FAMOUS LITERARY PERSONALITIES
Abul Fazl : Sixteenth century Muslim scholar and historian of Akbar's time.
Alberuni : Born as Abu Rihan Mohammad, he came to India with Sultan Mahmud. His 'Tarikh-i-Hind' gives much infornation about the Hindus. their thoughts and customs.
Bharavi : Sixth century Sanskrit poet who wrote Kiratarjuniyam.
Bhartrihari : Sanskrit writer of seventh century who is credited with three Satakas. He was also a philospher and grammarian.
Bhatti : Probably a poet of the 6th - 7th centuries, Bhatti's Bhattikavya or Ravanavadha was written mainly to illustrate rules of grammar and rhetoric.
Bilhana : A Sankrit writer of 11th-12th centuries, he was at the court of the Chalukyan king where he wrote "Vikramankade" - charita. He also wrote the poem
Chaurapanchasika.
Bankim Chandra Chateerjee : Nineteenth Century Bengali Novelist. His Ananda Math provided lndia's national song - Yande Motaram Other novels - Devi Chaudharani, Sitaram, Kamala kanta.
Sarat Chandra Chatterjee: Social thinker and Bengali novelist of the 19th - 20th centuries. his work is marked by humanism and critical analysis of age-worn social customs. His major novels: Srikanta Pilli Samaj Pandit Mashai Sesh Prashna.
Subhara Kumari Chauhan: The first woman to take part in the satyagraha at Mahakoshai. This poetess is most famous for her stirring ballad, Jhansi ki Rani. She was awarded the Seksaria Prize for her collection of poems. Mukul and for her
short stories, Bhikre Moti.
Dandin : Seventh Century Sanskrit writer who is famous as a litearary, critic. He also wrote Avantisundari, a novel, a part of which has been circulated separately as Dasakumaracharita.
Assadullah Khan Ghalib : Great Urudu poet of the nineteenth century, Mirza Ghalib is famous for his ghazals and diwans. He also wrote a history of the Mughal dynasty, Dastanbo, an account of events during the 1857 Revolt and literary criticism, Qati Burhan
Gunadhya : Writer of Is! or 2nd century, his Brihatkatha in Paisachi dialect is a collection of stories which, are amusing. It became a prototype of many romantic tales.
Hala : First century Satavahana king and Sanskrit poet who wrote "Gadhe Saptasati"
Kabir: Fifteenth century mystic poet, he wrote his poems in a mixed dialect and evolved a rich vocabulary which included Perso - Arabic words.
Kalhana : Poet of 12th century whose Rajatarangini in Sanskrit gives the history of Kashmir's kings.
Kalidasa : Associated with 'Vikramaditya of Ujjain, Kalidasa was a Sanskrit dramatist and lyric poet. His Meghadoota is a fine piece of poetry. Raghuvamsa and Kumara Sambhava are epics. His work shows a remarkable sensitivity to beauty and has fine descriptions of nature.
Katyayana : A Sanskrit grammarian of great repute who wrote around the 3rd or 2nd century BC, his Vartika is a Ashtadhyayi.
Kautilya : Also known as Chanakya and Vishnugupta, he was the Chief Minister of Chandragupta Maurya (4th century BC)and writer of Arthashastra, a treatise on administration which gives righteousness and important role in the king's duties. Kautilya is often called the Indian counter part of the Italian Machiavelli who wrote The Prince.
Kumaran Asan : A follower of Sri Narayana Guru, he was a staunch opposer of caste ism and social injustice. His poems, Nalini and Leela and the Fallen flower are well- nown.
Magha : Seventh century Sanskrit poet who wrote the epic Sisupala Yadham which is striking for its lyrical passages.
Panini : Sanskrit scholar who wrote Ashtadhyayi, the earliest extant grammer in the world. The discovery of the work by Europeans in the 18th century gave impetus to the new science 0' philology.
Patanjali : Sanskrit scholar whose Mahabnashyam is an arudite commentary of Panini's work. He was instrumental in bringing Sanskrit back as the language of literature.
Premchand : Renowed Hindi and Urdu writer of modem India, Dhanpat Rai (Premchand) was a government official who left service to join the freedom struggle. His works : Rangabhumi, Godan,Gaban, Premashram.
Sarkar Jadunath : A historian whose main interest was the reign of Aurangzeb, his works of note are The Study of Auranzeb, Shivaji and his Times and The fall of the Mughal Empire. He also completed William Irwin's study of Later Mughals.
Somadeva : Sanskrit poet whose Katha - saritasagara is a famous collection of stories.
Subandhu : 7th century Sanskrit poet who wroter Vasavadatta.
Surdas: Blind poet of the 16th century who wrote in Braj - bhasha with deep devotion and love for Lord Krishna. His Sur Sagar and Sur Saravati are highly respected and appreciated.
Thiruvalluvar : Poet philosopher of the early Christian era in Tamil. His Kural, a poetical wrok on ethical and other issues of the day, is a Tamil classic free of caste and class
prejudices.
Suryakant Tripathi : Called 'Nirala' for his innovative poetic style, this Hindi poet was a mystic observer of nature. His important poems: Juhi Ki Kali and Shefalike. Other works: Anamika Geetika, Apsara, Sakhi.
Vakpati : 8th century Sanskrit poet, he wrote Gandavadha which describes the exploits of Yasovarman, king of Kanyakubja .
Vagbhatta : 7th century writer, he summarised the 8 sections of the original Ayurveda.
Valmiki : Legend has it that he was a brahmin who lived as a robber but changed his way of life on the advice of some sages. It is said that the sight of a heron, grief stricken at the loss of its mate shot by a hunter, inspired him to poetic expression,
and he created the sloka that led him to his epic Ramayana.
Vatsyayana : 5th century Sanskrit writer, his Kama Sutra is a world - famous treatise on the amorous arts.
Vemana : 17th century Telugu poet. He had a keen social and ethical vision and criticised social discrimination with humour. His work : Vemanasatakam.
Mahadevi Verma: One of the Chhayavadi poets, she wrote poetry of a high literary quality in which romanticism and mysticism are combined. Themes are humanity, nature, separation, union and ecstasy.