25 Famous Hindi Poets Of India We All Must Know

Poems are the songs that we all loved reciting in our childhood. Poems are rhythmical compositions wielding emotions and beauty in the world, but it's not everyone's cup of tea to use the words so wisely and beautifully.

Writing is a magic that can be performed only by the ones who possess the power. Nowadays, writing has become a popular platform and many aspire and try to compose. But not everyone can be called a poet. Indeed, there's a poet inside everyone. But not everyone can write, and the power to express the sentiments through words, in such a way that it connects with a mass, that's what makes a person an actual writer!

"The importance of poetry is measured not by what is being said, but by how it is being said". That's what determines the real aptitude of a poet.

There have been many great poets and writers throughout the world whose writings are still loved, read, and appreciated.

We're blessed to have some exceptional gems from our very own nation, India, who've contributed largely in the field of literature and have produced many beautiful and meaningful compositions which are still admired and are exceptional. In this article, I'm going to tell you about 25 great Hindi Poets of India and all one must know about them...

1. Kabir Das

"गूरू गोविंद दोऊ खड़े, काके लागू पाय;

बलिहारी प़भु आपके, गोविंद दियो बताय।। "

Abovementioned lines are one of the many great and witty dohas of Sant Kabir Das who is one of the great Hindi poets of all times.

Born nearly six centuries ago, Sant Kabir is often regarded as the 'Mystic Poet of the 15th century'.

Born near Banaras/Varanasi, this great Hindi Poet was an extraordinary combination of humanism who could not be confined to the realm of anyone religion and had his definition of God.

His life story is riddled with contradictory parables originating from both Hindu and Islamic sources where Hindus call him to be a Hindu Saint whereas Muslims call him a Sufi. The incredible Hindi poet KabirDas cites Ramananda as his Lord in his compositions.

Sant Kabir was illiterate but possessed great wisdom and knowledge within. He is an incredible Hindi poet and his writing style was earthy, pithy, and knitted with imagery and surprise, which were conveyed orally as poems in Hindi, using local dialects such as Awadhi, Braj, Bhojpuri.

Kabir's compositions comprise mainly of two-line couplets, termed as "Kabir ke Dohe".

His greatest work is the 'Bijak' (The Seedling) which is a collection of poems that depicts the spiritual perception of the great Hindi Poet, Sant Kabir Das.

In his last days, he was called before emperor Sikandar Lodhi and charged with contending possession of divine powers and hence got banished from Varanasi in 1495. Thereafter, it's believed that he moved throughout northern India along with his disciples, continuing his life in Exile.

Sant Kabirdas died at Maghar in 1518 and will be forever remembered as a great soul and one of the best Hindi poets ever.

2. Tulsidas

Another legendary Hindi Poet from the spiritual land of Varanasi is Goswami Tulsidas who was a prominent philosopher, Saint, and a very pure soul from Ramanandi Sampradaya, and more importantly, was a great devotee of Lord Shri Ram.

Goswami Tulsidas began his literary works in 1574 and some of his compositions are of great literary merits, but his Ramcharitmanas took his writing to another level and is considered as his best work. It consists of several beautiful 'Chaupai' solely devoted to Lord Rama and many verses from Ramcharitmanas, are taken as very famous Proverbs and are used by millions of Hindi Speakers.

Besides Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas wrote five longer and six shorter compositions. Some of his masterpiece works are The Dohavali, The Kavitavali, The Gitavali, The Krishnavali, The Vinay Patrika, and the wonderful Hanuman Chalisa.

Some other minor writings by him are Vairagya Sandipani, Baravai Ramayana, Janki Mangal, Ramalala Nahachhu, Parvati Mangal and Sankat Mochan.

The great Hindi poet Sant Tulsidas Ji wrote his last composition by the name "Vinay Patrika" in which he requests lord Shri Ram to bless him with bhakti and accept his requisition.

Sant Tulsidas Ji was a unique and classic writer and Hindi poet in his times and his works will forever sing the legend of his deep wisdom and devotion.

3. Ramdhari Singh Dinkar

"सच है विप्पत्ति जब आती है, कायर को ही दहलाती है"

Abovementioned is the incredible poem by the great Hindi poet, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, which all must have surely come across in a Hindi book during school. I indeed loved the poem and such a power is possessed by this great writer that you'll be mesmerized by the words he uses in his poems.

He knew very well the art of conveying deep meanings through simple words.

His superpatriotic poetry jotted down before independence and amassed him the title of 'National Poet'.

Dinkar spent the early half of his life in utter poverty as he was born in a poor Brahmin family in Begusarai, Bihar. His hardship and struggle as a child served as a boon which molded him into such a masterpiece Hindi poet and writer.

His first poetry was published in a local newspaper in 1924 and was called "Chhatra Scholar".

