Kanpur, August 2, 2023: The "Shivani Centre for the Nurture & Re-Integration of Hindi and Other Indian Languages" at IIT Kanpur hosted a story-telling competition in memory of Munshi Premchand on July 31, 2023. This occasion marked the 143rd birth anniversary of eminent litterateur Munshi Premchand, who is recognised as one of the pioneers of modern Hindi literature and one of the foremost Hindi writers of the early twentieth century.

Prof. Kantesh Balani, Shivani Centre Coordinator, and Dean, Resources and Alumni, IIT Kanpur; opened the event with a welcoming note, which was followed by a few remarks by Prof. Lalit Saraswat from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, on Munshi Premchand and his contribution to shaping the course of Hindi literature and our culture.

Prof. Sushruth Ravish from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences stated that we all should remember the life and works of Munshi Premchand, take some time to read his literature, and dedicate ourselves to his ideals in Hindi literature.

The story-telling competition had the participants read some of the well-known stories by Munshi Premchand, including ‘Thakur ka Kuan’, ‘Kafan’, ‘Andher’, ‘Mantra’, ‘Namak ka daroga’, ‘Durga’ etc. The audience appreciated the performances.

The competition was hosted in a fun-filled session coordinated by the organising team comprising Ms. Maitreyi Agarwal, Mr. Govind Sharma, and Mr. Sudhanshu from the Shivani Centre, Mr. Jagdish Prasad from Raj Bhasha Prakoshth, as well as Mr. Pradeep, Mr. Ishaan, Mr. Harshit, and Mr. Prateek from Hindi Sahitya Sabha at IIT Kanpur.

The audience witnessed an evening filled with glimpses of work by the legendary Munshi Premchand, who would continue to inspire the coming generations to contribute to Hindi literature and take pride in one of the country's and the campus's prominent languages.

About IIT Kanpur:

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur was established on 2nd November 1959 by an Act of Parliament. The institute has a sprawling campus spread over 1055 acres with large pool of academic and research resources spanning across 19 departments, 22 centres, and 3 Interdisciplinary programs in engineering, science, design, humanities, and management disciplines with 540 full-time faculty members and approximately 9000 students. In addition to formal undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the institute has been active in research and development in areas of value to both industry and government.

For more information, visit www.iitk.ac.in.