रंगभूमि

by Munshi Premchand

Premchand is one of the most outstanding figures in twentieth-century Hindi literature. His novels and short stories dealing with the lives of everyday heroes have attained the status of classics. His works continue to be rediscovered and to captivate new generations of readers in India and abroad. The inhumanity of caste hierarchies and the plight of women stirred his indignation and remained constant themes through his works. Of his many novels, Rangbhumi (Battleground, 1924-5) depicts most graphically the devastation of peasant society and agriculture under colonial rule. Premchand treads the very tricky ground of tensions between the rulers and the ruled in this novel. Here, the ruled are the Indians and the rulers are an amalgam of the whites, the Indian landowners, and the Indian Christians. Rangbhumi spans the time between the 1920s and 1930s in pre-Independence India. It captures and celebrates the unassailable spirit of the common man, especially the farming community, whic h knows no defeat or submission, as its spirit is always on the mend, even as it is perceived to be finally crushed.

Genres: Fiction, Indian Literature, India, Classics

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1925

About the author

Munshi Premchand (Hindi: मुंशी प्रेमचंद) was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. He is one of the most celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent,and is regarded as one of the foremost Hindustani writers of the early twentieth century.

Born Dhanpat Rai, he began writing under the pen name "Nawab Rai", but subsequently switched to "Premchand", while he is also known as "Munshi Premchand", Munshi being an honorary prefix. A novel writer, story writer and dramatist, he has been referred to as the "Upanyas Samrat" ("Emperor among Novelists") by some Hindi writers. His works include more than a dozen novels, around 250 short stories, several essays and translations of a number of foreign literary works into Hindi.

Premchand is considered the first Hindi author whose writings prominently featured realism. His novels describe the problems of the poor and the urban middle-class. His works depict a rationalistic outlook, which views religious values as something that allows the powerful hypocrites to exploit the weak. He used literature for the purpose of arousing public awareness about national and social issues and often wrote about topics related to corruption, child widowhood, prostitution, feudal system, poverty, colonialism and on the India's freedom movement.

Several of his early works, such as A Little Trick and A Moral Victory, satirised the Indians who cooperated with the British colonial government.

In the 1920s, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement and the accompanying struggle for social reform. During this period, his works dealt with the social issues such as poverty, zamindari exploitation (Premashram, 1922), dowry system (Nirmala, 1925), educational reform and political oppression (Karmabhumi, 1931).

In his last days, he focused on village life as a stage for complex drama, as seen in his most famous work Godan as well as the short-story collection Kafan (1936).Premchand believed that social realism was the way for Hindi literature, as opposed to the "feminine quality", tenderness and emotion of the contemporary Bengali literature.

Reviews

[B••k£dMōmīnā · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2 🌟

چوگان ایک کھیل ہوتا ہے، اور ہستی فارسی لفظ ہے جس کے معنی زندگی کے ہیں۔ اس طرح چوگانِ ہستی کا مطلب ہوا : زندگی کا کھیل

اس ناول کے مرکزی کردار سورداس کے لفظوں میں

پھائدہ۔نکسان ۔جینا مرنا۔نیکنامی۔بدنامی۔ سب تکدیر کے ہاتھ ہے۔ہم تو کھالی میدان میں کھیلنے کے لئے بنائے گئے ہیں۔ سبھی کھلاڑی من لگا کر کھیلتے ہیں۔پھر ہار جاتے ہیں تو پھر کھیلتے ہیں۔ کبھی
" نہ کبھی تو اُنکی جیت ہوتی ہی ہے۔

ویسے تو پورا ناول اقوال اور لمبے لمبے مفکرانہ پیراگراف سے بھرا پڑا ہے۔لیکن میں چند سطروں میں کہی یہ گہری بات کوٹ کرنا چاہوں گی


اب جی کر کیا کروں گا؟ اس سمے مروں گا تو بیکنٹھ پاؤں گا۔ پھر نا جانے کیا ہو؟ جیسے کھیت کٹنے کا ایک بکھت ہے ویسے ہی مرنے کا بھی ایک بکھت ہوتا ہے۔ پک جانے پر کھیت نہ کٹے تو اناج سڑ جائے گا۔میری بھی وہی دسا ہوگی۔ میں کئی آدمیوں کو جانتا ہوں جو آج سے دس برس پہلے مرے ہوتے تو لوگ اُن کا جس گاتے آج اُن کی برائی ہو رہی ہے۔

[Prateek Malhotra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curiously, even now, Rangbhoomi is the most Indian book I have read. Premchand's boldness in confronting delicate issues (when the country was itself in a very delicate state) is remarkable. He talks about the spread of Christianity, attitude towards capitalism, an inherent self-interest in even the best of civil servants at the time, and of course, the soul crushing crimes by committed by Indians against each other to win the favour of the British.