Some of his other wonderful poems and compositions are: "कृष्ण की चेतावनी", "कलम, आज उनकी जय बोल", "परशुराम की प्रतीक्षा", "कलम या‌ कि तलवार", "रोटी और स्वाधीनता", "भारत का यह रेशमी नगर", "हमारे कृषक", "कुरूक्षेत्र", "ध्वज वंदना" and many more.

Along with being a great Hindi poet, Dinkar Ji also served as a member of Rajya Sabha from 1952-1964 and was adorned with the "Padma Bhushan" for his exceptional liturgy in the field of writing.

In April 1974, at the age of 65, his life reached a full stop but his extraordinary work and life will always inspire us, and he'll be remembered as one of the best and most talented Hindi Poets our nation has ever had!

4. Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'

As the name 'Nirala' suggests, this Hindi poet was a unique and amazing writer who through his writings, experimented with different genres and themes.

Born on 21st Feb 1896 in Midnapur, Bangal, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' received his primary education in Bangla. He was an incredible Hindi Poet, novelist, essayist, and pioneer of the Chhayavaad (Neo-Romantic) movement of Hindi Literature.

His life has been an experience of catastrophe, losses, failure, and struggle which started with the demise of his mother when he was just 2 years old. At 15, he got banished from his father's house for failing the Matriculation exam, and within the next three years, he lost his father, wife, brother, and sister-in-law to an influenza epidemic.

In 1923, his first poetry collection "Anamika" was issued, about his work "Parimal". He says, "Like humans long for freedom, poetry also wants to be free".

He continued writing and became an established Hindi poet while another tragedy occurred when his daughter died at the age of 18, which truly shook him from the bottom but also became the inspiration of his greatest writing i.e "Saroj Smriti".

Some of his great compositions are:

Poetry: "ध्वनि","परिमल","प्रियतम","नए पत्ते","तुलसीदास","जन्मभूमि","जागो फिर एक बार","भिक्षुक","तोड़ती पत्थर" इत्यादि।।
Novels: "अप्सरा", "अलका", "प्रभावती", "निरुपमा", "चमेली", "चोटी की पकड़", "इन्दुलेखा"।।
Collection of Stories: "चतुरी चमार", "साखी", "लिली", "देवी", "सुकुल की बीवी"।।
Essays: "प्रबंध परिचय", "प्रबंध प्रतिमा", "चाबुक", "चयन".
Translations: "आनंद मठ", "राज रानी", "चन्द्र शेखर".

He died in Allahabad on 15th Oct 1961 but left behind a remarkable Hindi Poet and writer whose works will forever be admired and respected.

5. Jaishankar Prasad

Born on 30th January 1889, Jaishankar Prasad was a Hindi Poet and served as a distinguished figure in modern Hindi literature as well as Hindi theatre. He started writing with the pen name "Kaladhar" and wrote his first collection of poetry known as "Chitradhar" in Braj dialect of Hindi, but his later works came in Sanskritized Hindi or Khadi dialect.

Jaishankar Prasad was one of the well known Hindi Poets of his time and is regarded as one of the Four Pillars (चार स्तंभ) of Romanticism in Hindi Literature (छायावाद), together with Mahadevi Verma, Sumitranandan Pant and Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'. Through his incredible and remarkable compositions, Prasad has a festoon Hindi writing section and the subject of his poetry covers the precise frontier of subjects of his era, from romantic to patriotic to nationalistic.

Some of his major compositions are :

Poetry: "कानन कुसुम", "महाराणा का महत्त्व", "झरना", "आंसू", "लहर", "कामायनी", "प्रेम पथिक", "आत्म कथा"।।
Drama: "एक घूंट", "स्कंदगुप्त", "चंद्रगुप्त", "ध्रुवस्वामिनी", "जन्मेजय का यज्ञ", "राज्यश्री", "अजातशत्रु"।।
Story Collection: "अंधी", "प्रतिध्वनि", "आकाशदीप", "इंद्रजाल", "चित्र मन्दिर" ।।
Novels: "कंकाल", "तितली", "इरावती", "ममता"।।

He died on 25th November 1937 but gave the world an amazing Hindi Poet and writer whose writings will continue to inspire and sing his glory.

6. Sumitranandan Pant

One of the most celebrated Hindi Poets of the 20th century was Sumitranandan Pant (20 May 1900 - 28 Dec 1977) who was known for romanticism in his poems which were inspired by nature, people, and elegance within. Pant grew up in a village and had a great attachment with the nature, beauty, and aroma of rural India which can be easily carved in his major works.

Pant mostly penned in Sanskritized Hindi and is reckoned as one of the prominent Hindi Poets of the Chhayavadi School of Hindi Literature and composed 28 published works containing poetry, verse plays, and essays. He also composed evolved, socialist, humanist and philosophical poetry.

He worked with several similes and metaphors which made his writings more interesting and admirable.

