Who was Munshi Premchand?
Munshi Premchand was an Indian writer counted amongst the greatest Hindustani writers of the early 20th century. He was a novelist, short story writer, and dramatist who penned over a dozen novels, hundreds of short stories, and numerous essays. He also translated a number of literary works of other languages into Hindi. A teacher by profession, he began his literary career as a freelancer in Urdu. He was an independent minded patriotic soul and his initial literary works in Urdu were replete with descriptions of the Indian nationalist movement that was building up in various parts of India. Soon he switched over to Hindi and established himself as a much loved author with his poignant short stories and novels that not only entertained the readers, but also carried significant social messages. He was much moved by the inhumane manner in which Indian women of his time were treated, and often depicted the miserable plight of girls and women in his stories hoping to create awareness in the minds of his readers. A true patriot, he quit his government job as a part of the non-cooperation movement called by Mahatma Gandhi even though he had a growing family to feed. He was eventually elected as the first President of the Progressive Writers’ Association in Lucknow.
Childhood & Early LifePremchand was born as Dhanpat Rai Srivastav on 31 July 1880 in Lamhi, a village near Varanasi, in British India. His parents were Ajaib Rai, a post office clerk, and Anandi Devi, a homemaker. He was their fourth child.He received his early education at a madrasa in Lalpur where he learned Urdu and Persian. He learned English at a missionary school later on.His mother died when he was just eight years old and his father soon remarried. But he did not enjoy good relations with his step-mother, and felt very isolated and sad as a child. He sought solace in books and became an avid reader.His father too died in 1897 and he had to discontinue his studies.
CareerAfter struggling for a few years as a tuition teacher, Premchand was offered the post of an assistant teacher at the Government District School in Bahraich in 1900. At around this time he also started writing fiction.Initially he adopted the pseudonym “Nawab Rai”, and wrote his first short novel, ‘Asrar e Ma’abid’ which explores corruption among temple priests and their sexual exploitation of poor women. The novel was published in a series in the Benares-based Urdu weekly ‘Awaz-e-Khalk’ from October 1903 to February 1905.He shifted to Kanpur in 1905 and met Daya Narain Nigam, the editor of the magazine ‘Zamana’. He would write several articles and stories for the magazine in the coming years.A patriot, he wrote many stories in Urdu encouraging the general public to participate in India’s struggle for freedom from British colonial rule. These stories were published in his first short story collection, titled ‘Soz-e-Watan’ in 1907. The collection came to the notice of the British officials who banned it. This also forced Dhanpat Rai to change his pen name from “Nawab Rai” to “Premchand” in order to escape persecution at the hands of the British.By the mid-1910s he had become a prominent writer in Urdu and then he started writing in Hindi in 1914.Premchand became the Assistant Master at the Normal High School, Gorakhpur, in 1916. He continued writing short stories and novellas, and published his first major Hindi novel ‘Seva Sadan’ in 1919. It was well received by the critics, and helped him gain wider recognition.In 1921, he attended a meeting where Mahatma Gandhi urged people to resign from their government jobs as part of the non-cooperation movement. By this time Premchand was married with children, and had been promoted to Deputy Inspector of Schools. Yet he decided to quit his job in support of the movement.After leaving his job he moved to Benares (Varanasi) and focused on his literary career. He established a printing press and publishing house called Saraswati Press in 1923, and published the novels ‘Nirmala’ (1925) and ‘Pratigya’ (1927). Both the novels dealt with women-centric social issues like dowry system and widow remarriage.He launched a literary-political weekly magazine titled ‘Hans’ in 1930. The magazine aimed at inspiring Indians in their struggle for independence and was known for its politically provocative views. It failed to make a profit, forcing Premchand to look for a more stable job.He became a teacher in the Marwari College, Kanpur, in 1931. This job, however, did not last long and he had to leave because of differences with the college administration. He returned to Benares and became the editor of the ‘Maryada’ magazine and also briefly served as the headmaster of the Kashi Vidyapeeth.Desperately seeking to revive his declining financial situation, he went to Mumbai in 1934 and accepted a script writing job for the production house Ajanta Cinetone. He wrote the script for the film ‘Mazdoor’ (“The Labourer”) in which he also made a cameo appearance. The film, which depicted the miserable conditions of the labor class, incited the workers in many establishments to stand up against the owners and was thus banned.The commercial environment of the Mumbai film industry did not suit him and he yearned to leave the place. The founder of Mumbai Talkies tried his best to convince him to stay, but Premchand had made up his mind.He left Mumbai in April 1935 and moved to Benares where he published the short story ‘Kafan’ (1936) and the novel ‘Godaan’ (1936) which were among the last works he completed.
All Munshi Premchand Books List And Short Stories
April 9, 2019
The Books written by Munshi Premchand are famous all around the world. Munshi Premchand Books are the most appreciated books in the Indian Subcontinent. Premchand’s writing style was famous for his modern Hindi-Urdu literature.
The Books written by Munshi Premchand include more than a dozen novels, around 250 Short Stories, and many essays.
All books of Munshi Premchand are included in the Best Hindi Novels category and are based on the subject of urban life and describes the problems of the poor and the urban middle-class.
Munshi Premchand Books list & Short Stories
1. Nirmala (1927)
This is the first book in the Munshi Premchand books list. Nirmala is a Hindi fiction based novel written in Hindi and Urdu language.
