Vijaydan Detha
{{Short description|Rajasthani folklorist and writer (1926 – 2013)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Vijaydan Detha
| image = Vijaydandetha.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Vijaydan Detha
| pseudonym = Bijji
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1926|9|1}}
| birth_place = Borunda, Jodhpur State, British India
(now in Rajasthan, India)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2013|11|10|1926|9|1}}
| death_place = Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| occupation = Writer
| period =
| subject = Socialism, Antifeudalism, feminism
| movement =
| language = Rajasthani
| spouse = Sayar Kanwar
| partner =
| children = 5
| relatives =
| signature =
| website =
| awards = * Padma Shri
}}
Vijaydan Detha (1 September 1926 – 10 November 2013), also known as Bijji, was a noted Indian writer of Rajasthani literature.{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |year=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }} He was a recipient of several awards including the Padma Shri and the Sahitya Akademi Award.{{Cite web |last=Debnath |first=Sayari |date=2023-05-06 |title='A challenge of translating from Rajasthani is to keep its orality alive in English': Vishes Kothari |url=https://scroll.in/article/1048593/a-challenge-of-translating-from-rajasthani-is-to-keep-its-orality-alive-in-english-vishes-kothari |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}
Detha has more than 800 short stories to his credit, which have been translated into English and other languages. With Komal Kothari, he founded Rupayan Sansthan, an institute that documents Rajasthani folklore, art, and music. His literary works include Bataan ri Phulwari (Garden of Tales), a 14-volume collection of stories that draws on folklore in the spoken dialects of Rajasthan. Many of his stories and novels have been adapted for the stage and the screen: adaptations include Mani Kaul's Duvidha (1973),{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jul/14/mani-kaul-obituary|title=Film flashback, The ghost in the tree, from 1973|website=TheGuardian.com |date=14 July 2011 }} Habib Tanvir and Shyam Benegal's Charandas Chor (1975),{{cite web|url=https://www.moviebuff.com/charandas-chor|title=Moviebuff}} Prakash Jha's Parinati (1986),{{cite web|url=https://thelittlecorner.home.blog/2019/04/19/parinati-1989-fate-and-greed-in-rajasthan-a-long-time-ago/|title=Fate and Greed in Rajasthan A Long Time Ago|date=19 April 2019 }} Amol Palekar's Paheli (2005),{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/paheli-is-a-whim-of-mine-says-shah-rukh/story-qSc6WyJ1NwwXVICKgcV6pL.html|title='Paheli' is a whim of mine, says Shah Rukh|date=20 May 2005 }} Pushpendra Singh's The Honour Keeper (2014),{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/honor-keeper-lajwanti-berlin-review-679334|title=A love story out of a folk take about a woman who claims her freedom in timeless Rajasthan|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=11 February 2014 }} Dedipya Joshii's Kaanchli Life in a Slough{{cite web|url=https://www.glamsham.com/en/movie-review-kaanchli-life-in-a-slough|title=Kaanchli Life in a Slough movie review: Raw, bold & probing|date=7 February 2020 }} (2020), and Pushpendra Singh's Laila aur Satt Geet (2020).{{cite web|title=The Whole Idea of borders redundant: Laila aur satt geet director Pushpendra Singh|date=5 March 2020 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/film-laila-aur-saat-geet-indian-express-6299608/}}
Biography
Detha said, "My land Rajasthan is full of stories, whatever I've written is just a drop of the ocean". Detha, was inspired by Shah Govradhan Lal Kabra to write in Rajasthani "till date I have not written in any other language", he said regarding his love for the language. He portrayed the sufferings of the poor in his writings and was also tipped for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2011 which ultimately went to Tomas Tranströmer.{{cite web|url=http://www.rajasthantalkies.com/2011/10/rajasthans-vijaydan-detha-in-race-for.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909000554/http://www.rajasthantalkies.com/2011/10/rajasthans-vijaydan-detha-in-race-for.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 September 2012 |title=Rajasthan's Vijaydan Detha in race for Nobel Prize |access-date=14 November 2011 }}
Works
=Rajasthani=
- Batan Ri Phulwari, vol. 1–14, 1960–1975, folklores Published by Rajasthani Granthagar, Jodhpur
- Prerana co-edited with Komal Kothari, 1953
- Soratha, 1956–1958
- Parampara , edited three special issues – Folk songs, Gora Hatja, Jethava Ra
- Rajasthani Lokgeet, folk songs of Rajasthan, six volumes, 1958
- Tido Rao, first pocket book in Rajasthani, 1965
- Uljhan,1984, novel
- Alekhun Hitler, 1984, short stories
- Roonkh, 1987
- Kaboo Rani, 1989, children's stories
= Hindi =
Due to respect for his mother tongue Rajasthani, Bijji has never written in any other language, most of his works are translated into Hindi by one of his sons Kailash Kabeer.
