Maithilisharan Gupt (1886-1965) was one of the most famous modern Hindi poets. He was designated as the National Poet by the first government of the independent India. He also wrote some dramas.

Early Years

Gupt was born Chirgaon, Jhansi. His father was Seth Ramcharan Gupta. He disliked school as a child, so his father arranged for his education at their home. As a child, Gupta studied Sanskrit, English and Bengali. Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi was his mentor.

Literary Works

Gupt entered the world of Hindi literature by writing poems in various magazines, including Saraswati. In 1910, his first major work, Rang mein Bhang was published. With Bharat Bharati, his nationalist poems became popular among Indians, who were struggling for independence. Most of his poems revolve around plots from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Buddhist stories and the lives of famous religious leaders. His famous work Saket revolves around Urmila, a lesser-known character from Ramayana, while another of his works Yashodhara revolves around Yashodhara , the wife of Gautama Buddha.

Translations

Gupt also translated major works from other language into Hindi. These include Rubaiyats of Omar Khayyam and Swapnavaasavdatta (a Sanskrit play).

Public Office

After India became independent in 1947, the Government of India designated him as the 'National Poet'. He was also made an honorary member of the Rajya Sabha, where he used poetry to put his opinions before the other members. He remained a member of the Rajya Sabha till his death in 1965.

Major Works

• Poetry: Rang mein Bhang, Bharat-Bharati, Jayadrath Vadh, Vikat Bhat, Plassey ka Yuddha, Gurukul, Kisan, Panchavati, Siddharaj, Saket, Yashodhara, Arjan-Visarjan, Kaaba-Karbala, Jayabharat, Dwapar, Jahush, Vaitalik, Kunal.

• Drama: Tilottama, Chandrahaas