About Editor

"Rajendra Yadav's reputation as a major fiction-writer in post-Independence India is indisput­able. What is hotly debated in the Hindi public sphere is his deconstructionist role as a social commentator and as the editor of a popular literary monthly. Iconic figure for a new breed of defiant subaltern writer-activists, Rajendra Yadav, now in his seventies, is perhaps the most controversial Indian writer alive today," says Brajranjan Mani.

Born in Agra, of an Aryasamaji mother and an agnostic father who was a medical doctor, Rajendra Yadav had his elementary school education in Agra. Then occurred the event that catapulted him to the voca­tion of a writer. While he was studying in a school in Mawana, Meerut, staying with his uncle, he broke one leg in a brawl while playing hockey and was confined to bed for a year; the accident that left him impaired perma­nently, provided him enough time to read and reflect, chang­ing the course of his life; during this period, he read the novel Chandrakanta and wrote nearly one thousand pages of a novel under its influence. This proved to be almost like a kind of home­work for his future writing ca­reer. Another formative experi­ence was the tour he made of South India along with Amrit Lal Nagar and Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma which instilled in him a sense of unity in diversity found in this great country.
 
Rajendra Yadav is the principal architect of the 'New Wave' phenomenon in post-Indepen­dence Hindi fiction. He is one of the pioneers of the Nai Kahani movement, which comprised in absorbing the spirit of the con­temporary and presenting it starkly. His first novel, Pret Bolte Hain, which was later renamed Sara Akash (which has by now, according to Yadav, sold one mil­lion copies, an enviable figure for any Indian book) and has been translated into almost all Indian languages and several foreign languages, was a path­breaker. Sara Akash is perhaps the first Hindi novel which at­tempts to shock Indian culture out of its centuries-old somno­lence. Basu Chatterjee made a film out of it, which, along with Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan Shome, launched parallel cinema in Hindi.
 
Ukhre Huey Log, his next novel, brilliantly depicts how the changed socio-economic condi­tions compel the individual to negotiate the sullied path one does not want to tread. It is the poignant story of a couple forced to desert the conventional path, yet find themselves unable to ac­climatize to a corrupt and dev­ilish world. It was in this novel that the 'living in' concept was envisaged for the first time.
 
After writing these two nov­els, he went to Kolkata, in early 1954, for doing his PhD, on the topic ''Yog Darshan and Hindi Poetry." Philosophy proved to be so tough a topic that he ended up reading Chekhov and other great fiction writers in the Na­tional Library.
 
He wrote two more novels, Kulta (translated as The Flirt but which actually means 'The Way­ward Wife') and Shaah aur Maat (Check and Mate); wrote several stories and translated Turgenev, Chekhov, Lermontov (A Hero of Our Times) and Albert Camus (The Outsider).
 
Ek Inch Muskaan which Rajendra Yadav and wife Mannu' Bhandari wrote together, is a love tragedy of schizophrenic indi­viduals. Here, Amar and Amala, condemned to reeling under angst, ennui and self-alienation, are entrapped in a love-and-Iove­less love-intrigue, unable to come out of their wretched ex­istence. There is an interesting background episode to this novel. Prior to their writing it, a novel was serialized in Gyanodaya in which eleven authors wrote eleven chapters. Taking their cue from this, Mannu Bhandari and Rajendra Yadav wrote the novel, dividing among themselves the female and male characters respectively and it was serialized in Gyanodaya for one year. This novel has been taken note of for its innovative style and tech­nique. Mannu was pregnant with their daughter then and at one juncture, a notice appeared in Gyanodaya. which announced: "Mannu Bhandari's rachana is not being carried in this issue, because she has just given birth to a rachana."

In 1964, Mannu got a job in Miranda House, Delhi University and the family settled down there. Thus came to an end the ten-year Kolkata phase of his life, with a one-and-half-years' so­journ in Delhi. By then he had authored seven novels, six col­lections of short stories and one collection of Chekhov's plays (The Seagull, The Cherry Or­chard, The Three Sisters) in Hindi translation. These plays were performed on countless stages.

In 1964, Yadav founded Akshar Prakashan Pvt. Ltd., un­der whose banner he brought out the works of writers like Agyey, Girija Kumar Mathur, Raghuvir Sahai, Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena, Nemichand Jain, Ram Vilas Sharma, Rahi Mazoor Raza, Mohan Rakesh, Kamleshwar and, of course, his own and Mannu Bhandari's writings. This pub­lishing house took upon itself the task of publishing mostly the first works of authors, be it poetry, short -story collection or novel The venture was obviously not a commercial one, but even in­curring regular losses he ran it for 25 years, till it finally closed down.
 
31st July, 1986: (Premchand's birthday): Rajendra Yadav, along with Gautam Navlakha, re­launched the magazine Hans established originally by Premchand in 1930, in which K.M.Munshi and Mahatma Gandhi had editorial association over different periods. "Many people believe that 'Munshi Premchand' is a combination of 'K.M.Munshi' and 'Premchand,''' quips Yadav. The magazine had stopped publication in 1953. After its re-Iaunch, to this day, under his editorship, it remains a very controversial magazine, because of its radical approach. According to him it is perhaps the only magazine in India run by an individual for two decades without support from any busi­ness house or organisation. Only contributions from well-meaning friends are accepted. Arundhati Roy has donated one lakh and fifty thousand rupees this year. And the magazine is brought out regularly, uninterruptedly, and completed 18 years on 31st July 2003. All these years, on every 31'st July, seminars on literature, culture and social issues are organized. This seminar is very important in the yearly calendar of events in Delhi's social life.

