New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) The death of celebrated Hindi writer and Jnanpith awardee Vinod Kumar Shukla has drawn an outpouring of grief from writers, poets and political leaders across the country, who described him as a "truly original" writer and "poet of the deprived".
Shukla died on Tuesday evening due to age-related ailments at a government hospital in Raipur. He would have turned 89 on January 1.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his condolences on X and said Shukla will be remembered for "his invaluable contribution to the world of Hindi literature".
"I am deeply saddened by the demise of the renowned writer Vinod Kumar Shukla ji, who was honoured with the Jnanpith Award. For his invaluable contribution to the world of Hindi literature, he will always be remembered. In this hour of grief, my condolences are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti," the PM posted on X.
Terming his passing an "irreparable loss" to literature, Hindi writer Chandan Pandey said that even though he was ill for some time, there was still hope in the literary community.
"...that the more time they get, the more he will write and the more we will get to read. So, with this hope, everyone wanted a miracle to happen. But it didn't happen. So, this is it. This is actually an irreparable loss," Pandey told PTI.
Born on January 1, 1937, in Rajnandgaon (now in Chhattisgarh), Shukla, widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in Hindi literature, was the author of acclaimed novels such as "Naukar Ki Kameez", "Khilega To Dekhenge", "Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi" and "Ek Chuppi Jagah".
Speaking about Shukla's writing, author Prem Janmejay said that he was a poet "who stood with the deprived and the despairing".
"I am not disheartened at his passing; I am saddened. His creativity will continue to give every despairing soul the energy to feel accompanied. I do not know how much more he might have written, but his presence gave the reassurance that the hands that held the deprived were still alive," Janmejay said.
Shukla's work is noted for capturing the plights of India's poor and middle class people, portraying their everyday lives, and minutely exploring the intricate realities of society.
Shukla received both of India's most prestigious literary honours: the Sahitya Akademi Award for "Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi" in 1999, and the 59th Jnanpith Award in November this year -- becoming only the 12th Hindi author to earn this distinguished recognition -- for his creativity, distinctive style, and significant contribution to Hindi literature.
In "Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi", Shukla creates a lower-middle class household of Raghuvar Prasad and his wife, Sonasi. Their lives, in a tiny room with minimal possessions, are transformed through an imaginative world full of hope and dreams that opens beyond their window.
Author Prabhat Ranjan said Shukla was "a truly original Hindi writer whose writing no other author can match".
"The life that is seen in his writing, is not seen in any other writer. He does not look for the sorrows of a deprived society but its joys. A deprived person is not always unhappy, he has his moments of happiness, joy. He caught this element, which was not there in the entire Hindi narrative," Ranjan said.
Another of Shukla's celebrated works, "Naukar ki Kameez", was adapted into a film by Mani Kaul in 1999.
Known for his plain, conversational Hindi, Shukla's stories carried a natural and domestic familiarity, yet often asked deeper philosophical questions on injustice, human dignity, alienation, loss and loneliness.
Poet Lakshmi Shankar Bajpai termed Shukla an "ideal school for the younger generation" who want to establish themselves in literature.
"Using simple language and a conversational style, while talking about one's home and family, about things around us, he raises very large questions and reaches profound philosophical inquiries," Bajpai said.
Giving the example of Shukla's poem "Abhi Barish Nahi Hui", Bajpai said that while talking about things around us Shukla speaks about the conditions of the entire earth and the many crises facing all of humanity.
"He also mentions Adivasis who are being separated from forests, driven out from their lands, and who, as they move toward metro cities, become victims of poverty and exploitation there. To express such vast concerns through such a small poem was the nature of his poetry," he said.
The Hindi poet added that even as "his passing is a huge loss to the world of literature, his creative universe remains with us".
"Now what matters is that we draw from that universe. The younger generation should read him, reflect on him, understand him, and learn from him what the true duty of literature is, what the duty of poetry is, what the duty of a writer is: to recognise one's times and to think about what one can contribute for humanity," Bajpai noted.
While writer Maitreyi Pushpa termed him a "champion of writing", Mridula Garg said he had a "sharply perceptive eye on everything that was going wrong in society, on every injustice that was taking place".
"It feels as if when a space becomes empty, it cannot really be filled again -- every writer occupies a place uniquely their own. Yet the mind is struck by a sense of loss as one by one, everyone seems to be leaving. There is a feeling of emptiness in the heart; that is what I am feeling right now," Garg said.
Ashok Maheshwari of Rajkamal Prakashan, the publisher behind several books by Shukla, said that he expressed "the extraordinary nature of ordinary people and their lives on the grand canvas of literature".
"Whether his poems, novels or short stories, all of them portray the life of the common man with remarkable subtlety. He also invented his own unique style, which established his distinct identity in the literary world. He will forever remain present in his works and in our memories," he said.