Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

Raghunath Brahmbhatt

Poet and playwright from Gujarat, India (1892–1983) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remove ads

Raghunath Tribhuvandas Brahmbhatt (13 December 1892 – 11 July 1983) was an Indian Gujarati-language poet, playwright and lyricist, widely known in literary and theatre circles as Rasakavi (lit. "poet of rasa"). He was active during the early to mid-20th century and contributed significantly to Gujarati theatre and cinema.

Quick facts Born, Died ...
Remove ads

Early Life

Raghunath Brahmbhatt was born to his parents, Tribhuvandas and Mohiba on 13 December 1892 in Linch, a village in British India (now in Mehsana district of Gujarat, India).[1] He completed his primary and higher secondary education till fifth grade at Nadiad.[1] He married Manibahen in 1904.[1]

In his early years, he worked in a hospital before turning to a career in theatre and literature.[2] His interest in drama led him to write plays and songs that were later staged by several Gujarati theatre companies. At the age of 17, he started his playwright career in Gujarati theatre with the hit play Buddhadev,[3] which was later staged by Arya Subodh Natak Mandali, a theatre troupe from Morbi.[1]

Remove ads

Career

Summarize
Perspective

Brahmbhatt wrote more than twenty-five plays, many of which drew upon mythological and historical themes, while others were adaptations of contemporary novels.[2] His works include Buddhadev (1914), based on Ashwaghosha's Buddhacharita; Shringi Rishi (1914) inspired by Nhanalal's Jaya-Jayant; Ajatshatru; Ashok; Suryakumari (1916); Chhatravijay (1919); Ushakumari (1921); and Snehamudra (1926). He also adapted Govardhanram Tripathi’s novel Saraswatichandra for the stage.[2][1]

In addition to plays, he composed more than hundred songs for Gujarati theatre, many of which gained popularity with audiences.[2][1] His lyrical compositions were especially noted for their emphasis on shringara rasa (the aesthetic of love and romance). His writing style combined classical Sanskrit dramaturgical elements with contemporary sensibilities, making his works accessible yet rooted in tradition.[4]

"Saibo Maro Gulab no Chhod" for play Hansakumari and "Rasila Premi Na Haiya" for play Shalivahan are few of his popular songs.[5][6][1]

He wrote an original song "Mohe Panghat Pe Nandlal Chhed Gayo Re"[7] for the Gujarati play Chhatra Vijay in 1920.[8][9][10][11] It was performed live by master Mukund during its performance. It was also recorded by The Twins, a gramophone company. When the Hindi epic film Mughal-e-Azam directed by K. Asif was released in 1960, the song was used in the film and was credited to Shakeel Badayuni. A viewer informed the Pakistani daily Dawn that the song has been copied from Brahmbhatt's original.[8] Brahmbhatt approached the director for copyright infringement and later filed a complaint with the Film Writers' Association and received a compensation of Rs 11,000 as royalty.[8][12] However, in 2004, Brahmbhatt's grandson, Raj Brahmbhatt signed an agreement with the film's producer, Shapoorji-Palonji's Sterling Investment Corporation Limited, which acknowledged and credited Raghunath Brahmbhatt as a lyricist on the covers of the home video released by the company.[8] He was also acknowledged as the lyricist of the song in the colored version of the film re-released on October 12, 2004.[13]

In 1944, Brahmbhatt was honoured in Mumbai by the Desi Natak Samaj for his contributions to Gujarati theatre.[2][1]

In 1955, he published Smaran-Manjari, a memoir chronicling the growth of Gujarati theatre between 1910 to 1940.[2] He had also written articles on the subjects of theatre.[1][2][4] His other literary works include : Prachin Bharatni Vibhutio, a collection of biographical essays about prominent figures from ancient India;[14] Buddhadev: Trianki Natak; Devo, Rishio ane Pratapi Purusho and Suman Saurabh.

He died on 11 July 1983 in Nadiad.[1][2]

Remove ads

Filmography

Hindi films

Brahmbhatt contributed to several Hindi films as a lyricist.[15]

Gujarati films

Theater

Brahmbhatt wrote more than twenty-five Gujarati plays.[2]

  • Buddhadev[3]
  • Shrungi-Rishi (1914)
  • Sooryakumari (1916)
  • Chhatravijay (1919)
  • Ushakumari (1921)
  • Snehmudra (1926)
  • Ajatshatru
  • Bhavi-prabalya
  • Ashok
  • Sarasvatichandra
  • Naveenyug
  • Anarkali
  • Lakshminarayan
  • Premvijay
  • Kalyanraj
  • Amarkirti
  • Sansarna Rang
  • Shrimant Bajirao

See also

References

External links

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads
Remove ads