Vijaydan Detha (English: Vijaydan Detha, born: 1 September, 1926 – death: 10 November, 2013), also known as ‘Bijji’, was a famous writer of Rajasthan and a Padma Shri awardee. He was also honored with various other awards like Sahitya Akademi Award and Sahitya Chudamani Award. Vijaydan Detha’s tenth volume of Bataan Ri Phulwari, published in fourteen volumes in Rajasthani language, was awarded by the Indian National Sahitya Academy, which is the first award on a Rajasthani work.
Padmashri Vijaydan Detha, who made a wonderful collection of folk tales and proverbs, had his native village Borunda Da as his workplace and created literature of international standard while sitting in a small village. Detha, secretary of Rupayan Sansthan (Jodhpur), a major patron organization of Rajasthani folk culture, was born on 1 September 1926 in Borunda. Initially, from 1953 to 1955, Bijji edited the Hindi monthly Prerna. Later, he jointly edited Vani and folk culture with Hindi quarterly Rupam, Rajasthani research magazine Parampara, Folk Geet, Gora Hat Ja, Analysis of popular love story of Rajasthan, Jaithvai Ra Sohtha and Komal Kothari. More than two dozen films have been made on the stories written by Vijaydan Detha, out of which ‘Duvidha’ directed by Mani Kaul has received many national and international awards. Apart from this, the film Parineeti, directed by famous film producer-director Prakash Jha on her story in the year 1986, has been greatly influenced. Rajasthan Sahitya Academy honored him as a distinguished litterateur in 1972-73.[1]The Hindi film ‘Paheli’, based on ‘Duvidha’, featured actors Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee in the lead roles. This is the last film based on any of his works.[2] Theater artist Habib Tanvir had given the form of a play to Vijaydan Detha’s popular story ‘Charandas Chor’ and Shyam Benegal had also made a film on it.
The works of Vijaydan Detha, who wrote more than 800 short stories in Rajasthani language, were translated into various languages including Hindi and English. Vijaydan Detha also wrote poems and novels. He could not be that successful artistically. Perhaps his creative potential blossomed in his own work with folk tales. Vijaydan Detha attracted theater and cinema towards himself. There is a sizeable population which knows him only through ‘Charandas Chor’. Filmmakers like Amol Palekar, Mani Kaul, Prakash Jha, Shyam Benegal made films on his stories. Habib Tanvir is the most famous of the color directors who adapted his stories but there is no account of how many of his stories have been played on stage across the country.[3]
Rajasthani writer Vijaydan Detha died of a heart attack on Sunday 10 November 2013 in Borunda village (Jodhpur). He played an important role in giving identity and modern form to the folk tales of Rajasthan. 87-year-old Vijaydan Detha is survived by three sons and a daughter.