Some of his major compositions are:

"चिदंबरा", "वीना", "पल्लव", "गुंजन", "ग्राम्या", "युगांत", "युगवाणी", "कला", "लोकायतन", "बूढ़ा चांद", "पतझड़", "तारापथ", "सौवर्ण", "अतिमा", "खादी के फूल" (बच्चन जी के साथ संयुक्त संग्रह), "परिवर्तन", "प्रथम रश्मि", "गंगा", "याद", इत्यादि!!

He was embellished with many awards such as The Sahitya Academy Award, The Jnanpith Award, and The Padma Bhushan.

He died in 1977 in Allahabad, and his childhood home in Kausani is now a museum that shows his daily use of articles, letters, drafts of his poems, books, stories, awards, etc.

7. Mahadevi Verma

The "Modern Meera" and legendary Hindi poet, writer, and novelist Mahadevi Verma was born on 26 March 1907 and had sighted India both before and after independence. She was one of those Hindi Poets who worked for the wider society of India and not only her poetry but also her social upliftment deeds and welfare evolution among women were also depicted deeply in her compositions.

She started her career with teaching and was principal of Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth. She also possessed the qualities of a skilled painter and creative translator.

She had the distinction of receiving all the important awards in Hindi Literature and served as a legendary Hindi Poetess and writer of her era.

She had an immense attachment with nature, animals and had befriended many animals and birds as her pets, and none were treated less than any independent human being.

Mahadevi Verma was honored with the great awards viz, "Padma Bhushan (1956)", "Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (1979)", "Jnanpith Award(1982)","Padma Vibhushan (1988)".

Some major works of this extraordinary Hindi Poetess are:

Poetry: "निहार", "रश्मि", "नीरजा", "संध्यागीत", "प्रथम आयाम", "सप्तपर्ण", "दीपशिखा", "अग्निरेखा"।।
Prose: "अतीत के चलचित्र","स्मृति की रिहाई", "पथ के साथी", "मेरा परिवार", "संस्मरण", "संभासन", "विवेचमनक गद्य", "स्कंद", "हिमालय"।।
Others: "ठाकुरजी भोले हैं", "आज खरीदेंगे हम ज्वाला"।।

Mahadevi Verma spent most of her life in Allahabad (PrayagRaj) of Uttar Pradesh and died there on 11th September 1987. Her writings are widely read and admired to date, and she will be remembered as one of the best Hindi poets and writers forever.

8. Harivansh Rai Bachchan

Widely remembered for his eternal composition "Madhushala", Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a gem Hindi Poet and the audience had a craze for his poetry and writings because they had the power to make people feel the lyrics, and that's the actual quality of a great writer.

Born on 27th Nov 1907, Bacchan was from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh and graduated from Allahabad University in 1929, and later joined there as a Research Scholar and then in 1941, as Lecturer in English Literature, and later went to Cambridge University.

Bacchan Ji was the first Indian to get a Ph.D. in English Literature from Cambridge University.

"Tera Haar" was his first poetry collection and then came to the legend "Madhushala" which if you haven't read or heard yet then just go through it once, and you'll need no more facts to know why Harivansh Rai Bachchan is termed as a Legend Hindi Poet and why people love him and his writings so much!

Along with being a great Hindi poet and writer, Bacchan has many more achievements on the list. Some of them are:

Awards: "Sahitya Akademi Award", "The Soviet Land Nehru Award", "Padma Bhushan", "The (first) Saraswati Samman Winner", "Afro-Asian Writers' Conference Lotus Prize"
Memberships:
1. Nominated member by the President of India to the Rajya Sabha, 1966.
2. Member of the Advisory Board for Hindi, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi (1963-67)
Some of his beautiful compositions are:
Poetry: तेरा हार, मधुशाला, मधुबाला, मधुकलश, निशा निमंत्रण, एकांत संगीत, आकुल अंतर, सतरंगिनी, हलाहल, बंगाल का काव्य, खादी के फूल, चार खेमें चौसठ खूंटे, दो चट्टाने.
Prose/Miscellaneous: बचपन के साथ क्षण भर, सोपान, मैकबेथ, जनगीता, ओथेलो, कवियों के सौम्य संत: पंत, नए पुराने झरोखे, अभिनव सोपान, चौसठ रूसी कविताएं, बच्चन के लोकप्रिय गीत, हेमलेट, किंग लियर.

We lost him on 18th Jan 2003, at the age of 96, because of respiratory problems.

There's no enough word to define the greatness of this incredible Hindi Poet so not going any further I would end it here with a few lines from one of the best and inspiration poems by him that says:

"लहरों से डरकर नौका पार नहीं होती,

कोशिश करने वालों की कभी हार नहीं होती।। "

9. Maithili Sharan Gupt

Maithili Sharan Gupt was born on 3 August 1886 and was considered as one of the most important Modern Hindi Poets as well as one of the apostles of Khari Boli Poetry and usually wrote in the same dialect. Mahatma Gandhi gave him the title "Rashtra Kavi".

