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Nagari Pracharini Sabha

Coordinates: 25°19′11″N 83°00′54″E / 25.319619°N 83.015084°E / 25.319619; 83.015084
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Nagari Pracharini Sabha
नागरी प्रचारिणी सभा
AbbreviationNPS
Established16 July 1893; 131 years ago (1893-07-16)
FounderShyamsundar Das
HeadquartersVaranasi
Coordinates25°19′11″N 83°00′54″E / 25.319619°N 83.015084°E / 25.319619; 83.015084
Official language
Hindi
President
Vyomesh Shukla
Key people
Madan Mohan Malaviya, Bharatendu Harishchandra, Ramchandra Shukla, Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, Grierson
Publication
Hindi Literature

The Nagari Pracharini Sabha (ISO: Nāgarī Pracāriṇī Sabhā lit. 'Society for Promotion of Nagari'), also known as Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha, is an organization founded in 1893 at the Queen's College, Varanasi for the promotion of the Devanagari script and the Hindi language.[1]

The organization played a pivotal role in promoting Khariboli for official and literary purposes, as well as in documenting and printing the existing literature of Braj Bhasha and Awadhi by locating and preserving manuscripts.[2]

History

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The idea of establishing the Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha was conceived by three students at Queen's college, Varanasi – Babu Shyamsundar Das, Pandit Ramnarayan Mishra, and Shivkumar Singh.[3] Among the members in the first year were renowned scholars such as Pandit Sudhakar Dwivedi, George Grierson, Ambikadatt Vyas, and Chaudhary Premghan.

In 1899, it helped Chintamani Ghosh, proprietor of Indian Press, establish Saraswati, first monthly magazine in Modern Standard Hindi, which came out in January 1900.[4]

The institute played a crucial role in the growth of Bharat Kala Bhavan. Originally established as Bharat Kala Parishad in 1920, it was renamed Bharat Kala Bhavan under the stewardship of the Sabha and formally inaugurated on March 3, 1930. The Sabha contributed significantly by adding features such as the Roerich Room in 1932 and launching the art journal Kalā Nidhi in 1942. It also facilitated the Bhavan’s participation in prominent exhibitions in Calcutta, New Delhi, Varanasi, and London. In 1950, the collection was transferred to the Banaras Hindu University.[5]

Dictionaries are among the many scholarly publications by the Sabha. The Hindi-śabdasāgara by Śyāmasundara Dāsa was first published 1916–1928, with a new edition published 1965–1975. The Sabha also organized and held the first All India Hindi Literature Conference.[6]

Key Activities

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After its establishment, the committee began undertaking significant important tasks. A brief summary of its key activities over the years is as follows:

Official script and language: Before the establishment of the institution, English and Urdu were the official languages. Due to the efforts of the Sabha, notably Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, from 1900, the use of Nagari was allowed, and it became mandatory for government employees to know both Hindi and Urdu.[7]

Advocacy for Devanagari in Courts: Pandit Malaviya took significant steps to ensure the implementation of Nagari in courts. The efforts included collecting signatures for a memorial petition, resulting in the introduction of Nagari in the courts and primary education of the North Western Provinces and Oudh by 1900.

Arya Bhasha Library: Established in 1896, this library is among the largest collections of Hindi literature in the country, housing rare manuscripts and printed books. It serves as an essential resource for Hindi scholars.[8]

Manuscript Collection: From 1900, the Sabha began sending researchers to villages and towns to explore and preserve handwritten manuscripts that were at risk of being lost. Today, the organization holds over 20,000 manuscripts and 1.25 lakh books.[9]

Publications: NPS has published books on various subjects, including Hindi literature and grammar. Notable publications include the Hindī Viśvakōṣa, Hindī Śabdasāgar, and works on famous poets like Surdas, Tulsidas, and Kabirdas.[10]

Current Status

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In recent times the institute has faced ongoing challenges, including a legal dispute concerning its officials. In January 2020, reports indicated that efforts by both the central and Uttar Pradesh governments aimed to revitalize were underway. The state government announced the establishment of the Bharatendu Academy, while the Ministry of Culture planned to preserve rare manuscripts, enhancing their presentation through a special initiative from the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.

In June 2021, the District Magistrate mandated the election of a new managing committee. However, this order was temporarily halted in July 2021 by the Allahabad High Court. The committee's voting took place on June 9, 2022, with the results being announced on April 6, 2023, when Vyomesh Shukla was elected as its Prime Minister.[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ Mehrotra, R. R. (1993). Fishman (ed.). The First Congress of Hindi. pp. 117–128.
  2. ^ Mehta, Naresh (1996). Hindī Sāhitya Sammelan kā Itihās. Allahabad: Hindi Sahitya Sammelan. pp. 46–48.
  3. ^ King, C. R. (1974). Society for the Promotion of the Nagari Script, 1893-1914. The University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  4. ^ Mody 2008, p. 39.
  5. ^ "Milestone:Bharat Kala Bhavan". Banaras Hindu University. Archived from the original on 21 December 2002. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  6. ^ Burton-Page, J. (1957). "Hindi Review: The English Organ of Nagari Pracharini Sabha". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 19 (1): 185–185.
  7. ^ King, C. (1977). "The Hindi-Urdu Controversy of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh and Communal Consciousness". Journal of South Asian Literature. 13 (1/4): 111–120.
  8. ^ Mandhwani, A. (2020). "The Hindi Library and the Making of an Archive: The Hindi Sahitya Sammelan from 1911 to 1973". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. 43 (3): 522–536.
  9. ^ Hoernle, A. R. (1906). "Annual Report on the Search for Hindi Manuscripts". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 38 (2): 497–503.
  10. ^ Viśvakośa, H. (1986). by Nagari Pracharini Sabha.
  11. ^ "Nagari Pracharini Sabha elections: Poet Vyomesh Shukla elected as Prime Minister". Indian Express. 6 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Vyomesh Shukla became new Prime Minister of Kashi Nagari Pracharini Sabha". Amar Ujala. 6 April 2023.

Bibliography

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