Sahitya News Desk !!! Rajendra Awasthi (English: Rajendra Awasthi, born- 25 January, 1930, Jabalpur; death- 30 December 2009, Delhi) was a famous litterateur and journalist of India. He was the editor of ‘Kadambini Patrika’. While he established many criteria as a journalist, he also achieved amazing success in his literature creation. Rajendra Awasthi was also the editor of ‘Navbharat’, ‘Sarika’, ‘Nandan’ and ‘Weekly Hindustan’. He composed many popular novels, stories and poems. He was also the President of ‘Auther Guild of India’. The Hindi Academy of Delhi Government awarded him the literary work in the year 1997-1998. Rajendra Awasthi had prepared a special reader class through the ‘Kalachintan’ column of ‘Kadambini’.
Birth and education
Rajendra Awasthi was born on 25 January 1930 in Jyotinagar locality of Garha, a suburban area of Jabalpur. His father’s name was Dhaneshwar Prasad and mother daughter Bai. Awasthi ji received his early education in Mandla and then in Jabalpur. During education, he had such a deep connection with the literature and journalism world that he finally touched the heights of this region.
Professional life
Rajendra Awasthi served as a clerk in the Collectorate from the year 1950 to 1957, but in the last months of 1957, he entered the field of journalism. He started journalism under the guidance of Pandit Dwarka Prasad Mishra. He was also an assistant editor in ‘Navbharat’. He gained international fame with his artistic thinking and miraculous writing. He also edited prestigious magazines including several newspapers. Rajendra Awasthi stayed in Jabalpur till 1960 and then moved to Delhi.
Marriage
While living in Delhi, he composed literature highlighting the social discrepancies related to the land and was also active in journalism. During this, Awasthi ji was married to Shakuntala Awasthi in Mandla. He is survived by three sons and two daughters.
Popularity
Awasthi ji gained immense popularity through the ‘Kalachintan’ column of ‘Kadambini’. It was the fame of ‘Kalachintan’ that Kadambini had destroyed all the records of sales at some time. It was also the charisma of Rajendra Awasthi’s writing that even in the era of dead magazines, his ‘Kadambini’ continued to breathe. The example of his efficient editing and foresight was that they can also present subjects like mystery, adventure, ghosts, souls, gems, jewels, tantra-mantra and Kapalik Siddhis with deep investigation, unique analysis and amazing rationality. .
The regular readers of Kadambini knew how many times the column ‘Kalkintan’ had solved the philosophical complications of his mind easily. Every word of his words seemed to be Napa-Lula, check-up and intense of experiences. Rajendra Awasthi took out such unique and amazing specials of ‘Kadambini’, which will be easily found in the book collection of Sudhi readers even today. If anyone could equal the magazine like ‘Sarvaottam’ of ‘Riders Digest’, she was only ‘Kadambini’. ‘Navneet’ can be placed second in this episode. Although the content of ‘Kadambini’ was shrinking with the change of time, she always topped the quality level.[1] Apart from ‘Kadambini’, the impact of the editorial personality of Rajendra Awasthi, the level magazines like ‘Weekly Hindustan’, ‘Sarita’ and ‘Nandan’ were also seen well.
Serious speaker
Awasthi ji also had special respect as a serious thinker and speaker. Rajendra Awasthi was often invited to meetings and seminars for pithy views on serious subjects for consciousness on subjects like society, literature, journalism, politics etc. Every listener who came there listened to them very carefully.[2]
Compositions
More than sixty works of Rajendra Awasthi ji have been published. Along with novel, story, essay, travelogue, he is his philosophical form, which is hardly seen in any narrator. The following are his major compositions-
Novel
Sooraj Kiran’s Chhaon Jungle Flowers How many Eyes Sick City Alone Voice Fish Bazaar
posy of poems
Spider webs, two pairs of eyes, my dear stories descend
Travelogue
From forest to city
World -world
Rajendra Awasthi can also be called a world -passenger. There is no country in the world where they have not gone many times. He was fully coordinated with the cultural and social life there. Apart from being a narrator and journalist, he also wrote a lot on cultural politics and timely subjects. His articles were prominently published in many daily newspapers and magazines.
Death
Awasthi ji was a heart patient. He was admitted to Escort Hospital, Delhi due to his health deteriorating. His health also improved, but died on 30 December 2009.