Maithili Sharan Gupt was born in Chirgaon, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, to Seth Ramcharan Gupta and Kashibai and his father as well as brother, both were distinguished poet's, so he had a great poetic environment.

In his childhood, Gupt studied Sanskrit, English, and Bengali with Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi as his mentor.

His first prominent work "रंग में भंग" was published by the Indian Press in 1910 and with "भारत भारती" his nationalist works gained great popularity.

Mainly the plots of his poems revolved around Mahabharata, Ramayana, Buddhist Stories, and the lives of other prominent religious leaders. His works are indicated by non-rhyming couplets in Khadi Boli and his works depict how religious he was.

His major works are: साकेत, रंग में भंग, मातृभूमि, भारत भारती, जयद्रथ वध, विकट भट, प्लासी का युद्ध, गुरुकुल, किसान, पंचवटी, निर्झर, यशोधरा, मनुष्यता, किरणों का खेल।।

He also served as an honorary member of the Rajya Sabha after independence, where he presented his opinions through his poetry and was awarded 'The Padma Bhushan' in 1954. He was undoubtedly a great Hindi Poet as well as a patriot, and served India as a member of Rajya Sabha till the end of his life, in 1964.

10. Makhanlal Chaturvedi

Born on 4th April 1889, Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi was an incredible Hindi Poet, writer, essayist, playwright, and journalist who played a prominent role in the Indian National Struggle and contributed greatly to the Chhayavaad of the Neo-Romantic movement of Hindi Literature.

Born in Hoshangabad District of Madhya Pradesh, this wonderful Hindi poet was popularly known as 'Pandit Ji' and is the first victor of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi, in 1955 for his 'हिम तरंगिनी'.

Later, he was also adorned with the civilian honor of the "Padma Bhushan" in 1963, by the government of India.

As a remarkable Hindi Poet, he wrote many amazing poems, and his "पुष्प की अभिलाषा" is one of my favorite poems and I cannot stop myself from sharing few lines from the same:

"मुझे तोड़ लेना वनमाली, उस पथ पर देना तुम फेंक,

मातृभूमि पर शीश चढ़ाने, जिस पथ जाए वीर अनेक।"

Other major works of his include :

"दीप से दीप जले", "प्यारे भारत देश", "वेणु लो, गूंजे धरा", "अमर राष्ट्र", "दूधिया चांदनी सांवली हो गई", "वे तुम्हारे बोल", "कल कल स्वर में बोल उठी है", "हां, याद तुम्हारी आती थी", "बेटी की विदा", "कैसी है पहचान तुम्हारी", "रोटियों की जय", "जलियां वाला की वेदी", "बोल तो किसके लिए मैं", "संध्या के बस दो बोल सुहाने लगते हैं".

In memory of this great Hindi Poet, the Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Akademi holds the annual "Makhanlal Chaturvedi Samaroh'' and also awards the annual "Makhanlal Chaturvedi Puruskar'' to Indian Hindi poets for merit in Poetry writing. Also, "The Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Vishwavidyalaya" at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh has been created and named in his respect, which is enough to depict his respect and significance.

11. Abdul Rahim Khan-e- Khana

A great Hindi Poet from the age of Mughals was Khanzada Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim who was usually called Rahim. He was one of the most important members of emperor Akbar's court and was among the 9 jewelers or the "Navratnas". Rahim was the son of Bairam Khan and was born in Delhi on 17 December 1556. He is well known for his couplets or dohe and his book on Astrology.

He also translated Babar's memoirs, 'Baburnama' from Chagatai Language to Persian Language and he also possessed remarkable command over the Sanskrit language which he used in his two books on Astrology viz 'Khet Kautukam' and 'Dwatrinsha Yogavali'.

He was also titled "Khan-e-Khana" which simply means Khan of Khan's.

He devoted the whole of his life to working for the great emperor Akbar and his son Jahangir.

He left this world on 1st October 1627 and his tomb lies in Nizamuddin East on the Mathura road, near Humayun's tomb in New Delhi, and it's a great historical and architectural site to visit.

12. Amir Khusro

Abu'l Hasan Yamin ud-din Khusrau, commonly known as Amir Khusro Dehlavi was a part of the Delhi Sultanate and was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, a great Hindi Poet, musician as well as a scholar. He mainly wrote in Persian but also used Hindavi and was a mystic as well as a spiritual learner and follower of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi. He is also called the "Voice of India" or "Parrot of India" (Tuti-e-Hind) and has been regarded as the "Father of Urdu Literature".

He is also known as the "Father of Qawwali" and was the one to bring up the Ghazal style of song in India, which is to date loved and enjoyed in India as well as in Pakistan.

Khusro was very attached with his family and on losing his mother he quoted,

"Wherever the dust of your feet is found is like a relic of Paradise for me."

