Hindi Diwas 2025: From A Police Officer To Seasoned Litterateurs, Stories Of Love For The Language

New Delhi/Ghaziabad: Every language is cherished by people from various walks of life. The same is the case with Hindi, which is used as a medium of expression by those sensitive to the developments around them. Quite often, these people come as a surprise as their expression is contrary to the image of the profession they are in. The language has brought recognition for several such poets and writers.

Take, for example, Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rajendra Kalkal, who, besides giving his service to the Police force in Delhi, is also a litterateur, poet and cartoonist who views Hindi as a language that connects every class while also being of help in his policing duties.

He related that Hindi is being given preference by the Delhi Police, where the majority of the work, including correspondence, is done in the language.

"Even though Delhi is seen as a hi-tech city and the Police use technology, Hindi remains the preferred medium of communication. It is comfortable and effective in speaking and writing," he said.

Talking about his passion for poetry, Kalkal said, "One manages to find time for his hobby. Some take out time to listen to songs, some cook, and I take time to write poems and make cartoons. These keep me balanced."

His poems highlight the struggle of life, self-confidence and positive thinking. His lines not only have literary beauty but also contain deep truth and inspiration.

Kalkal is also a motivational speaker who aims to bring a change in the lives of people. He believes that life is short and should be lived happily.

His works show that even inside the Police uniform beats the heart of a poet who believes in inspiring society and respecting the language.

In the neighbouring city of Ghaziabad also there are also eminent personalities serving this language like Kunwar Bechain, Sewa Ram Yatri and Krishna Mitra.

Writer Alok Yatri related that while Yatri made Ghaziabad famous in the field of stories and novels, Bechain did the same through poetry and ghazals. Both of them were the pioneers of literary activities in the city since the 1960s.

Yatri’s name figures among the famous litterateurs and writers of the country. Born on July 10, in the village Jadauda of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, he wrote more than 300 stories, 40 anthologies and 32 novels besides memoirs, satire, etc.

From 1959 to 1993, Yatri worked as a Hindi teacher in MS Inter College in Ghaziabad. His works figure in the syllabus of many universities. His writings were published in many prestigious magazines and newspapers in the country. He died on November 17, 2023, after a prolonged illness.

Relating an anecdote, Alok Yatri said, “Yatri’s real name was Sewa Ram Gupta. The name Yatri was given to him by the famous author Upendranath Ashk. We came to know only after his death that, after Munshi Premchand, it was Yatri who had written the maximum number of stories in India. More than 50 people have researched the writings." His most popular stories include ‘Dusre Chehre’, ‘Daraz Mein Band Dastavez’ and ‘Aam Aadmi Kahan Hai’.

Meanwhile, Bechain's name is counted among the great lyricists and poets of India. Born on July 1, 1942, in Umri village of Moradabad district in Uttar Pradesh, he was raised by his sister after the early death of their father. His real name was Dr Kunwar Bahadur Saxena, and he spent his early days in Chandausi. He went on to obtain MCom, MA and PhD degrees.

Bechain taught for a long time in Ghaziabad's prestigious MMH College, where he was the Head of Hindi Department, a post from which he retired. He passed away on April 29, 2023. Humble in behaviour and sweet in speech, Bechain was a simple man with several achievements. There is a road named after him at Kalkaji Gaadi Chowk in Ghaziabad, and also a park in the Nehru Nagar area of the city.

His works are also taught at several universities and schools in states like Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Alok Yatri said, “Even though Bechain sahib is not amongst us, he is present through his poems. He did a lot of work in the field of Ghazals and his songs are liked all over the world.”

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