Rajendra Yadav's recent titles such as Auron Ke Bahane, Wey Devata Nahin Hai and Mud Mud Ke Dekhta Hun, are interesting reminiscences of the past and not biographical pieces. He calls them memory fragments, which shows his critical-diagnostic in­tellect at its peak. Handled with fine sensitivity, supreme crafts­manship, and a bit of detach­ment, he portrays himself and his friends and other writers in these pieces as if they are fic­tional characters. Says renowned Hindi poet and fiction writer Uday Prakash:

"Even when he reminisces about actual events and charac­ters of the past, his device is of a fiction writer creating a space between the real and the virtual, between truth and illusion. His characters are identifiable be­yond these texts as real people, who transform themselves into equally fictitious constructs of a narrative. They are both real and imaginary at any moment of their existence."

There is one policy Rajendra Yadav has stuck to diligently. Im­mediately after his Masters' in
1951,he was offered a lecturer's, job in his alma mater, Agra Col­lege, but he chose not to accept it preferring to keep the total free­dom of the writer. He has, to this day, not taken up any occupa­tion that would infringe upon such unsullied freedom which has emboldened him to criticize everything, and to abide by  his commitment to radical thinking and action.

A Select Bibliography

Novels

Short Story Collections

1. Devataon Ki Murtiyan, Alok Prakashan, Bikaner, 1951
2. Khel Khilone, Bharatiya Jnanpith, New Delhi, 1953
3. Jahan Lakshmi Kaid Hai, Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, 1957
4. Chote Chote Tajmahal, Rajpal & Sons, New Delhi, 1961
5. Kinare Se Kinare Tak, Rajpal & Sons, New Delhi, 1962
6. Dhol aur Apne Par, Naional Pub­ lishing House, New Delhi, 1966
7. Padav-1, Padav-2, (Collected Sto­ries), National Publishing House, New Delhi, 1989
8. Wahan Tak Pahoonchne ki Daur,Radhakrishna Prakashan, New Delhi
 
Poetry
1. Awaj Teri Hai, Bharatiya Jnanpith, New Delhi, 1960
 
Criticism
1. Kahani: Swarup aur Samvedna,  National Publishing House,New Delhi, 1968
2. Prem Chand Ki Virasat, Akshar  Prakashan, New Delhi, 1978
3. Atthara Upanyas, National Pub­ lishing House, New Delhi,1981 .
4. Auron Ke Bahane, Akshar Prakashan, New Delhi, 1980
5. Kante Ki Baat (Eleven Volumes) Vani Prakashan, New Delhi,1994
6. Kahani Anubhav aur Abhivyakti,  Vani Prakashan, New Delhi,1996
7.Upanyas: Swarup aur Samvendana, Vani Prakashan, New Delhi, 1998
8.Aadmi Ki Nigah Mein Aurat, Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, 2001
9.Wey Devata Nahin Hain, Vani Prakashan, New Delhi, 2001
10. Mud Mudke Dekhta Hun, (Auto­biographical)., Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, 2002
 
Edited
1. Hans (Monthly) since 1986 . Ek Duniya Samantar, Akshar Prakashan, New Delhi, 1967
2. Abhi Dilli Door Hai, Vani Prakashan, New Delhi, 1995
 
Interviews
1.Mere Sakshatkar, Kitab Ghar, New Delhi, 1994
2. Vikramaditya Jawab Do, Vani Prakashan, New Delhi, 2003 

Chronology

1929 Born in Agra.
1946 Passed matriculation from Jhansi.
1949 Graduated from Agra College.
1951 Passed M.A. Hindi, standing First Class First. Published his first novel, Pret Bolte Hain which was later renamed Sara Akash.
1953 Joined Gyanodaya, a monthly published from Saharanpur where he worked for a brief period. Wrote the second novel, Ukhre Huey Log (Disinherited People).
1954 Shifted to Kolkata to do Ph.D
1956-59 Again joined Gyanodaya thrice in Kolkata off and on; published two more novels, Kulta and Shaah aur Maat, wrote several stories and did translations of Turgenev, Chekhov, Lermontov and Albert Camus. Freelanced for some time.
1958 Left Kolkata and stayed in Delhi for one and a half years.
1959 Returned to Kolkata and married Mannu Bhandari. 
1960-61 Published a novel Ek Inch Muskaan, jointly with his wife.
1961 Daughter Rachana born. Settled down in Delhi perma­nently.
1964 Founded Akshar Prakashan Pvt. Ltd. 
1986 Re-launched the magazine Hans es­tablished originally by Premchand in 1930.
1989-90 Stayed in lIT, Kanpur, for about a year as a Writer in Residence. 
1998-2001 Member of the  Prasar Bharati Board. 
1998 Shivpujan Sahay Samman. 
2003  Shalaka Samman of the Delhi Hindi Akademi.