He contributed greatly to Hindustani Music as he's known as the founder of Qawwali, Tarana, and Trivat, and is also credited for the invention of Sitar.

Some of his major works include:

Tuhfat us-Sight (The gift of Childhood), Wast al-Hayat (The middle of life), Miftah ul-futuh (Key to the victories), Khamsa-e-Khusrau (Khamsa of Khusrau), Nuh Sipihr (Nine Skies), Baqia-Naqia (Remnants of Purity), Khaliq Bari, Jawahir-e-Khusravi, and more.

Khusrau died in October 1325, six months after the death of Nizamuddin Auliya and his tomb also lies next to his spiritual head in the Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi.

Nihayat ul-Kamaal (The Zenith of Perfection) is said to be his last composition which was completed a few weeks before his death.

13. Bharatendu Harishchandra

Born on 9th September 1850, Bharatendu Ji belonged to the Agarwal caste in Benaras and his father Gopal Chandra was a poet which made the perfect environment for a great Hindi Poet to sprout and learn. Along with being a great Hindi Poet, Bharatendu Ji wrote many dramas, life sketches, travel accounts as well as introduced new media like reports, publications, letters to the editor, translations, and other literary works and is usually considered as the Father of Hindi Literature and Hindi Theatre.

He earlier composed with the name Girdhar Das and was later named Bharatendu which means 'The Moon of India'.

Not only did he write great poetry and was an amazing Hindi Poet, but he also composed various plays and dramas and used theatre as a piece of equipment to shape social opinion.

Some of his main compositions are :

• Plays: "वैदिक हिंसा हिंसा न भवति", "सत्य हरिश्चंद्रर", "भारत दुर्दशा", "नीलदेवी", "अंधेर नगरी"।।

• Poetry: "भक्त सर्वज्ञ", "प्रेम मालिका", "प्रेम माधुरी", "प्रेम तरंग", "प्रेम प्रकल्प, प्रेम फुलवारी, प्रेम सरोवर", "मधुमुकुल", "होली", "राग संग्रह", "वर्षा विनोद", "विनय प्रेम पचासा", "फूलों का गुच्छा", "चंद्रावली", "कृष्ण चरित्र", "उत्तरार्ध भक्तमाल"।।

• Translations: "रत्नावली", "मुद्राराक्षस", "विद्यासुंदर", "कर्पूरमंजरी", "दुर्लभ बंधु (Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice)".

• Essay Collection: "भारतेंदु ग्रंथावली (1885)".

In honor of this great Hindi Poet, since 1983, The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India awards the Bharatendu Harishchandra Awards to encourage and endorse original compositions in Hindi Mass Communication.

14. Chand Bardai

Born on 30th September 1149, in Lahore, Chand Bardai was an incredible Hindi Poet and acquires the honor of being the 'First Hindi Poet' and his masterpiece composition "पृथ्वीराज रासो" is termed as the first Hindi Composition. It's also the largest Hindi writing which contains more than 10,000 verses and has the use of almost six contemporary existing languages.

Prithviraj Raso is legendary poetry penned in the Brajbhasha dialect and depicts the story of Chahamana King 'Prithviraj Chauhan'.

Some other creations of this unique Hindi Poet are:

"पद्मावती", "पृथ्वीराज रासो", "प्रणम्म प्रथम मम आदि देव", "तन तेज तरनी ज्यों घनह ओप", "कुछ छंद".

15. Bhawani Prasad Mishra

The name Bhawani Prasad Mishra omits the feeling of calmness and reminds of a simple and soothing figure and his works take you to feel the pleasant smell of the soil and the never-ending beauty of nature!

Born on 29th March 1913, Bhawani Prasad Mishra was a Hindi Poet and author.

He belonged from the village Tigaria of Hoshangabad District in erstwhile Center Province of British India and lived in Delhi for a long time.

His book "Buni Huwi Rassi" won him the honor of being awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1972.

Some of his beautiful compositions are:

"ये कोहरे मेरे हैं", "त्रिकाल संध्या", "तूस की आग", "कुछ नीति कुछ राजनीति", "इदम न मम", "गीतफरोश", "बुनी हुई रस्सी", "कठपुतली कविता", "सतपुड़ा के घने जंगल", "पहिला Pain", "घर की याद".

Bhawani Prasad Mishra left the world at the age of 69, on 29th February 1983, and is still remembered as one of the great poets, who through their works made themselves successful and the country proud.

16. Kumar Vishwas

Born on 10th February 1930, Vishwas Kumar Sharma or Kumar Vishwas belongs to a Brahmin family from Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh and is an incredible Hindi Poet, politician, and lecturer. He has also been a part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and served as a former member of its National Executive.

As a student, he joined the Motilal Nehru Regional Engineering College as his father wanted him to be an engineer, but his interest lay in writing and literature, and so he left engineering and joined Hindi Literature and earned a Ph.D. there. He joined the Indira Gandhi PG College, Rajasthan, as a lecturer in 1994.

