Harindranath Chattopadhyay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harindranath Chattopadhyay
Harindranath Chattopadhyaya
Member of Parliament
In office 1952–1957
Succeeded by	Komarraju Atchamamba
Constituency	Vijayawada constituency
Personal details
Born	(1898-04-02)2 April 1898 Hyderabad, Hyderabad State, British India
Died	23 June 1990(1990-06-23) (aged 92) Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Spouse	Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya ​ (m. 1923⁠–⁠1955)​ Sundari Rani Chattopadhyaya (1962-1990)
Children	2
Relatives	Sarojini Naidu (sister)

Harindranath Chattopadhyay was a talented Indian artist. He was born on April 2, 1898, and passed away on June 23, 1990. He was a well-known poet, a writer of plays (dramatist), an actor, and a musician. He also served as a Member of Parliament for the Vijayawada area.

Harindranath was the younger brother of Sarojini Naidu. She was a very important leader. She became the second woman President of the Indian National Congress. She was also the first Indian woman to hold this big position. His other brother, Virendranath Chattopadhyay, was a famous revolutionary. The Indian government honored Harindranath with the Padma Bhushan award in 1973. This is a very high civilian award.

Early Life and Talents

Harindranath Chattopadhyay was a poet and a singer. He is remembered for poems like Noon and Shaper Shaped. His father had a science degree from the University of Edinburgh. He moved to Hyderabad State and started a college there. This college later became Nizam's College. Harindranath's mother was also a poet. She wrote beautiful poems in Bengali. Harindranath had many interests. He loved politics, music, theater, and movies.

His first book of poems was called The Feast of Youth. It was published when he was just 19 years old. Famous writers like Arthur Quiller-Couch and James Henry Cousins praised his work. He wrote in English. But his poems often talked about old Indian culture and Vedic ideas.

Family and Achievements

Harindranath received the Padma Bhushan award in 1973. He was married to Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya. She was a strong leader for women's rights. Kamaladevi started important groups like the All India Women's Conference. She also helped create the Indian Cooperative Union. She inspired the All Indian Handicraft's Board. This board helped bring back many traditional Indian crafts. These crafts, like pottery and weaving, had almost disappeared. Harindranath and Kamaladevi later divorced. This was the first legal divorce in India. They remained friends.

Harindranath Chattopadhyaya often recited his poem Rail Gaadi on All India Radio. This song became very famous. The actor Ashok Kumar sang it in the movie Aashirwad. Harindranath also wrote the words and music for his own songs. Some popular ones were Surya Ast Ho Gaya and Tarun Arun Se Ranjit Dharani. He also wrote many poems for children in Hindi. The famous Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore admired his poems.

Political Career

In the 1951 Lok Sabha elections, Harindranath Chattopadhyaya won a seat. He represented the Vijayawada area in Madras State. He ran as an independent candidate. He had support from the Communist Party of India. He served as a Member of Parliament in the 1st Lok Sabha. His term lasted from April 14, 1952, to April 4, 1957.

Acting Roles

Harindranath Chattopadhyaya was also a talented actor. His most famous acting role was in the Hindi movie Bawarchi (The Chef). This film was made in 1972. He played the role of the strict grandfather. He was the head of a big family. Everyone in the house respected his rules.

He also appeared in three films by the famous director Satyajit Ray. He played the wizard Barfi in Goopi Gyne Bagha Byne. In Sonar Kella, he was the wise character Sidhujyatha. He also played Sir Baren Roy in Seemabaddha. He also acted in the 1984 TV show Ados Pados.

Famous Poems

Harindranath Chattopadhyay wrote many wonderful poems.

The Earthen Goblet

The Earthen Goblet is a beautiful poem. It is like a conversation. The poet talks to a red clay cup (goblet). The poet asks the goblet to share its story. He wants to know how the potter made it. The potter used all his skill to make the goblet. The clay enjoyed being shaped by the potter. It remembered the little flower and the earth it came from.

Shaper Shaped

Shaper Shaped is another famous poem. It is simple but very deep. The poem shows how a person who shapes things can also be shaped. For example, a potter shapes clay into a pot. The poet praises the potter's art. At the end, the poet bows down to the Supreme Power. This power is the creator of the potter himself.

Later Life

Harindranath Chattopadhyay passed away on June 23, 1990. He died in Bombay from a cardiac arrest.

Works

Poems

• The Feast of Youth (1918)
• The Magic Tree (1922)
• Ancient Wings (1923)
• Blood of Stones (1944)
• Spring in Winter(1955)
• Virgin and Vineyards (1967)
• The Lady's Giant hat
• the Earthen globlet
• salute to R-day
• Tati Tati Tota (in Hindi)
• Voyage
• Things I Love (in English)
• “ Curious Town “ (In English)

Songs

• Surya Ast Ho Gaya
• Tarun Arun Se Ranjit Dharani
• My heart is beating from Hindi movie Julie

Plays

• Abu Hassan (1918)
• Five Plays (1937)
• Siddhartha, Man of Peace (1956)

Filmography

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