Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s2.t22: Mahendulal Garg
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s2.t22
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Mahendulal Garg
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Mahendulal Garg (1870-1942), was born on August 4, 1870, in Salempur village of Mathura district. He had his basic education at Farah, a nearby locality. At the age of 14, he had completed his middle school examination in Hindi. After that he also studied Urdu on his own. Later, he shifted to Agra where he learned English from his local mentor, Lala Harnarayan Jayanarayanji Shah. He also acquired good knowledge of Hindi and Urdu from him. When he was in Agra, the local Agra Medical College required a person with the knowledge of these languages to prepare health books for women. He applied for the position and was appointed as translator-writer. While working there for two years, he also joined the Medical College for the course of Diploma in Hospital Assistant. In 1891, soon after successfully completing his diploma, he joined the British Army as a doctor.
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As a doctor in the army, Pandit Garg had opportunities to visit various places and intimately observe local people and culture in the northern frontier regions of India. Being a good writer, he often wrote about his experiences and observations during these trips in local Hindi newspapers. For several years, he had his own column, entitled Garg Vinod (Garg’s Happy Words) in the Hindi popular newspaper-journal ‘Bharat Mitra’ (Friends of India). Later, several of his series of essays were published as books. Among his significant published books are ‘Shishu-Palan’ (Child Care), ‘Prithvi Parikrama’ (Globe Trotting), ‘Pati-Patni Samvad’ (Dialogue between Husband and Wife), ‘Dant-Raksha’ (Care of Teeth), ‘Tarunon ki Dincharya’ (Daily Routine for Youth), ‘Anant Jwala’ (Eternal Flame), ‘Japaniya Stri Shikksha’ (Women’s Education in Japan), ‘Plague Chikitsa’ (Treatment of Plague), ‘Dhruva Desh’ (Arctic Countries), ‘Sukh Marga’ (Road for Peace), ‘Paricharya Pranali’ (Medical Treatment Primer) and ‘Chin Darpan’ (Chinese Mirror).
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The book ‘Chin Darpan’ (Chinese Mirror) was based on his trip to China during the Boxer Rebellion in 1899. He was sent there as part of the British Indian Army to join the Joint International Expeditionary Force. He wrote a regular column for the Hindi newspaper ‘Bharat Mitra’ between June-December 1900. This introduced China to readers in Hindi by writing unbiased, informative and comprehensible pieces on the life, conduct, religion, crafts and trade of the Chinese. These were later collated and made into a book. Published by Sukh Sancharak Press in Mathura in 1901, it was dedicated to his businessman mentor in Agra. Its first print ran into 1000 copies. The preface of the book is dated October 1, 1901 and is written while the author was in Shanhaiguan, Hebei province, China. He writes that after the defeat of the Boxers. He used all his free time to collect materials for this book, gathered as much information as possible, and presented it in very simple language for his barely literate readers including women and children.
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The book is among the first modern introduction of China in Hindi. Its explanation of customs and rituals as well as many esoteric practices including that of the Boxers are not complex but mystical. It made made comprehensible by linking it to various such activities in the heartland of India.
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(*Ranjana Sheel & Kamal Sheel*)