This great Hindi Poet is now the host of a comedy show known as KV Sammelan, on the Aaj Tak channel, and he still performs at places where he expresses his stunning poetries and his love and respect for Hindi, Sanskrit, and Urdu Literature.

Some of his remarkable compositions are:

एक पगली लड़की के बिन (1996)
कोई दीवाना कहता है (2007)
होटों पर गंगा हो (2016)
फिर मेरी याद (2019)
है नमन उनको
अपने अपने राम and more...

17. Meera

In this country of gods and devotees, which person wouldn't have heard about Meerabai.

Meerabai was a 16th-century mystic Hindi Poet and a great devotee of Lord Krishna.

She's my favorite one from the list because dedication like her and the selfless love that she portrayed, cannot be matched.

She was born in a Royal family in Rajasthan where she spent most of her childhood. She is known as the passionate devotee and lover who fearlessly overlooked the social and family customs and regarded Krishna as her only one and everyone.

Millions of devotional melodies in intense praise of Lord Krishna are dedicated to Meerabai and many poems were composed later and attributed to her by her admirers.

Tales about this masterpiece personality and great Hindi Poet, have continued to inspire many films, tv serials, comic pieces, and other popular literature in modern times.

Some of her classic compositions are:

राग गोविंद
गीत गोविंद
गोविंद टीका
राग सोरठा
मीरा की मल्हार
मीरा पदावली

The Meera Mahal in Merta is a museum dedicated to Meera and conveys her story via Sculptures, Paintings, Displays, and a Shaded Garden.

If you have never heard of this legend then just go open Google and find out about her, read about her, and trust me you'll be left mesmerized.

18. Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a former Prime Minister of India was born on 25th Dec 1924, in a Hindu Brahmin family from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

Vajpayee Ji remained a bachelor throughout his life and raised Namita Bhattacharya as his child. Unlike the purest Brahmins who reject meat and alcohol, Vajpayee Ji enjoyed meat and whiskey.

He was a remarkable Hindi Poet and a true sense patriot, which reflects in his compositions.

He was an internationally renowned personality and won several glorious awards such as :

The Padma Vibhushan, 1992
D. Lit. from Kanpur University, 1993
Lokmanya Tilak Award, 1994
Outstanding Parliamentarian Award,1994
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Award, 1994
Bharat Ratna, 2015
Bangladesh Liberation War Honour, 2015

His other achievements include, his birthday is celebrated as 'Good Governance Day'. The world's longest tunnel i.e 'Atal Tunnel' at Rohtang, Himachal Pradesh was named after him. The longest cable-stayed bridge in India over the Mandovi River was named 'Atul Setu' in his honor. Also, the name of Naya Raipur is changed to 'Atal Nagar', in his memory.

How can his description be complete without the mention of his classic compositions? So here are some:

• Prose: National Integration, New Dimensions of India's foreign policies, गठबंधन की राजनीति, Kucha Lekha Kucha Bhashana, बिंदु बिंदु विकार, Decisive Days, संकल्प काल, विकार बिंदु, India's perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region, न दैन्यंम न पलायनम्, नई चुनौती नया अवसर

• Poetry: कैदी कविराज की कुंडलियां, अमर आग है, मेरी इक्यावन कविताएं, क्या खोया क्या पाया: अटल बिहारी वाजपेई व्यक्तित्व और कविताएं, Values, Vision and Verses of Vajpayee: India's man of Destiny, Twenty-one Poems, चुनी हुई कविताएं

19. Gulzar

A fan of Shayari and haven't read Gulzar's, then your world is probably too small my friend! Such a gifted person Gulzar Saab is that even in 2 simple lines, he can make you drown in deep thoughts and the selection of his words and their arrangements. Not enough words to define that mastery.

Born 18th August 1934, in a Sikh family, in Dina, Jhelum District, British India (present-day Pakistan), Gulzar Saab possessed the name Sampoorna Singh Kalra.

Gulzar Saab or simply known as Gulzar, is an incredible Hindi Poet, Indian lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director and started his career as a lyricist with S.D. Burman.

He got married to the actress Raakhee and has a beautiful and very talented daughter, Meghna Gulzar who in 2004 authored the biography of her father Gulzar Saab.

He was appointed as the Chancellor of Assam University, in April 2013.

Seeing his great works there's no need to even assume that his house must be festooned with Awards and Honours. Till 2019, he collected a total of 36 esteemed Awards which include 5 "National Film Awards", 22 "Filmfare Awards", An "Academy Award for Best Original Song (2008)", A "Grammy Award (2010)", "Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu (2002)", "Padma Bhushan (2004)" and "Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2013)".

Gulzar's debut novel, 'Two' examines the condition of refugees after partition. It was originally composed in Urdu but was published in English.

"चक्कर चलाए घनचक्कर" is his theatre writing.

