Shridhar Pathak (English: Shridhar Pathak, born- 11 January, 1860, Agra, Uttar Pradesh; died- 13 September, 1928[1]) was one of the famous poets of India. He was a poet of patriotism, natural beauty and feelings of social reform. He was the president of the fifth session of the ‘English Sahitya Sammelan’ (1915, Lucknow). He was honored with the title of ‘Kavibhushan’. Shridhar Pathak had equal command over English, Sanskrit and English.
Shridhar Pathak was born on 11 January 1860 in a village named Jaundhri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh. His father’s name was Pandit Liladhar. Shridhar Pathak belonged to a family of ‘Saraswat’ Brahmins, who came from Sirsa in Punjab in the 8th century and settled in a village named Jaundhri in Agra district. Born in a cultured family, he was interested in education from the very beginning. At a very young age, Shridhar Pathak acquired a good knowledge of Sanskrit and Persian at home. Thereafter, while taking formal school education, he stood first in the English Praveshika (1875) and ‘English Middle’ (1879) examinations. Then he also passed in first class in the ‘Entrance Examination’ (1880-81). In those days, education up to entrance was considered quite high in India.
After completing his education, Shridhar Pathak was appointed in the government service. First of all, he worked as Census Commissioner in the office of Calcutta (present Kolkata). In those days, most of the central offices of the British government were in Calcutta. Shridhar Pathak had to visit many cities of India in connection with the census. During this time, he travelled to various mountainous regions and got the opportunity to observe the beauty of nature closely. Later, he also worked in many other offices, among which the names of Railways, Public Works and Irrigation Department etc. are notable. Gradually, he also reached the post of Superintendent.
Shridhar Pathak has written good poetry in both Brajbhasha and Khariboli. His Brajbhasha is simple and unpretentious, he has rarely used traditional orthodox vocabulary. By writing poetry in Khariboli, Shridhar Pathak did a historic work of establishing unity between the languages of prose and poetry. He can also be called the first capable poet of Khariboli. Although verbs of Brajbhasha are also used in his Khariboli at some places, but this order is not important that even before Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi took over the editorship of ‘Saraswati’, he showed his free spirit by writing poetry in Khariboli. Patriotism, social reform and nature depiction were the main subjects of his poetry. He has sung the glory of the country with great devotion, but along with patriotism, he also has patriotism like the poets of Bharatendu period.[2]
On one hand, Shridhar Pathak has written patriotic poems like ‘Bharatotthan’, ‘Bharat Prashansha’ etc. and on the other hand, he has also shown his patriotism in poems like ‘George Vandana’. He has also paid equal attention to social reform. In ‘Bal Vidhwa’, he has given a pathetic description of the sufferings of widows. But he has achieved the most success in depicting nature. Among the contemporary poets, Shridhar Pathak has depicted nature the most. He is the best not only in terms of results but also in terms of quality. Shridhar Pathak has abandoned the conventions and has freely depicted nature in a beautiful manner. He has also translated English and Sanskrit books into verse. Shridhar Pathak died on 13 September, 1928.