This book is about a girl named Nirmala, a young beautiful girl who was forced to marry a widower of her father’s age. The book leaves a solid social message in the minds of people.
2. Sevasadan (1919)
It is originally written in Urdu under the title on Bazaar-e-Husn by Munshi Premchand, but later on first published in Hindi from Calcutta as Seva Sadan, in 1919.
The Story of Sevasadan is about an unhappy wife who leaves a path of moral life and becoming a courtesan. After that, she transforms herself as the manager of an orphanage for the young daughters of courtesans.
The book touches the sensitive topic of “Prostitution” which was earlier one of the nightmares of Indian society.
3. Rangbhoomi (1990)
Another fantastic read from the List of Munshi Premchand Books. Rangbhoomi is related to different life philosophies, the behavior of Indian Society and also expresses the complex difference between the rich and the poor.
The story of the book correlates with different cultural practices followed all across the Indian nation.
The characters of the story are strongly versed by Munshi Premchand. This book of Munshi Premchand yet again proved him as the legend of Hindi writing.
4. Gaban (1928)
Gaban is a Hindi novel by Munshi Premchand. Through this novel, he tries to capture the falling moral values among the Indian youth during the British Raj in India.
The book is a must-read book among the Munshi Premchand Books list.
5. Premashram (1922)
Munshi Premchand was influenced by the Non-Cooperation movement of Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle for social reform. During that period, his written books were focused on social issues such as poverty, zamindari exploitation.
Premashram was one of his books that dealt with the same issues. If you are looking for an interesting book on the subject of Social issues of Indian Society, then you must add this book of Munshi Premchand to your reading list.
6. Prema (1907)
It is yet another book from the Munshi Premchand books list which is based on the social issues of Society.
The book Prema focuses on a central character, who stands to his ideas and wishes to reform the bad cultural practices by fighting against the opposition. During this time, he gives away everything he has for those ideals.
The books rotate around the theme of Widow re-marriage.
7. Roothi Rani (1907)
Roothi Rani was one of the best Hindi Novels of Munshi Premchand which focuses on strong woman character.
A woman who has a lot of self-respect, who doesn’t easily influence by the social evil practices, a woman who fights for her honor and keeps her commitment until the end of her life.
‘Roothi Rani’ book by Munshi Premchand is a very inspiring tale of a great Queen who lived in India.
8. Pratigya (1927)
Pratigya is a story of a young idealist who stands for social reform of society. The book gives a vivid description of the society during that era and the obstructions faced by the people who believed in a new and better country by the removal of social evils prevalent during those times.
9. Godaan (1936)
Godaan is a best Hindi Novel by Munshi Premchand converted into English as ‘The Gift of a Cow’. The plot of the story revolves around the characters representing the various sections of the Indian community.
The novel has several themes: problems due to caste segregation, exploitation of the lower class, exploitation of women, problems due to industrialization and interpersonal relationships, love, and marriage.
If you love to read Hindi novels then this book from the Munshi Premchand Books list has to be your first choice.
10. Karmabhoomi (1932)
Karmabhoomi set in Uttar Pradesh. By the beginning of the 20th Century, Islam and Hinduism had coexisted in India for over a thousand years.
The Story of the book is about a guy named, Amarkant who is an intelligent and idealistic, though weak, young man who has grown up hating his father’s business and adherence to the formalities of Hindu religion.
11. Idgah (1933)
It is the Short story written by Munshi Premchand. ‘Idgah’ tells a story of a four-year-old orphan named Hamid who lives with his Grandmother Amina.
The main character of the story lost his father, but her grandmother tells him that his father went away to God to fetch beautiful gifts for him.
The amazing visualization of the story and the writing style made Idgah the most famous story among the Asian population.
12. Lottery (1933)
The lottery is told in the first person, from the point of view of a school teacher. The story presents the experiences of the school teacher, his friend Vikram’s, and Vikram’s extended families.
The lottery book also appeared in Indian textbooks as a part other moral book’s chapters for students. It is one of the finest short stories of Munshi Premchand.
13. Shatranj ke khiladi (1924)
The Short story depicts decadent royalty of Central North India. It is set around the life of the last independently ruling Nawab(noble) Wajid Ali Shah and concludes with the British annexation of the Nawab’s kingdom of Awadh in 1856. It is among the notable short stories written by Premchand.
14. Kaphan
Kaphan is one of the short stories in the book with 13 others. Like the classic Prem Chand stories, Kaphan is also depicting some social issues.
It’s great to read how easily the author describes human emotions with such ease. This is a heart-touching story where a woman dies while giving birth to the child.
15. Namak ke Daroga
This short story by Prem Chand is another marvel in his writing career of Hindi novels. Narak ke Daroga is a story of an Indian officer who raised his voice against the black market of salt.
These old stories were written in ancient times are still relevant to the modern era as the country still faces some of the social issues.
Final thoughts
Well, that was the closing of the list of books written by Munshi Premchand. But I believe, Munshi Premchand books will continue to educate about the Social Issues and cultural traditions of India at the time of British Raj. No matter what critics and his haters say about him, Munshi Premchand has made a mark in Indian Publishing Industry.
S
LIBRARIAN @ KV DRDO
Kendriya Vidyalaya DRDO Library 
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