Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t54: Rahul Sankritiyayana
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t54
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Rahul Sankritiyayana
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Popularly hailed as ‘mahapandit’ (greatest scholar), polymath and polyglot, Rahul Sankritiyayana (1893-1963) was an eminent scholar of Buddhism, history, culture, and languages, as well as a prolific writer in Hindi. As a Buddhist, he donned the robe of monks and was known as one of the famous trio, along with Bhikku Jagdish Kashyap (Founder of Nav Nalanda Mahavihara) and Bhikku Sangharakshit, who contributed immensely to the revival of Buddhism in modern India. He however, turned later to the ideology of ‘Marxist socialism’. An impulsive person, agitated by the Jalianwala massacre of 1919, he actively participated in the Indian Freedom movement against the British imperialists and was thrice jailed. An avid traveller, he visited many countries, wrote several travelogues in Hindi and was aptly called the ‘Father of Travel Writing in Hindi’. He was honoured with prestigious Sahitya Academy literary award for his Hindi writing, and the Government of India bestowed him with the Padma Bhushan for his widespread scholarly achievements.
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He was born on April 9, 1893 in a Brahmin agricultural family of Goverdhan Pandey in Pandaha village of Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh. His original name was Kedarnath Pandey. His parents died at an early age, and he was raised by his grandmother. He had his formal education only up to standard VIII in the village school. Rahul was essentially a self educated person, who gradually trained himself not only in various languages but also mastered in humanities and social sciences. He was proficient in various Indian languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, Pali, Bhojpuri, Urdu, Tamil and Kannada, and in foreign languages like Persian, Arabic, Tibetan, Sinhalese, French and Russian. His knowledge and expertise earned him visiting professorships in Soviet Union and Sri Lanka. Adventurous by nature, he never remained stuck to any official position but vigorously pursued his vocation for creative writing and interest in travel.
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Stricken by wanderlust since his childhood, Sankritiyayana visited almost all major parts of India but was most charmed by the Himalayan region. Besides that, he went to countries like Tibet, Sri Lanka, Iran, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union. His trips to Tibet between 1929 and 1938 were particularly fascinating. Defying all hurdles and risks to enter the forbidden land, he went there as a Buddhist monk and travelled far and wide visiting many monasteries and collecting rare Buddhist manuscripts from ancient Nalanda and Vikramshila which were preserved there. He wrote that 22 mules were required to carry the manuscripts and paintings. Several hundred bundles containing more than 7,000 manuscripts were deposited in a special section in Patna Museum alone.
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His numerous travels to different regions are chronicled in a large number of travelogues that he wrote. Lucidly written in simple Hindi, these works provide intimate glimpses of people and culture of each place for the common reader. He wrote about his travel philosophy in a special treatise on wandering. His total publication included as many as 146 books which covered disciplines like Sociology, History, Religion, Philosophy, Linguistic, Science, Biography, and Folklores. He also wrote novels and dramas. Several of his books were translated in many languages. His historical fiction, ‘From Volga to Ganga’, has been reprinted several times. His biography of Mao Zedong and his travelogues to China and Tibet had many readers. He admired Mao Zedong and praised the Chinese Communist Revolution for the hope it raised for the downtrodden people of Asia.
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Towards the end of his life, Sankrityayan was a visiting professor in Sri Lanka. After falling ill, he returned to India and settled in Darjeeling where he passed away on April 14, 1963 at the age of 70. After his death, the Central Hindi Institute as well as the Ministry of Tourism under the Govt. of India instituted two separate special awards in his name for the best travel writing.
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(*Kamal Sheel*)