Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a noted Indian poet and writer. His contributions to the Hindi language through his poetry and translations have earned him India’s highest awards. A highly talented and multi-faceted personality, he wrote some of India’s most popular works of poetry which became a major craze when published, and remain eternally popular.
Here are 5 things writers can learn from this renowned and beloved poet and writer:
1. Follow Your Passion
For a true writer, the call of the language is the main driving force, and nor fame or money. Dr. Bachchan’s love for the Hindi language was evident in his writings. Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was born during a time when parents decided one’s career path. Intended for a career in law, Dr. Bachchan pursued his studies accordingly. However, his passion for writing kept him constantly writing poems and other works. He chose to leave law to pursue his interests in language. Later in his life, he took up a senior government position which he used to leverage the Hindi language to an official language status.
2. Enable Yourself
Having realized that his real passion was poetry and language, Dr. Bachchan used every opportunity to improve his language skills. He taught English for over a decade at university level, before deciding to pursue his doctorate degree. He chose W.B. Yeats as his doctoral work. This deep training and immersion in the world of words helped him reach the heights that he did. To become a good writer, it is important to constantly develop and refine your skills as a wordsmith.
3. Diversify
Dr. Bachchan was also an excellent writer in English. While he preferred to use the intricacies and flow of the Urdu and Hindi languages for his poetry, he was also a skilled translator. He is as famous for his beautiful translations of English classics into Hindi, as he is for his poetry. Apart from poetry and translations, he has also written a very popular autobiographical series of books. Dr. Bachchan is also an example of how a true writer does not let language be an excuse. Whether you prefer to write in English or a regional language, good writing is universally recognized and accepted by readers.
4. Inspire Yourself
Reading and enjoying other works is one of the best ways to inspire your writing and to help you realize the direction of your writing. Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a fan of beautiful Sufi poetry and enjoyed the works of other famous poets. His most famous work of poetry, Madhushala, was apparently inspired by Omar Khayyam’s ‘Rubaiyat’. This common theme of extensive reading is shared by most of the leading and renowned writers.
5. Stay Grounded
Through all the fame and awards that came his way, Dr. Bachchan remained humble and a true artist at heart. This is very evident in his autobiographical works, which are true works of art. They portray his life in a very entertaining and beautiful manner, without boasting of his success, or any self-flagellation. They are a reflection of his life and literary journey in a very moving and honest manner. This is in fact his style of writing for all his works, and is the reason why he remains popular to this day. Your honesty and humility will always show in your work and this makes them more appealing to readers.
Image credit: takomabibelot on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CS_Rajan.jpg [/author_image] [author_info]CS Rajan is a freelance writer who loves to write on various topics, and is currently working on her first novel. [/author_info] [/author]