Babu Gulabrai
Babu Gulab Rai
Babu Gulabrai (January 17, 1888 – April 13, 1963) was one of the greatest literary figures of modern Hindi Literature.
He completed MA in Philosophy and LLB from Agra university. He started writing in English mainly focusing on Philosophy but due to the Swadeshi fervor of the times, he switched to Hindi for the upliftment of the language.
His first two major works were 'Shanti dharma' and 'Maitri dharma' which deeply reflected his ideology. He then worked for the Maharaja of Chhatarpur as the Private Secretary to the King, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice. After the death of Maharaja, he came back to Agra and resumed his literary pursuits. He taught at the historical St Johns College, Agra and was highly revered for his teaching skills.Most of the works written in this period were essays including his classic autobiography titled 'Meri Asafaltein' (My Failures). His literary works deeply reflect his philosophy of Shanti (Peace), Samanvaya (Co-ordination) and Sahanshilta (Tolerance).
He was conferred with an honorary doctorate from Agra University in the year 1957 by V V Giri. He left this world on 13th April 1963 after writing more than 50 books on diverse topics like philosophy, criticism, literary essays, cultural history and satire.
In June 2002, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee issued a Rs 5 stamp to commemorate his contribution to Hindi literature.
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