Rahul Sankrityayan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rahul Sankrityayan
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Bust of Sankrityayan in Darjeeling
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| Born | Kedar Pandey 9 April 1893 Pandaha, Azamgarh, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India |
| Died | 14 April 1963 (aged 70) Darjeeling, West Bengal, India |
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| Nationality | Indian |
| Subject | Buddhism, Communism, History, Indology, philology, philosophy, Tibetology |
| Notable works | Volga Se Ganga, Madhya Asia ka Itihas, Meri Jeevan Yatra, Ghumakkad Shastra |
| Notable awards | 1958: Sahitya Akademi Award 1963: Padma Bhushan |
| Spouse | Santoshi, Ellena Narvertovna Kozerovskaya, Kamala Sankrityayan |
Rahul Sankrityayan (born Kedar Pandey; 9 April 1893 – 14 April 1963) was a famous Indian writer, historian, and scholar. He wrote many books in Hindi and Bhojpuri. People often call him the "father of Hindi travel literature." This means he was very important in making travel writing a popular type of literature in Hindi.
Rahul Sankrityayan was one of the most well-traveled scholars in India. He spent 45 years of his life traveling to places like Russia, Tibet, China, and Central Asia. He knew about 30 languages, including English, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pali, Russian, and Arabic. Even with so many languages, he mostly wrote in Hindi. People called him mahapandit, which means "Great scholar."
He wrote over 100 books on many topics. These included Indology (the study of India), Communism, Buddhism, and philology (the study of language). He also wrote short stories, novels, and plays. In 1958, he won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book "Madhya Asia ka Itihaas" (History of Central Asia). The Indian government gave him the Padma Bhushan award in 1963. This is one of India's highest civilian awards. He passed away that same year when he was 70 years old.
Contents
Early Life
Rahul Sankrityayan was born as Kedarnath Pandey on 9 April 1893. His family was Brahmin. He was born in Pandaha village, near Azamgarh district in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
His Ideas and Beliefs
After studying in Sri Lanka, he became a Buddhist monk. He took the name Rahul, which was the name of Buddha's son. He also used his family name, Sankritya, with his new name. This is how he became known as “Rahul Sankrityayan.” Later in his life, he became a Socialist. He did not believe in ideas like reincarnation or an afterlife.
Amazing Journeys
Rahul Sankrityayan's travels began in 1910. He first went to the Himalayas. He traveled with monks at the start, but later he journeyed alone. He explored many parts of India, including Ladakh, Kinnaur, and Kashmir.
He also visited several other countries. These included Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Iran, China, and the former Soviet Union. He spent time in Parsa Gadh village in Bihar. The village even named its entry gate "Rahul Gate" in his honor.
When he traveled, he mostly used land transport. He sometimes entered countries secretly. For example, he went into Tibet disguised as a Buddhist monk. He made several trips to Tibet. From these trips, he brought back valuable paintings and old Pali and Sanskrit manuscripts to India. These ancient writings were from the libraries of old Indian universities like Vikramshila and Nalanda. Buddhist monks had taken them to Tibet to keep them safe. This happened when invading armies destroyed universities in India centuries ago. It is said that Rahul Sankrityayan used many mules to carry these materials from Tibet to India. The Patna Museum has a special section dedicated to him. Many of these items are displayed there.
His Books
Rahul Sankrityayan knew many languages. These included Bhojpuri, Hindi, Sanskrit, Pali, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Tamil, Kannada, Tibetan, French, and Russian. He was also an Indologist, meaning he studied India's history, culture, and languages. He was a Marxist thinker and a creative writer.
He started writing in his twenties. His works total over 100 books. They cover many subjects like history, philosophy, Buddhism, and politics. Many of his books were never published. He also translated important Buddhist texts from Prakrit into Hindi.
One of his most famous Hindi books is Volga Se Ganga. This book is a historical story. It tells about the journey of the Aryan people. They traveled from the Volga river region to the Ganges river in India. The story begins in 6000 BC and ends in 1942. That was the year Mahatma Gandhi called for the Quit India movement. The book was published in 1942. It was later translated into English as From Volga to Ganga.
His travel books include:
- Tibbat Me Sava Varsha (1933)
- Meri Europe Yatra (1935)
- Athato Ghumakkad Jigyasa
- Volga Se Ganga
- Kinnar Desh Mein
More than ten of his books have been translated into Bengali.
Family Life
Rahul Sankrityayan was married when he was very young. He never really knew his first wife, Santoshi. He probably only saw her once when he was in his 40s. This is mentioned in his autobiography, Meri Jivan Yatra.
Later, while teaching Buddhism at Leningrad University in Soviet Russia, he met Lola (Ellena Narvertovna Kozerovskaya). She was a Mongolian scholar who spoke several languages. She helped him create a Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionary. They got married and had a son named Igor Rahulovich. Lola and Igor did not come to India with Rahul after his work there was finished.
Later in his life, he married Kamala Sankrityayan. She was an Indian writer and scholar. They had a daughter, Jaya, and a son, Jeta. Jeta is now a professor of Economics.
Death
Rahul Sankrityayan took a teaching job at a university in Sri Lanka. There, he became very sick with diabetes, high blood pressure, and a mild stroke. He passed away in Darjeeling in 1963.
Awards Named After Him
| Award Name | What it's for | Given By |
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| Rahul Sankrityayan National Award | For contributions to Hindi travel literature | Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Government of India |
| Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Paryatan Puraskar | For books written in Hindi about tourism and research | Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
Some of His Works
Rahul Sankrityayan wrote many different kinds of books. Here are a few examples of his works:
Novels
- Jeeney ke Liye – 1940
- Simha Senapathi – 1944
- Jai Yaudheya – 1944
- Volga Se Ganga – 1944 (also a collection of short stories)
Autobiography
- Meri Jivan Yatra I – 1944 (This means "My Life's Journey")
Biographies
He wrote biographies of many important people, including:
- Stalin – 1954
- Lenin – 1954
- Karl Marx – 1954
- Mahamanav Budha – 1956 (Great Human Buddha)
Other Important Books
- Ghumakkar Shastra (Rules for Travelers)
- Darshan Digdarshan (A Guide to Philosophy)
- Manava Samaj (Human Society)
- Madhya Asia ka Itihas (History of Central Asia)
Images for kids
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Rahul Nivas in September 2015
See also
- Hindi literature
- List of Indian writers
