Harishankar Parsai (22 August 1922 – 10 August 1995) was an Indian writer who wrote in Hindi. He was a noted satirist and humorist of modern Hindi literature and is known for his simple and direct style. He wrote vyangya (satire), which described human values and nature. They reflected his critical thinking and humorous way of describing simple things with huge meanings. Parsai won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1982, for his satire, Viklaang Shraddha ka daur.

Biography

He was born in Jamani village near Itarsi in Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh. He completed his M.A. in Hindi from Nagpur University. After pursuing writing along with his service for some time, he quit his job and took writing as a full-time career. He settled in Jabalpur and started a literature magazine called Vasudha. Despite it being highly praised, he had to stop the magazine after the publication suffered economic losses. Hari Shankar Parsai used to give answers of readers in a column "Poochhiye Parsai Se" in a Hindi newspaper Deshbandhu published from Raipur and Jabalpur. He won Sahitya Akademi Award in 1982, for his satire, "Viklaang Shraddha Ka Daur" 'विकलांग श्रद्धा का दौर'. Parsai died on 10 August 1995 in Jabalpur. According to The Hindu, by the time of his death, Parsai had revolutionized the art of satire writing in Hindi.

Awards

Works

In popular culture

Parsai Kehate Hain an Indian television show which adapted several works of Harishankar Parsai into episodic stories aired on DD National in the early 2000s.