I find Indian Literature to be quite fascinating. The proses, poems and folk songs of India, reflect the culture of the land, as much as they are filled with moral tenets. Hindi literature have developed very dynamically in the past centuries, catering to a wide field of interests, and opinions. Although, it won’t be wrong to say that different styles of writing co-existed across the spectrum in the Indian landscape, some definitely took a precedence over others. This is my attempt to decipher the cultural evolution that took Hindi to where it is now.
The poems written in Hindi and it’s sister languages can be grouped into four distinct time periods.
- Aadikal (10th century to 14th century) This was the time when poets wrote about different religious ideologies, and there theological impressions. Plenty of poems can also be found about the chivalry and bravery of rulers. Exemplary poems, include Chandbardai's Prihviraj Raso, Dalpatvijay's Khuman Raso, Narpati Nalha's Visaldev Raso and Jagnik's Parmal Raso. PS. I definitely recommend to read Prihviraj Raso, for nobody can provide the essence of Rajasthani Culture better than Chandbardai's himself.
- Bhakti Kal (14th century to 17th century) Bhakti Kal saw the emergence of two major sections of ideologies. The first section prophesied nirgun god, by believing in a formless entity. Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Sant Kabir endorsed monotheism. Sufi saints such as Sant Jayasi were also very prominent writers in the period.
- Ritikal (17th century to 19th century) Ritikal is written in the backdrop of turmoil times, when Indian heartland was plagued by attacks from north-west and constant grappling policies of the Britishers. Many rasa, alankars and nayak-nayika bhedas have been written in the period. The prominent dialect of composition was Brijbhasa.
- Adhunik Kal (from 1850s to present) From 1868 to 1893 Bhartendu Harishandra, the father of modern Hindi literature was a prominent writer. The period is also referred to as Bhartendu Yug or the period of renaissance. From 1893 to 1918 Mahavir Prasad Dwiwedi, the architect of modern Hindi prose wrote about social, economical and political problems faced by Indians. This period is referred to as Diwedi Yug. Chhayavada Yug from 1918 to 1937 brought the decline of formalism and witnessed a upsurge of aesthetic and romantic subjects. The period is famous for it's shadowy and romantic poems. Surya Kant Tripathi 'Nirala' and Sumitranandan Pant were main poets of the period.
Early period also have impressions from theological gurus of India. We refer to this literature as Apabhramsha poetry. It includes Siddha Literature which talked about devotional deities, Nath Literature heavily influenced by Shri Goraknath and his disciples and Jain Literature. Nath and Jain Literature talked about mystics, moral beings and nature. They paved way for the next transition, into bhakti kal or the era of devotion.
The sagun branch of ideology believed in a human incarnation of god. Saints such as Tulsidas ji, Surdas ji and Mirabai ji wrote very compelling poems. The prominent languages for writing was either Punjabi (gurumukhi) or awadhi (Devanagari).
Contemporary poems are about pragativad (progressive ideas) (Ramchandra Singh Dinkar), Hridayavad (Harivansh Rai Bachan) or Prayogvad (experimental styles of writing). The main dialect of these poems is Khariboli.