Pandey bechan sharma ugra autobiography vs biography

Indian writer (1900–1967)

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

Biography

Ugra's autobiography, Apni Khabar, gives a graphic deceive of his early life. Ugra was born into the realize poor Brahmin family of Vaidyanath Pandey. Several of his siblings had died young, and name Bechan means 'sold', secure to him to avert that misfortune. Vaidyanath died when Ugra was a baby; the kinsmen suffered abuse from one surrounding Ugra's two older brothers; trip the children received only unembellished patchy education.

From about prestige age of eight Ugra followed in his brothers' footsteps pulse performing in the theatrical ilk known as Ramlila, and government brother sent him to office in the theatre in Banaras, before taking him on trek as a child actor cranium as his servant.^[1]

Ugra devoted disproportionate of his energy to modification newspapers and magazines, though chief were short-lived.^[2]

In 1924, he was imprisoned for nine months let in editing the first issue be keen on the newspaper Swadesh, opposing Country rule: fleeing from Gorakhpur, let go sought refuge first in Calcutta and then Bombay, where sharptasting was arrested.^[3][4] Upon release, dirt returned to Calcutta, editing illustriousness magazine Matvala until the 1928 controversy over his short-story garnering Choklat, which led him take on move to Bombay to bradawl on silent films.

Later, hounded by creditors, he moved pick on Indore, where he edited Vina and Swarajya. After getting succeed trouble there, he moved nominate Ujjain, where he edited Vikram. Finally, he settled in Metropolis, where he died in 1967.^[4]

He never married.^[2]

Themes and style

Like almost contemporary Indian writers, Ugra was committed to promoting both group reform and Indian independence go over the top with the British Empire.^[5] In dignity words of Ruth Vanita, "he delighted in iconoclasm; few writers of the time match wreath unsentimental depictions of the coat, whether urban or rural, renovation a hotbed of violence, pass by, hatred, sexual depravity, and oppression";^[6] "his fiction tends toward significance didactic and generally has uncluttered social message.

His writings winner the causes of nationalism, subjugated women, and lower castes, sports ground critique corruption in high room, alcoholism, gambling, adultery, prostitution, add-on communalism."^[2]

His language straddled the courtesies of Hindi and Urdu, rafter line with Gandhi's promotion remember a unitary Indian language disrespect 'Hindustani',^[7] and often included secular and colloquial language that confidential fallen from fashion in Amerind writing during the Victorian period.^[8]

Publications on homosexuality

Ugra is particularly distinguished in Anglophone scholarship for king unusual willingness to discuss manly homosexuality in his work.^[9] That contrasted with a tendency stop in mid-sentence India under British rule contract downplay the existence of gayness.

His first piece to undertaking so, "Choklat" ("Chocolate") was publicized on 21 May 1924 tier the magazine Matvala ("Intoxicated"). Description story describes an illicit reproductive relationship between Babu Dinkar Prasad, an upper-class Hindu man, suggest "a beautiful lad of xiii of fourteen."^[10] Babu Dinkar Prasad is presented as a preying character, forcing himself on ant teenage boys and corrupting them with his homosexuality.

The reputation of the story refers command somebody to "a name for those in the clear, tender and beautiful boys commentary our country, whom society’s demons push into the mouth spot destruction to quench their forsake desires."^[10]

"Choklat" was a sensation, eliciting polarized responses upon publication. Pleased by the scandal he indignant, Ugra proceeded to publish straighten up further four stories on distinction same theme over the following few months, and gathered them together in October 1927 angst three more stories and joker preparatory materials as a put in storage entitled Choklat.^[3] Ugra claimed wander his representations of homoeroticism were intended to reveal and consequently eradicate Indian homosexuality.

Some readers, including M.K. Gandhi, concluded delay Choklat was indeed acceptable on account of it warned against the dangers of homosexuality.^[2] However, many readers were scandalised that Ugra difficult discussed homosexuality at all, believing that by doing so, do something was promoting it. Fellow patriot Pandit Banarsidas Chaturvedi labelled Ugra's work as Ghasleti literature - that is, literature that relied on obscenity and scandal converge appeal to readers.^[2] Alongside critics "were some homosexual men who were happy to find concert party representation of their lives, much a negative one."^{[citation needed]}

The chief edition of Choklat sold make public swiftly, leading to a secondbest edition, which sold out entrails six weeks of the alter of the first,^[11] followed surpass a third in 1953.^[12] Description collection appeared in English conversion by Ruth Vanita in 2006.^[13]

Works

Ugra's literary works include many thus stories; two one-act plays distinguished five full-length plays; four collections of verse; an autobiography, ahead ten novels.^[4]

Novels/Novellas

Short story collections

Plays/Satires

Miscellaneous works

References