Dear Friends,
I am sharing an article on the life of a person who wrote "Om Jai Jagdish Hare."
Pt. Shardha Ram Phillauri wrote the masterpiece "Om Jai Jagdish Hare," a hymn sung in Hindu households across the country.
To enter administrative service or become deputy commissioner of Amritsar during the British Government's time, ICS officers had to clear a comprehensive test based on the Punjabi Baat Cheet, a book specially written for the British to understand the local dialect.
This was perhaps the first book written in the Gurmukhi script transliterated into the Roman script. The unique book was written by Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri, a versatile personality. Only a few people are aware that Shardha Ram was the creator of the popular prayer (aarti) "Om Jai Jagdish Hare...," sung by almost every Hindu family worldwide.
He was a powerful literary figure of the 19th century. Incidentally, his book became the first book on Punjabi linguistics mentioning 'folk-culture,' customs of the Majha region (Amritsar and Gurdaspur), and other parts of the state, including adjoining hilly areas. A reader can find many rare words in Punjabi Baat Cheet that have disappeared from the Punjabi dictionary. "Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia" and "Punjabi Baat Cheet" are two notable works of Shardha Ram in Gurmukhi that earned him the title of "Father of modern Punjabi prose." The books contain the story of the Sikh religion and politics.
Pt. Shardha Ram Phillauri was born in a Brahmin family in the small town of Phillaur in 1837. He was married to a Sikh woman, Mehtab Kaur. He had learned the Gurmukhi script in 1844 at the age of seven. Later, he learned Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian, astrology, and music in 1850. In 1858, he met the Christian priest Neutan and translated a part of the Bible into Gurmukhi for the first time in 1868. He wrote the controversial book "Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia" (The story of Sikh rule) in 1866. He passed away on June 24, 1881, in Lahore. His father, Jai Dyalu, was a professional astrologer. Pt. Phillauri himself was a great astrologer and frequented Amritsar in this regard.
He was charged with conducting propaganda against the British Government through his forceful lectures on the Mahabharata and was exiled for some time from his hometown, Phillaur.
A Sanatani missionary born in Phillaur, near Ludhiana, he frequently visited Amritsar and its adjoining illustrious city, Lahore. Pandit Brij Kishor Sharma, an Ayurvedic doctor, writes that Shardha Ram Phillauri would often visit Amritsar city regarding astrology. He had earned a big name as an astrologer in Amritsar during those times. A social reformer and trendsetter, as he was called, he had written several books in Hindi too.
The Bhartiya Sahitya Akademi has recently accepted him as the first Hindi novelist, following the publication of Shardha Ram Granthawali in three volumes by Dr. Harminder Singh Bedi, Dean, and Head of the Department of Hindi, Guru Nanak Dev University. Dr. Vir Bhart Talwar, a senior professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, writes, "The contribution of Shardha Ram Phillauri would have been overlooked by now if 'Granthawali' had not been published."
The findings of Dr. Bedi that Pt. Phillauri's creation, Bhagyawati, was the first Hindi novel have compelled the rewriting of the history of the Hindi novel. Dr. Bedi says that the publication of Bhagyawati dates back to 1888, and most of its parts were believed to be written in Amritsar. Earlier, "Priksha Guru," written by Lala Sri Niwas in 1902, was considered the first Hindi novel. However, Granthawali by Dr. Bedi revealed that the first Hindi novel was written 14 years before "Priksha Guru," on the land of Vedas (Punjab). By that time, most writers had not even heard the name of Shardha Ram Phillauri. That was why no publisher was willing to print the voluminous Granthawali. However, when the comparatively little-known "Nirmal Publisher" published the same, it pleasantly surprised Hindi lovers and helped in rewriting the history of literature.
Interestingly, the book used to be given to daughters at the time of their marriage as part of the dowry. It is just a coincidence that the first Punjabi novel "Sundri," authored by Bhai Vir Singh, was written a decade after the publication of Bhagyawati. The main character of both novels is a woman. It was a revolutionary step on the part of Shardha Ram to advocate widow marriage and condemn child marriage in Bhagyawati. From both the first novels of Hindi and Punjabi, it is clear that a movement for women's emancipation was launched from Punjab.
On the birth of a female child, Bhagyawati, the main character in the novel, makes her husband understand that there is no difference between the male and the female child.
Earlier, as per Hindu customs, a widow's status as an unwanted burden was also a result of the taboos that prevented a widow from participating in household work as her touch, her voice, her very presence was considered "unholy, impure, and something to be shunned and abhorred." Thus, without her husband, a woman's existence was not tolerated, and an extreme but logical outcome of this was immolation by widows.
Similarly, during those dark days, child marriage was common. Newborn girls used to be killed by drowning them in a tub of milk. But through Bhagyawati, Shardha Ram made earnest efforts to create awareness about women's emancipation.
From India, Delhi
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108I am sharing an article on the life of a person who wrote "Om Jai Jagdish Hare."
Pt. Shardha Ram Phillauri wrote the masterpiece "Om Jai Jagdish Hare," a hymn sung in Hindu households across the country.
To enter administrative service or become deputy commissioner of Amritsar during the British Government's time, ICS officers had to clear a comprehensive test based on the Punjabi Baat Cheet, a book specially written for the British to understand the local dialect.