Some of his well-known creations are:

"रावी पार", "धुआं", "रात पश्मीने की", "खराशें", "मीरा", "पुखराज", "त्रिवेणी", "Autumn Moon", "कुछ और नज्में", "Magical Wishes: The Adventures of Goopi and Bagha", "Mirza Ghalib: A Biographical Scenario", "Selected Poems", "My favorite stories: Boskys Panchatantra", "Half a Rupees Stories", "मीलों से दिन", "Green Poems", "Suspected Poems", "रंगीला गीदड़", "परवाज़"

Not going any further about him, I would like to stop with one of his beautiful Shayari :

"कुछ अलग करना हो, तो भीड़ से हटकर चलिए,

भीड़ साहस हो देती है, मगर पहचान छीन लेती है।।"

20. Mirza Ghalib

The portrait of a legend of Urdu and Hindi Poetry comes before eyes when ears touch the word Mirza Ghalib.

His original name was "Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan" and taken from this name was his original pen name i.e "Asad". Afterward, as he got prominent in the field of poetry, he took the pen name "Ghalib" and began to be called the great Urdu-Hindi Poet, Mirza Ghalib.

He was one of the most significant poets in Urdu and Hindi with good knowledge of Persian as well as Turkish, during the last stages of Mughal rule in India. He started composing poems at the very age of 11 years and wrote in different languages like Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi as well as Turkish.

His compositions were deep in meaning and portrayed subjects like Philosophy, Existentialism, Mysteries of life, etc.

Some of his remarkable works are:

आ को चाहिए एक उम्र असर होने तक...
कोई उम्मीद बार नही आती...
दिल-ए-नादान तुझे हुआ क्या है...
ये न थी हमारी किस्मत की विसल-ए-यार होता...
हजारों ख्वाहिशें ऐसी कि हर ख्वाहिश पे दम निकले...

21. Premchand

This name needs no introduction at all as we all have heard it many times in our lives and have read his amazing and meaningful stories like the "दो बैलों की कथा", "प्रेमचंद के फटे जूते", "ईदगाह", etc. He is known for his unique style of writing which in simple words puts out the evils and stereotypes of society and people.

Born on 31st July 1880, Munshi Premchand was an Indian author whose actual name was Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava, and the first pen name he chose was 'Nawab Rai' but then went with 'Premchand' and got 'Munshi' as a prefix in honor of his talent.

Soz-e-Watan was his first published collection of stories containing 5 short stories which were published in the year 1907. His compositions include around 300 short stories, more than a dozen novels, numerous essays, and translations of several foreign literary works into Hindi and were known as "Upanyas Samrat".

Some of his well-known compositions are:

Novels: "देवस्थान रहस्य", "प्रेमा", "किशना", "रूठी रानी", "वरदान", "सेवा सदन", "प्रेमाश्रम", "रंगभूमि", "निर्मला", "कायाकल्प", "प्रतिज्ञा", "गोबन", "कर्मभूमि", "गोदान", "मंगलसूत्र(अधूरा)".
Short Stories: "लेखक", "दुनिया का सबसे अनमोल रत्न", "बड़े भाई साहब", "बेटी का दान", "सौत", "सज्जनता का दंड", "पंच परमेश्वर", ईश्वरीय न्याय", "बेटों वाली विधवा", "मां", "घर जमाई", "दिल की रानी", "बलिदान", "ईदगाह", "कफ़न".
Translations: "अहंकार", "आजाद कथा", "हरताल", "न्याय", "चांदी की डिबिया", "सुखदास".
Film Script: "मजदूर(1934)".
Plays: "करबाला", "तजुर्बा", "प्रेम की वेदी", "रूहानी शादी", "संग्राम".
Essays: "कुछ विचार", "कलम त्याग और तलवार".
Biographies: "दुर्गादास", "महात्म सैखशादी".
Children's Books: "बाल कहानियां संपूर्ण", "मनमोदक", "राम चर्चा".

22. Rabindranath Tagore

Born on 7th May 1861, Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali Brahmin from Calcutta. He is remembered as a star of Hindi Literature and writing. His remarkable works, unique style, and deep meaningful compositions can make anyone fall in love with poetry.

Tagore started writing poetry at the tender age of eight and the age of sixteen, he published his first substantial poems with the pseudonym Bhanusimha which didn't get him a proper response. But by 1877, he graduated and published under his real name. His compositions, novels, stories, songs, dance, drama, and poetry touched the subjects related to politics as well as personal.

Two countries choose his writings as their National Anthems, viz India's "Jana Gana Mana" and Bangladesh's "Amar Shonar Bangla". Also, the Sri Lankan National Anthem was inspired by his composition.

In his honor, there are a total of 8 Tagore Museums of which, 3 are in India, and the other 5 exist in Bangladesh.