In such a dark and despicable environment, the blind beggar Soordas underlines the sheer power of truth, a true sacrifice of desires, and Dharma. There's not much to say about this book--its one which you have to read for yourself.

After-all, they don't him 'Munshi' for no reason.

[Shubhra Bhatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Colonial India, this story revolves around a kind yet stubborn blind man and how his actions ultimately change the face of the city he lives in. The story also provides insights into the Socio-Political situation of the time.

[Saurabh · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, it looked lil boring but really different than Premchand's other books. He raised some serious question about God. And then their were many parallel stories. Initially I thought this may be one of the bad book or not so good book by Premchand but then book completely wronged me, It engaged me after some time and some of the things were quite edge of the seat. Human nature and its complexities and bountifulness has always been Premchand's strength and no body can write better than him on this topic. But IMO he took a lil different path here, he experimented and just don't limit himself to just his strengths. Its again a masterpiece by him, though its not perfect as Godan. One of the negatives I found is he sometime overdo the people's emotions and sometime describe them as near to god, but these characters are not very strong and they are plain human like us. They take decisions like us influenced by emotion and anger and mood. Apart from this, its a terrific book, just needs a lil patience initially as initial parts are lil philosophical. Also you don't feel much emotion for anyone, may be lil for soordas, that's it. Its not Godan but its excellent. And it contains more serious stuff about world than any of his other book I have read. Its a complex book and lil philosophical too and overall a terrific book. A movie on this will be too good.

[Sanjay Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another work of Munshi Premchand set mainly in and around Varanasi and, to a lesser extent, around Udaipur in Rajasthan. The book captures the socioeconomic and political milieu of the early nineteenth century - especially the relationships between the colonial rulers and administrative officials, their agents like the Rajas, Christian entrepreneurs, the social and political activists and the common populace especially those living on the fringes of the city. The main protagonists are blind beggar leading a principled life along with his neighbours, the scion of the ruling Zamindar family and the daughter of a Christian family with ideals of social service. The plot revolves around how the events in their lives are woven together in the general social and political context of the time.

[Rahul Khanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical Premchand style. I can feel he fabricated joints of the story. Story is not smooth. Premchand uses his standard vocabulary and standard style of writing.
He is not a versatile and realist writer.
He is a mediocre writer but its a taboo to criticise him.

I usually compare Premchand with Yashpal. The way Yashpal depicts the story is very real and characters have multidimensional personality. Whereas Premchand creates typical characters with typical inclinations. Premchand doesn't delve into complexity of story.
No doubt he is the most famous hindi author but we must analyse his work too.

[Rupak Nagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The legendry novel by the legendry novelist.most importantly he write about the things no one can dare.he showed the real pictures of the people lowest in the ladder.here see how he delve deep into different kind of psyche of different people like a psychologist.the eternal fight between truth and lie is depicted so smoothly and interestingly.storyline is amazing.the philosophical discussions are brilliant some characters like the begger surdas, vinay singh, sophie,the queen,nayakraam,subhaagi,mr clark,tahir ali etc are written so well and in so depth they will be with you forever.thanks the legend for this gem.

[Sahil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike the famous short stories

So far I had only read short stories by Premchand. This was the first novel that I read. It takes a while to get to the point but that's because it takes a while to flesh out all the characters in all their glory.

Somewhat repetitive. But a very detailed exploration of human motivations. Maybe an accurate representation of situations in a typical city in India under British rule.

Worth a read.

[Raj Chargaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books by author: Munshi Premchand Ji and he is the reason I started exploring Hindi literature.
Of all Munshiji's books, I have read RANGBHOOMI remains my favorite, each character has a meaning, purpose and how their psyche changes over time is overwhelming, you would definitely analyze each character many times after finishing the book.

[Puneeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Tarun Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

सूरदास के अंत के साथ मन में असहनीय दर्द होता है, आँखों की रौशनी मद्धम पड़ जाती है, चेतना कम से कमतर होती जाती है और हाथों से रंगभूमि उपन्यास छूट कर ज़मीन पर आ गिरता है। सूरदास मर गया उफ़्फ़ !! सूरदास का जाना ऐसा था जैसे किसी धर्मात्मा के स्वर्ग जाने के पश्चात तपोस्थली का तेज़ ख़त्म हो जाना, किसी शिशु का अपनी माँ से अलग हो जाना और मन के मंदिर में प्रज्वलित होते दीये का बुझ जाना।

सोचता हूँ कि प्रेमचंद ने कितने महान और सशक्त व्यक्तित्व का निर्माण कर दिखाया रंगभूमि में। सूरदास निर्धन तो है लेकिन दरिद्रता का अंश मात्र उसे छू ना सका है, सूरदास की झोंपड़ी तो जला दी गयी लेकिन उसके हृदय में वास कर रहे प्रेम, करुणा और स्नेह उस आँच में तप कर भी भाप बन कर विलुप्त नहीं हुए। जॉन सेवक की गाड़ी के पीछे भागता हुआ भिखारी अचेतन अवस्था में ख़ुद को रोक नहीं पाता है। थकान के कारण उसकी साँसे तेज़ी से चलने लगती हैं और मिसेज सेवक द्वारा बोले गए कटु वचन से आहत मन रोता तो है मगर अशब्द नहीं बोलता बल्कि दुआ देता हुआ अपनी कुटिया की ओर चल देता है। कितनी सहनशीलता, कितना विशालकाय हृदय, ममता की मूरत और न्याय पसन्द व्यक्ति को रचा है प्रेमचंद ने।

सूरदास के अंत के साथ इस उपन्यास को एक दिशा तो मिल गयी। हर कोई अपने अपने रास्ते चल पड़ा। लेकिन मैं वहीं का वहीं बैठा हुआ सोच रहा हूँ कि एक सूरदास का बलिदान क्या विनय के बलिदान से श्रेष्ठ था? क्या सोफ़िया का प्रेम जो अधूरा रह गया था उसका कोई मोल नहीं ? क्या इंदु का अपने पति महेंद्र के विरुद्ध जाना और सत्य का साथ देना सूरदास को बल नहीं देता ? सूरदास क्यों महान है और क्यों हिन्दी साहित्य में यह किरदार हमेशा अमर रहेगा इसका उत्तर इस उपन्यास में प्रेमचंद द्वारा लिखित इन पंक्तियों से मिलता है

" हाँ, वह साधु न था, महात्मा न था, देवता न था, फ़रिश्ता न था। एक क्षुद्��, शक्तिहीन प्राणी था, चिंताओं और बाधाओं से घिरा हुआ, जिसमें अवगुण भी थे और गुण भी। गुण कम थे, अवगुण बहुत। क्रोध, लोभ, मोह, अहंकार, ये सभी दुर्गुण उसके चरित्र में भरे हुए थे, गुण केवल एक था, किन्तु ये सभी दुर्गुण उस गुण के संपर्क से नमक की खान में जाकर नमक हो जानेवाली वस्तुओं की भाँती, देवगुणों का रूप धारण कर लेते थे - क्रोध सत्क्रोध हो जाता था, लोभ सदानुराग, मोह सदुत्साह के रूप में प्रकट होता था और अहंकार आत्मभिमान के वेश में ! और वो गुण क्या था ? न्याय प्रेम, सत्यभक्ति, परोपकार, दर्द या उसका जो नाम चाहे, रख लीजिए। अन्याय देखकर उससे न रहा जाता था, अनीति उसके लिए असह्य थी। "

रंगभूमि सिर्फ़ सूरदास के जीवन यात्रा पर प्रकाश डालने वाला उपन्यास नहीं है बल्कि सामाजिक परिप्रेक्ष्य से देखा जाए तो न्यायप्रधानता पर ज़ोर देता, सामाजिक और आर्थिक असमानतों पर प्रकाश डालता, सरकारी प्रणाली में मौजूद भ्रष्टाचार के विरुद्ध बात करता, पूंजीवाद द्वारा ग़रीबों का शोषण करना अंततः हमारे देश की जाति, धार्मिक और सांस्कृतिक व्यवस्था पर तंच कसता एक ऐसा दीया है जिसका तेज़ बीते वक़्त के साथ बढ़ता ही जायेगा।

सूरदास ने कभी अपना पराया न देखा। मृत्युशय्या पर भी अपनों का मोह उसे लेश मात्र न छू सका न अपने जीवन व्रत से डगमगा पाया। जॉन सेवक से मिठुआ की करतूतों का ज़िक्र करना उसे इंसानों की श्रेणी से उठा कर महान आत्माओं की श्रेणी में लाकर स्थापित कर देती है। सूरदास कभी भी परिस्थितियों का दास नहीं बना बल्कि उन्हें अपना दास बनाया।

/ तरुण पाण्डेय

[David - marigold_bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premchand (Benares 1880-1936) is widely considered to be one of India’s greatest modern writers, author of 14 novels, plays and hundreds of short stories centred on social injustice. He considered Rangbhoomi to be his best work. In this translation (it was originally published in both Hindi and Urdu) the English title is Playground, although the original “Rangbhoomi” is more nuanced and could equally be translated as theatre, arena, battlefield, stage. I chose it as my first “big read” of the summer (630 pages) and I was not disappointed.