This was perhaps the first book written in the Gurmukhi script transliterated into the Roman script. The unique book was written by Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri, a versatile personality. Only a few people are aware that Shardha Ram was the creator of the popular prayer (aarti) "Om Jai Jagdish Hare...," sung by almost every Hindu family worldwide.
He was a powerful literary figure of the 19th century. Incidentally, his book became the first book on Punjabi linguistics mentioning 'folk-culture,' customs of the Majha region (Amritsar and Gurdaspur), and other parts of the state, including adjoining hilly areas. A reader can find many rare words in Punjabi Baat Cheet that have disappeared from the Punjabi dictionary. "Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia" and "Punjabi Baat Cheet" are two notable works of Shardha Ram in Gurmukhi that earned him the title of "Father of modern Punjabi prose." The books contain the story of the Sikh religion and politics.
Pt. Shardha Ram Phillauri was born in a Brahmin family in the small town of Phillaur in 1837. He was married to a Sikh woman, Mehtab Kaur. He had learned the Gurmukhi script in 1844 at the age of seven. Later, he learned Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian, astrology, and music in 1850. In 1858, he met the Christian priest Neutan and translated a part of the Bible into Gurmukhi for the first time in 1868. He wrote the controversial book "Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia" (The story of Sikh rule) in 1866. He passed away on June 24, 1881, in Lahore. His father, Jai Dyalu, was a professional astrologer. Pt. Phillauri himself was a great astrologer and frequented Amritsar in this regard.
He was charged with conducting propaganda against the British Government through his forceful lectures on the Mahabharata and was exiled for some time from his hometown, Phillaur.
A Sanatani missionary born in Phillaur, near Ludhiana, he frequently visited Amritsar and its adjoining illustrious city, Lahore. Pandit Brij Kishor Sharma, an Ayurvedic doctor, writes that Shardha Ram Phillauri would often visit Amritsar city regarding astrology. He had earned a big name as an astrologer in Amritsar during those times. A social reformer and trendsetter, as he was called, he had written several books in Hindi too.
The Bhartiya Sahitya Akademi has recently accepted him as the first Hindi novelist, following the publication of Shardha Ram Granthawali in three volumes by Dr. Harminder Singh Bedi, Dean, and Head of the Department of Hindi, Guru Nanak Dev University. Dr. Vir Bhart Talwar, a senior professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, writes, "The contribution of Shardha Ram Phillauri would have been overlooked by now if 'Granthawali' had not been published."
The findings of Dr. Bedi that Pt. Phillauri's creation, Bhagyawati, was the first Hindi novel have compelled the rewriting of the history of the Hindi novel. Dr. Bedi says that the publication of Bhagyawati dates back to 1888, and most of its parts were believed to be written in Amritsar. Earlier, "Priksha Guru," written by Lala Sri Niwas in 1902, was considered the first Hindi novel. However, Granthawali by Dr. Bedi revealed that the first Hindi novel was written 14 years before "Priksha Guru," on the land of Vedas (Punjab). By that time, most writers had not even heard the name of Shardha Ram Phillauri. That was why no publisher was willing to print the voluminous Granthawali. However, when the comparatively little-known "Nirmal Publisher" published the same, it pleasantly surprised Hindi lovers and helped in rewriting the history of literature.
Interestingly, the book used to be given to daughters at the time of their marriage as part of the dowry. It is just a coincidence that the first Punjabi novel "Sundri," authored by Bhai Vir Singh, was written a decade after the publication of Bhagyawati. The main character of both novels is a woman. It was a revolutionary step on the part of Shardha Ram to advocate widow marriage and condemn child marriage in Bhagyawati. From both the first novels of Hindi and Punjabi, it is clear that a movement for women's emancipation was launched from Punjab.
On the birth of a female child, Bhagyawati, the main character in the novel, makes her husband understand that there is no difference between the male and the female child.
Earlier, as per Hindu customs, a widow's status as an unwanted burden was also a result of the taboos that prevented a widow from participating in household work as her touch, her voice, her very presence was considered "unholy, impure, and something to be shunned and abhorred." Thus, without her husband, a woman's existence was not tolerated, and an extreme but logical outcome of this was immolation by widows.
Similarly, during those dark days, child marriage was common. Newborn girls used to be killed by drowning them in a tub of milk. But through Bhagyawati, Shardha Ram made earnest efforts to create awareness about women's emancipation.
From India, Delhi
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Dear Vikram,
Kudos to you for posting an article which is the need of the hour. Our younger generation knows even the name of the dog of some Hollywood actress but do not know the name of their great-grandfather. They do not even know the names of the Krantikaris. Please post some more like this and be brief, with headlines, since the younger generation normally does not have time for things that are not Western. They mostly spend, say, 10 to 15 seconds only on things that are of interest to them.
Regards,
Yogesh Dabra
From India, Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Kudos to you for posting an article which is the need of the hour. Our younger generation knows even the name of the dog of some Hollywood actress but do not know the name of their great-grandfather. They do not even know the names of the Krantikaris. Please post some more like this and be brief, with headlines, since the younger generation normally does not have time for things that are not Western. They mostly spend, say, 10 to 15 seconds only on things that are of interest to them.
Regards,
Yogesh Dabra
From India, Delhi
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