- Baton Ki Bagiya vol. 1–14, 2019, (Hindi translation of Batan Ri Phulwari) Published by Rajasthani Granthagar, Jodhpur
- Usha, 1946, poetry
- Bapu ke teen hatyare, 1948, critics
- Column in Jwala Weekly, 1949–1952
- Sahitya aur samaj, 1960, essays
- Anokha Ped, illustrated children's stories, 1968
- Phoolwari, Hindi translation by Kailash Kabir, 1992
- Chaudharain Ki Chaturai, short stories, 1996
- Antaral, 1997, short stories
- Sapan Priya, 1997, short stories
- Mero Darad Na Jane Koy, 1997, essays
- Atirikta, 1997, critics
- Mahamilan, novel, 1998
- Priya Mrinal, short stories, 1998
Detha also been credited for editing following works
- Complete work of Ganeshi Lal Vyas for Sahitya Akademi
- Rajasthani-Hindi Kahawat Kosh
Adaptations:
Detha’s stories have been widely adapted for stage and screen, cementing his influence on Indian cinema and theater. Notable adaptations include: Duvidha (1973), directed by Mani Kaul, a minimalist film shot in Borunda, praised for its artistic depth.Charandas Chor (1975), a play by Habib Tanvir and a film by Shyam Benegal, celebrated for its folk-theater aesthetic.Parinati (1986), directed by Prakash Jha, based on a Detha story exploring greed and fate.Paheli (2005 film), directed by Amol Palekar, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, a mainstream adaptation of Duvidha. Lajwanti
(2014)https://m.imdb.com/title/tt3512290/ and Laila aur Satt Geet (2020), both directed by Pushpendra Singh, based on Detha’s stories Lajwanti and Kenchuli, respectively. Kaanchli Life in a Slough, directed by Dedipya Joshii, another adaptation of Kenchuli.These adaptations highlight the universal appeal of Detha’s narratives, which resonate across cultural and linguistic boundaries.
Awards and honours
- Sahitya Akademi Award for Rajasthani in 1974Who's who of Indian writers 1999
- Bhartiya Bhasa Parishad Award in 1992
- Marudhara Puraskar in 1995
- Bihari Puraskar in 2002 [http://www.kkbirlafoundation.com/bihari-r.html Bihari] K. K. Birla Foundation
- Sahitya Chudamani Award in 2006Interview on Tehelka
- Padma Shri in 2007Indian National Portal, Govt. of India
- Rao Siha 2011 by Mehrangarh Museum Trust
- Nobel Prize in Literature Nomination (2011): Detha was tipped as a contender, though the award went to Tomas Tranströmer.https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/the-storyteller/article5109323.ece#:~:text=When%20Vijaydan%20Detha%2C%20the%20legendary,his%20true%20dry%20wit%20style.
- Kavi Kag Award, 2011{{Cite web |title=Books by Vijaydan Detha - Prabhat Prakashan |url=https://www.prabhatbooks.com/author/vijaydan-detha.htm |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=www.prabhatbooks.com}}
- Rajasthan Ratna in 2012
Detha’s work was lauded by contemporaries like Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, who described his stories as a “whirlpool” of vivid imagination, and Arunava Sinha, who praised their challenge to assumptions about modernity and morality.
References
{{reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- {{cite web
|last=Padmanabhan
|first=Chitra
|title=The English Adversary
|work=Tehelka
|date=21 January 2006
|url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main16.asp?filename=hub012106The_English.asp
|format=asp
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155108/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main16.asp?filename=hub012106The_English.asp
|archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Dutt
| first = Kartik Chandra
| title = Who's Who of Indian Writers
| publisher =Sahitya Akademi
| year =1999
| location =India
| pages =317–318
| isbn =81-260-0873-3 }}
- {{cite web
|title=Padma Shri Award
|url=http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php
|publisher=National Portal of India, Govt. of India
|access-date=5 December 2007 |url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429180512/http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php
|archive-date=29 April 2012 }}
- {{cite web
|title=Biodata – Vijaydan Detha
|publisher=Shree Sabal Woman Teacher's Training College, Borunda, Jodhpur
|url=http://www.ssmttc.net/biodata_vijaydanji.htm
|date=15 October 2007
|access-date=10 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327194159/http://ssmttc.net/biodata_vijaydanji.htm
|archive-date=27 March 2008 |url-status=dead
}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0221880}}
- [http://wordswithoutborders.org/contributor/vijay-dan-detha/ Detha's two stories translated in English from World without border]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081005162338/http://www.nea.gov///features/writers/writersCMS/writer.php?id=02_12 English translation of The epic of straw]
- [http://www.tehelka.com/story_main16.asp?filename=hub012106The_English.asp Detha's interview] on Tehelka
- [http://www.indianautographs.com/productdetail-111098.html Detha's Authograph and picture]
- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/india/2013/11/131110_vijaydan_detha_ap.shtml Vijaydan Detha], BBC Hindi, 10 November 2013
{{SahityaAkademiFellowship}}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Detha, Vijaydan}}
Category:Writers from Rajasthan
Category:Rajasthani-language writers
Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Rajasthani
Category:Indian children's writers
Category:20th-century Indian novelists
Category:20th-century Indian poets