Shardha Ram Phillauri

{{Short description|Indian writer, poet and social reformer (1837–1881)}}

{{redirect|Phillauri|the town of Phillaur|Phillaur|the 2017 film|Phillauri (film)}}

{{Infobox writer

| honorific_prefix = Pandit

| honorific_suffix = Phillauri

| relatives =

| children =

| partner =

| spouse = Mehtab Kaurhttps://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050317/aplus.htm#1

| notableworks = {{ubl

|Om Jai Jagdish Hare

|Bhagyawati

|Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia

|Punjabi Batcheet

|Satya Dharm Muktavli

|Shatopadesh

|Satyamrit Pravaha

}}

| movement =

| subject =

| genre =

| image =

| occupation = Writer, poet, social Reformer

| death_place = Lahore, Punjab Province, British India

| death_date = {{death date and age|1881|06|24|1837|09||df=y}}

| birth_place = Phillaur, Dallewalia Misl, Sikh Empire

| birth_date = {{birth date|1837|09||df=y}}

| birth_name = Shardha Ram

| pseudonym =

| caption = Artist's impression of Shardha Ram Phillauri

| alt =

| imagesize =

| language = Punjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit

}}

Shardha Ram Phillauri (September 1837Singh Bedi, Harmohinder. Shardha Ram Granthawali. Nirmal Publisher. (A three-volume work by the dean and head of the Guru Nanak Dev University Hindi Department.) – 24 June 1881) was an Indian writer, poet and social reformer, known for his contributions to Hindi and Punjabi literature. He is best known for his Hindu religious hymn Om Jai Jagdish Hare and Bhagyawati, one of the first novels in Hindi. Phillauri has also been called the "father of modern Punjabi prose". Born in Phillaur, he visited cities across Punjab and died in Lahore in 1881.

Biography

Shardha Ram was born in September 1837, to a Punjabi Hindu Brahmin family in the town of Phillaur in the Sikh Empire under the reign of Ranjit Singh.Walia, Varinda. [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050317/aplus.htm#1 "Hindi novel’s first cradle."] The Tribune (17 March 2005).Maitray, Mohan. [http://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98sep27/sunday/head6.htm "The creator of Om Jai Jagdish Hare."] The Tribune (27 September 1998). His father, Jai Dyalu, was an astrologer. Their gotra was Moudgil. He did not have any formal education as such. By age ten, he had studied Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian, astrology, and music. Later, he was also a missionary of traditional Hinduism (Sanatana dharma).{{Cite web |url=http://www.faithandthearts.com/images/9_20070612201926.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=13 July 2007 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130409/http://www.faithandthearts.com/images/9_20070612201926.pdf |url-status=dead }}

In his books, Shardha Ram documented Punjabi culture and language.

Shardha Ram gave forceful lectures on the Mahabharata, and because of this was charged with conducting propaganda against the British government in 1865.{{Citation needed|date=July 2007}} As a result, he was exiled temporarily from his home town, Phillaur.

Sharda Ram often visited Amritsar and adjoining Lahore, especially in connection with astrology. During this time, he earned a reputation as an astrologer and wrote several books in Hindi.

In 1886, Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia (Punjabi:The Story of Sikh Rule) he published, an account of Sikh religion and the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The last of its three chapters documents Punjabi culture and language, including its customs, usages, and folk songs. The book was often prescribed as a text book.

Shardha Ram has recently been acknowledged as having written the first novel in Hindi.Previously, Lala Sri Niwas was credited with this achievement; his Pariksha Guru was written in 1902. Walia, Varinda. [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050317/aplus.htm#1 "Hindi novel’s first cradle."] The Tribune. His novel Bhagyawati, believed to have been written mainly in Amritsar, was first published in 1888, after Shardha Ram's death. The novel's portrayal of women and women's rights was progressive for its day.

Shardha Ram died on 24 June 1881, aged 43, at Lahore.

Works

Work \|\| Year \|\| Description
class="wikitable"
Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia (The Story of Sikh Rule) \| 1866 \| The book is an account of Sikh religion and the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.Sisir Kumar Das. A History of Indian Literature, p. 540. Sahitya Akademi (1991), {{ISBN\|81-7201-006-0}}. The last of its three chapters documents Punjabi culture and language, including its customs, usages, and folk songs. The book was often prescribed as a text book.
Punjabi Batcheet \| \|This book was specifically written to help the British understand the local dialect. It may have been the first book transliterated into Roman script from Gurmukhi script. The study of this was a requirement for admission into the administrative services. The book is taught to this day at schools affiliated with the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Mohali.{{Citation needed\|date=July 2007}}
Om Jai Jagdish Hare \|1870s{{Citation needed\|date=July 2007}} \| Translated in Punjabi the first time
Bhagyawati \|published 1888 \| This book is believed to be the first novel in Hindi.
Satya Dharm Muktavli \| \|
Shatopadesh \| \|
Satyamrit Pravaha \| \|