Some of his masterpiece works are:

Original Poetry in Bengali : "भानुशीमा ठाकुरेर पदावली", "मानसी", "सोनार तारी", "गीतांजलि", "गीतिमाल्य" and the "बालक".
Original drama's in Bengali : "वाल्मीकि प्रतिभा", "काल मृगय", "मायार खेला", "विसर्जन", "चित्रांगदा", "राजा", "डाक घर", "चांडालिका".
Original fiction in Bengali : "नस्तनीर्ह", "गोरा", "घरे बारे", "योगायोग", "जीवनस्मृति" and "चेलेबेला".

Rabindranath Tagore is an unforgettable figure and a prominent Bengali-Hindi Poet who'll always be respected, honored, and remembered for his great compositions and the inspiration he gave to the world and its people.

23. Kamala Surayya

Born on 31st March 1934, Kamala Surayya is a Hindi Poet and writer who was known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and then came the after-marriage name i.e. Kamala Das. She wrote amazing poetries in English and was also a Malayalam author.

She was very famous in the south side for her short stories and autobiography and also, she was a widely read columnist and brought up different topics through her writings like women issues, child care, politics, etc.

At the age of 75, on 31st May 2009, she took her last breath in a hospital at Pune.

For her great works and compositions, she received many awards like :

"PEN Asian Poetry Prize", "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story", "Nobel Prize in Literature", "Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award", "Kerala State Film Award for Best Story", "Vayalar Award", "Asian Poetry Prize", "Honorary D.litt by the University of Calicut", "Muttathu Varkey Award" and "Ezhuthachan Award".

Some of her well-known works are:

Alphabet of Lust: Autobiography
My Story: Short stories
A Doll for the Child Prostitute
Padmavati the Harlot and other stories

The Sirens

Summer in Calcutta
The Descendants
The Old Playhouse and other poems
The Stranger Time
Punishment in the kindergarten

Some Malayalam Hits by her:

Pakshiyude Manam
Thanuppu
Ente Katha
Palayan
Rohini
Chandana Marangal

24. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh

Another major writer and great Hindi Poet from the Bengali culture were Sri Aurobindo Ghosh who was born on 15 August 1872 and was a great Indian Philosopher, Yogi, Maharishi, Poet, and Indian Nationalist. He was also a journalist and edited newspapers like the "Bande Mataram".

Along with being a great influence in the literature section, he was also a devoted patriot and joined the Indian movement for independence of India and proved to be one of the most remarkable leaders and then went for being a spiritual reformer.

His major literary works are The Life Divine, which depicts the philosophical aspects of Internal Yoga, Synthesis of Yoga.

Some of his compositions are:

Indian Editions: Early Culture Writings, Collected Poems, Karmayogin, Records of Yoga, Vedic and Psychological studies, The Secrets of the Vedas, The Mother.
American Editions: The Life Divine, Savitri, Essays on the Gita, The Upanishads, The essential Aurobindo, Bhagavad Gita and its message, The Mind of Light.

His most prominent works are :

Life
The Golden Light
The Dreamboat
O Coil, Coil

He also translated many Vedas, Upnishads and The Bhagavad Gita and his works on Spiritual Yoga are a gift to mankind.

25. Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu, or the "Nightingale of India" is not just a remarkable Hindi Poet in Modern India, but was also a highly influential freedom fighter of India who served the country as the President of the Indian National Congress and contributed immensely to India's struggle for independence against the Britishers and their colonial rule.

She has been one of the most prominent personalities in the field of poetry and her compositions touch on subjects like Love, Death, Nationalism and Patriotism, etc.

Her first volume of poetry in 1905 "The Golden Threshold" was followed by "The Bird of Time" in 1912, and then she was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society Literature in 1914.

Some of her masterpiece compositions are:

The illusion of Love
Nightfall in the city of Hyderabad
The Gift of India
Autumn Song
The Broken Wing
Muhammad Jinnah: An Ambassador of Unity
The Sceptred Flute
The Feather of the Dawn
The Indian Weavers and more...

She was one of the best Indian Hindi poets we've ever had and her birthday i.e. 13th February is celebrated as "Women's Day".

She was honored with the 'Kaisar-i-Hind Medal' by the British Government which she returned to the agitation of the Jallianwala Massacre of April 13th, 1919.

Sarojini Naidu is an inspiration to all women, not just the Indians but for every woman from around the world.

A Biographical movie has also been released in her memory which is available on Netflix and depicts the struggle and success of the great Indian writer and amazing woman, Sarojini Naidu.

As Friedrich Nietzsche has stated very correctly, "A good writer possesses not only his spirit but also the spirits of his audience".

And that's what's common in all the above-mentioned writers. You go through their works, and you're left mesmerized.

I hope this article about the legendary Hindi Poets and their works, proved to be worth your time.

Let us know your favorite one from this list of the Best Hindi Poets and don't forget to like, and share with your loved ones and boost their knowledge as well!

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