User:M Jaiswar/Khatri

Ayodhya Prasad Khatri (1857 – 4 January 1905) was a noted Hindi writer and literary figure who played a significant role in promoting the Khari Boli dialect of Hindi as a language of poetry.

Ayodhya Prasad Khatri was born in 1857 in Sikanderpur, Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh. The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 resulted in his family's displacement to Muzaffarpur, Bihar, where they opened a bookshop. Khatri was introduced to Hindi poetry in his childhood. He received education from a local Maulvi and later attended a district school in Muzaffarpur. After his father's death, he left his studies to run the family bookshop but eventually became a teacher at Kudhani Minor School. He later composed Hindi grammar and taught Hindi to a Britisher in Muzaffarpur. He was offered a position as a clerk, where he eventually rose to the rank of the collector.

Ayodhya Prasad Khatri worked as a Peshkar in the Collectorate of Muzaffarpur, Bihar. In 1877, he published the first grammar book of Khari Boli Hindi, Hindi Vyakaran, which was published by Bihar Bandhu Press. He identified four styles of Khari Boli prose: Maulvi style, Munshi style, Pandit style and Master style. He actively supported the use of Khari Boli and advocated for its use in meetings and other forums.

In 1888, he published the first volume of Khadi Boli Ka Padya, a collection of poems written in the Khari Boli dialect, which was published by W. H. Allen & Co.. in London. Khatri edited the book and wrote a lengthy introduction. The second volume of the book was published two years later, and it contained literary debates related to Khari Boli poetry. He distributed the book free of cost among poetry lovers. This publication sparked wide debate in the literary community about the appropriate language for poetry and Khatri's advocacy for the use of Khari Boli eventually led to its widespread acceptance as the language of poetry in the Hindi literary world..

He spent much money in promoting the Khari Boli dialect and is remembered as a visionary in the Hindi literary world. In 1888, he published a booklet titled Khari Boli Ka Andolan. During the period of Hindi renaissance, led by Bharatendu Harishchandra, Khatri emphasized the importance of uniformity in language, opposing the dominant use of Braj Bhasha in poetry. His work and advocacy helped start a literary movement that eventually led to the widespread acceptance of Khari Boli as a language of both prose and poetry.

Ayodhya Prasad Khatri died on 4 January 1905 at the age of 48 due to the outbreak of plague...

Reception
Purushottam Prasad Verma wrote an article about Ayodhya Prasad Khatri in the March 1905 edition of the magazine Saraswati. In the article, Verma writes about Khatri's dedication to promoting the Khari Boli dialect of Hindi. He notes that Khatri spent significant amounts of money on this cause, more so than even kings and emperors. Ayodhya Prasad Khatri also encouraged using Khari Boli by offering monetary incentives to Pandits who would perform Satyanarayan Katha in this dialect. He also funded the translation of books into Khari Boli for use in religious rituals and distributed them for free..

According to Gajendra Kant Sharma, Ayodhya Prasad Khatri had a strong affection for Khari Boli poetry. He placed an advertisement in "Champaran-Chandrika" offering one rupee per verse to anyone who could write a verse-by-verse description of Rama in Khari Boli. Khatri also announced a reward of one rupee per couplet for translating the Ramcharitmanas into Khari Boli. He personally offered a prize of five rupees to anyone who wrote poetry in Khari Boli.

After death
In memory of Khatri, the "Ayodhya Prasad Khatri Jayanti Samaroh Samiti" was established in Muzaffarpur, Bihar in 2007. The "Ayodhya Prasad Khatri Smriti Samman" is an annual award established in 2008 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to Hindi literature. The award includes a statue of Khatri, a shawl, and a cash prize and has been presented to notable figures such as Krishna Baldev Vaid, Shekhar Joshi, Dr. Tulsi Ram, Rose Kerketta, Anil Yadav, Sudhir Vidyarthi, Dr. Vinay Kumar, Walter Bhengra Tarun, Nida Nawaz and Dr. Joram Yalam.

The 150th birth anniversary of Ayodhya Prasad Khatri was celebrated on 5-6 July 2007 in Patna. A film focusing on his life and works, "Khari Boli Ka Chanakya", was produced by Viren Nanda.

Book sources
https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Asian_Punches/4RpGAAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ayodhya+Prasad+Khatri&pg=PA92&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Literary_Cultures_in_History/ak9csfpY2WoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ayodhya+Prasad+Khatri&pg=PA982&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Society_and_Politics_in_Southeast_Asia/zxVmCm-4XhkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ayodhya+Prasad+Khatri&pg=PA129&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Status_of_Hindi_in_India/5QlWmycTKh0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ayodhya+Prasad+Khatri&pg=PR17&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_the_Hindi_Grammatical_Tradi/jJOXzRXsSK0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ayodhya+Prasad+Khatri&pg=PA152&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Hindu_Pasts/r9QuDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ayodhya+Prasad+Khatri&pg=PA316&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Making_of_Modern_Hindi/7S8DEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ayodhya+Prasad+Khatri&pg=PT277&printsec=frontcover