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Nagarjun

The Poet · 1911 – 1998

नागार्जुन

Nagarjun

Region

Mithila

Language

hindi / maithili / sanskrit

Signature rasa

Shringara

Works · archive

54

Vaidyanath Mishra, universally known as Nagarjun, was a literary force of nature who absolutely refused to bow before power. Born in 1911 in the Darbhanga district of Bihar, he earned the title of Janakavi or the poet of the people through decades of unyielding progressive writing.

He wrote in both Hindi and Maithili, winning the Sahitya Akademi Award for his Maithili collection Patrahin Nagna Gachh. Nagarjun was a restless traveler and a committed activist who actively participated in peasant movements and went to prison several times.

His poetry is stripped of all artificial elegance. It speaks directly with the raw, biting anger of the hungry, the marginalized, and the exploited.

Whether he was exposing political corruption or writing tenderly about the first rains on parched village earth, his words carried the undeniable scent of the soil. He died in 1998, but he remains the ultimate benchmark for resistance poetry in India.

He proved that true poetry does not reside in the palaces of kings, but in the sweat and struggle of the common folk.

Chronology

A life, paced like a poem.

    1911

    Born Vaidyanath Mishra in Tarauni village of Darbhanga district, Bihar.

    1930s

    Began writing in Maithili under the pen name 'Yatri' and traveled extensively across India.

    1936

    Traveled to Sri Lanka, converted to Buddhism, and adopted the name 'Nagarjun'.

    1948

    Imprisoned for the first time due to his active participation in peasant movements in Bihar.

    1952

    Published his landmark Hindi novel 'Balchanma', depicting rural exploitation.

    1968

    Received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his Maithili poetry collection 'Patrahin Nagna Gachh'.

    1974

    Actively participated in the JP Movement and was imprisoned during the Emergency.

    1994

    Conferred the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, India's highest literary honor.

    1998

    Passed away in Darbhanga, Bihar, leaving behind a rich legacy of progressive literature.

Essential

Start with these.

Three doorways into Nagarjun, chosen for how quickly they show you what this voice sounds like.

Fasal

Shanta

01

फसल

Fasal

The clearest statement of shanta in this catalogue, begin here.

Read the poem →2 verses
Gulabi Chudiyan

Shringara

02

गुलाबी चूड़ियाँ

Gulabi Chudiyan

A shorter turn in shringara, 1 verse long.

Read the poem →1 verse
Kal Aur Aaj

Shringara

03

कल और आज

Kal Aur Aaj

A shorter turn in shringara, 2 verses long.

Read the poem →2 verses

Full Catalogue

Every composition, by mood.

54 entries · 9 rasas

View full catalogue →

शान्त

Shanta

10 compositions

All 10 in Shanta →

हास्य

Hasya

7 compositions

करुणा

Karuna

8 compositions

रौद्र

Raudra

9 compositions

All 9 in Raudra →

वीर

Veera

4 compositions

बीभत्स

Bibhatsa

1 composition

शृंगार

Shringara

11 compositions

All 11 in Shringara →

अद्भुत

Adbhuta

3 compositions

भयानक

Bhayanaka

1 composition