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Freedom fighter. Political activist. Women’s right campaigner. Poet. All these adjectives and professions come to mind when talking about Mahadevi Verma. Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the Jnanpith Award, the Padma Bhushan Award and the posthumous Padma Bibhushan Award, Mahadevi is the face of the literary woman in twentieth century Hindi literature.
But what, standing today, seems most remarkable is the indomitable spirit of the woman. Mahadevi stands testimony to the fact that a bit of support is all you need to really grow. Born at a time when the girl child was dreaded and looked down upon in Indian families- thanks to the fact that they incurred a whole lot of expense in rearing and marriage, with no monetary returns whatsoever- Mahadevi saw the light of the world in a progressive family. Even though the Vermas- lawyers, most of them- were orthodox Hindus, they had chosen to embrace religion without its imposed, often meaningless, nuances. Born to a scholarly mother who was well versed in Hindi and Sanskrit, and under the influence of a grandfather who aspired to impart her with a high education, Mahadevi was given full freedom to pursue her scholarly interests.
But family support notwithstanding, the social system is a tough nut to crack. So, Mahadevi had to change her schooling from a convent school, where she was originally admitted, to the Crothswaite Girls College in Allahabad. Which turned out to be fortunate in the long run, because it is here that she really came face to face with the ability and importance of people living together in harmony; an experience she gained from het hostel, where girls from a variety of religions lived and worked together. While a student at this institution, Mahadevi started to write poems, secretly, of course, as many young women are wont to do. It is here that she came across Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, who was her senior at school, and who discovered the hidden treasury of Mahadevi’s poems and assumed the role of mentor and critic.
Mahadevi went on to become one of the most prominent Hindi language poets in pre-independence India, and her pen continued to dazzle well into the years after India achieved independence. The Chhayavad school of poetry gained ground during those highly idealistic times as India fought for autonomy, and Mahadevi gave her heart and soul into the movement. In her poetry, highly personal in tone and content, she constantly refers to herself as ‘bandini’, the prisoner. Looked at micro cosmically, it is the woman in the feudal structure of the society that is the prisoner; viewed at a much larger- although it is debatable whether it’s actually bigger in stature- scope, it’s the country’s imprisonment that pains her.
The poet, capable of moving the reader to tears in her portrayal of the eternally imprisoned but essentially free feminine soul, stirs a deep and fiery passion through her prose. The mark of the poet is very much present in the highly lyrical prose, which comes through her short stories and essays. Like her poetry, she dealt extensively with women in her stories, and each characterization is deeply personal, resonating with the anguish of the tormented woman.
Mahadevi is often touted as the modern Mira. And with good reason too. Both women were separated by centuries, but were tied down by the same shackles and freed by the same yearnings. Despite the years that passed between them, the position of the woman had not changed much in the traditional, middle class Indian household. It’s not surprising, then, that we see in Mahadevi’s poems, as in Meerabai’s, the motifs of the sea, winds and mountains- those symbols of endless independence. And, like Mirabai, there is in Mahadevi’s verses the longing for the ever-elusive lover.
Mahadevi was an emancipated woman, and perhaps that is the very reason why she was so intrinsically in touch with the sufferings of the bound woman. Her momentous contribution to the field of Indian literature is only matched by her work in the field of women’s welfare. While her verse and prose actively sought out the terrors faced by the woman in a rigidly feudal society, she addressed these issues in her role as an educator. For nearly half a century, she ran and headed the Prayag Mahila Vidyapith in Allahabad, an institution for adult women. Through this institute, she upheld the value of education and helped woman across various social and economic sectors claim their right to scholarship. The principal attendees of the school are the economically backward and socially ostracized, among whom she had achieved the status of a demigod as Bari Guruji.
Needless to say, Mahadevi Verma’s social standing was no small impediment to her work as a social activist, especially since she dealt with the most radical issues of the day: those regarding rights for women. Her essays strongly support subjects like unmarried motherhood and widow remarriage, along with the marriage between elderly widows and widowers. Besides, being a feminist, and having herself superseded her role as only a wife and a mother to a family, she vociferously advocated against the ills of child marriage, bigamy, marriage between individuals of highly disparate ages and ill treatment of children. The uproar her activism caused in the day can only be imagined. It is a testimony to the clarity of vision of this much tested woman that Mahadevi’s crusade extended to tackling the violence imposed on women by women.
A private person, not much of Mahadevi’s personal life was open to the public. What we do understand from her prose, however, is that she loved animals. In her inimitable style, she has immortalized her pets through her stories and poems, in which she has narrated her relationships with her four-legged friends.
It is through education that Mahadevi strove to bring freedom to the people of the country. She was vociferous in her support of a high level of education among the masses. According to her, a country would remain, in spirit, forever enslaved if the enlightenment of education did not come to the people; for it is only through education that a spirit spreads its wings.
Mahadevi Verma’s poetry is a lot about just that: freedom. Freedom for the country, freedom for the woman, and, above of, freedom of the soul.
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