) (Pairon Tale Ki Zameen (1973))

Cinematic adaptations

Two of his literary works were adapted by the filmmaker Mani Kaul. The first film was Uski Roti made in 1969 based on the short story of the same name. For this film, Mohan Rakesh wrote the dialogs.^[14] The second film was Ashadh Ka Ek Din made in 1971, based on a play by Mohan Rakesh.^[15]

References

1. ^
   ISBN 978-0-231-14424-7
   .
2. ^ Saraswat, Surbhi. “The Quest of Completeness: Mohan Rakesh’s Aadhe Adhure.” Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, II, no. IX, 2014.
3. ^ Drama – Playwriting Awards Sangeet Natak Akademi Official listings. Archived 7 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ Mohan Rakesh Biography and Works
5. ^ Mohan Rakesh bio and books
6. ^ Mohan Rakesh
7. ISBN 1-85109-636-1
   .
8. ISBN 978-0-8166-4996-9
   .
9. ^ More than just a manuscript!^[usurped] Romesh Chander, The Hindu, 18 November 2005.
10. ^ ^{a b c} "Mohan Rakesh: A Rudimentary Sketch". SOL, Delhi University. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
11. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund
    .
12. ^ Poonam Saxena (14 March 2016). "The love story of Anita and Mohan Rakesh". Hindustan Times, Brunch. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
13. ^ Saraswat, Surbhi. “The Quest of Completeness: Mohan Rakesh’s Aadhe Adhure.” Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, II, no. IX, 2014.
14. New York Times
15. ^ "Talking theatre". The Hindu. 8 February 2019.

Further reading

• Aadhunik Hindi Natak Ka Agradoot: Mohan Rakesh
• Mohan Rakesh’s Halfway House: Critical Perspectives, edited by Subhash Chandra. New Delhi, Asia Book, 2001,
  ISBN 81-7851-004-9
  . (Aadhe Adhure)
• Miss Pal by Mohan Rakesh

External links

• Mohan Rakesh in Abhivyakti