The nineteenth century in India threw up a galaxy of great minds. Bharatendu Harishchandra is one of them. Born in September, 1850 in Varanasi, Harishchandra was to give, through an astounding outburst of creative energy, a new impetus and direction to the growth of Hindi language and literature. Besides being a campaigner and an advocate for measures aimed at widening the mental and intellectual horizon of the people, he was also a great social reformer.

Harishchandra befriended his eminent contemporaries like Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, Kerala Varma of Travancore, Keshub Chunder Sen  and  Madhusudan Dutt. He transmitted to Hindi the 'new urges' that motivated the renaissance in Bengal. His contribution to the evolution and popularisation of what preceded present-day Hindi, and his enrichment of different branches of  Hindi  literature, are considered so substantial and significant that Harishchandra is  often  called the Father  of 'Modern'  Hindi.

Universally regarded as Hindi's pioneer dramatist-with about a dozen and a half original plays or adaptations from Sanskrit, Bengali and English to his credit ­ Harishchandra  played  an equally important part in the development of early Hindi journalism. He was also the first  notable Hindi writer of essays, travelogues, bio­ graphical sketches   and books on the history of antiquities. Besides his rich contribution to poetry-he wrote some 300 devotional songs in all conceivable metres - he was also possibly the first Hindi poet to practise his craft in Khariboli.

Towards the evening of his life, Harishchandra was encouraging a number of writers to switch over to Hindi novel. George Grierson, a well-known foreign historian of literature in the Indian Languages, described Harishchandra as the "most celebrated of the native poets of the present day, (and one who) has done more for the popularisation of vernacular literatures than almost any other living Indian". When he died on January 5, 1885 at the 'age of 34, Hindi lost one of its greatest literary figures. To have achieved his pre-eminent position at the age of just thirty-four and to have blazed a trail in so many fields, is, indeed, a great achievement.

The Posts and Telegraphs Department is privileged to bring out a commemorative stamp in honour of Bharatendu Harishchandra.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India