The story, like much of the author’s life, is set in and around Benares and covers a period between roughly 1919 and 1924. The protagonist is Soordas, a blind beggar, whose land, used for grazing cattle, is to be expropriated for the construction of a cigarette factory. The novel follows his struggle to keep his ancestral land, against the interests of industrialists, princely rulers, and the local British government.

The novel has multiple layers addressing a wide range of issues through a host of memorable (but frequently unlikeable and hypocritical) characters. Of its time, the novel covers self-rule and the fight for independence. Soordas himself encompasses many Gandhian values. Caste and religious differences between the Hindu, Muslim and Christian neighbors are prominent. The subjugation of the poor by the Indian landowners and princely rulers, who in turn are keen to earn the favour of the British. Capitalism is the greatest villain in the novel, and is contrasted with communism in its widest sense. As I mentioned, it is a novel of its time, but many of these topics continue to be just as relevant, a hundred years later.

I can only scratch the surface here of a novel that has such great scope and which, I am sure, would richly reward more than one read.

[Deependra Tomar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may write thousand words but still it will not suffice the praise this book is worth and furthermore I don't think Munshi Premchand need any introduction.

This book shows why Munshi Premchand is Katha Samrat and why He has been known as the most notable author to write about Human Dharma with such a great clarity.
This book shows how both spiritual and earthly thoughts matter and to how clearly filter out wrong elements from both. How to find difference in good and evil and define both with not your personal principles but on universal facts.

The story has every aspect of human life, poverty, wealth, sacrifice, service, religion, worship, Worldly life, development and it's effects, modernization and conservatism.

You will laugh, cry, meditate, deeply move and will go through many such feelings while reading this books.

[Kunal Dixit · Rating 5 out of 5]

“जीवन-सूत्र कितना कोमल है! वह क्या पुष्प से कोमल नहीं, जो वायु के झोंके सहता है और मुरझाता नहीं? क्या वह लताओं से कोमल नहीं, जो कठोर वृक्षों के झोंके सहती है और लिपटी रहती है? वह क्या पानी के बबूलों से कोमल नहीं, जो जल की तरंगों पर तैरते हैं, और टूटते नहीं? संसार में और कौनसी वस्तु इतनी कोमल, इतनी अस्थिर, इतनी सारहीन है, जिससे एक व्यंग्य, एक कठोर शब्द, एक अन्योक्ति भी दारुण, असह्न, घातक है! और इस भित्ति पर कितने विशाल, कितने भव्य, कितने बृहदाकार भवनों का निर्माण किया जाता है!”

[Piyush · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Rangbhoomi" by Premchand is a riveting exploration of societal dynamics in early 20th century India. Through the lens of a rural theater troupe, Premchand delves into themes of caste, class, and power with remarkable realism and compassion. His characters are vivid and compelling, grappling with love, ambition, and injustice in a narrative that resonates with timeless relevance. Premchand's literary genius shines brightly in this profound and thought-provoking work.

[Dr. S N Chari]

Rangbhoomi reflects the struggles of the marginalized and the resilience of the human spirit, themes that align with a deep appreciation for life’s simple yet profound truths. The story of Surdas, a blind beggar who remains steadfast in his principles despite immense hardship, embodies the values of perseverance, dignity, and sacrifice. Its exploration of injustice and inner strength resonates with a perspective that finds joy in simplicity and seeks gratitude, love, and deeper meaning in life.

[Shekhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Majedaar .. it was a treat to read the book. Munshiji is at his best. I wish I read it sooner. I am still intoxicated with the rich Hindi vocabulary and beautiful and poignant description of people and associated emotions, events and contemporary social and political reality and God knows for how long this hangover would last. Gonna re-read it soon.

[Mohit Rawat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it after Karambhumi,
Read it if you want to know how Police system in the British Raj used to work.
When you read Munshi Premchand's creations it seems like you are watching a movie into your mind.
Also, no director can clearly protray his stories on the screen without losing the 'bhaav' of book.

[Timsi Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not the most popular work of Munshiji. He is better known for Godaan, Nirmala and some of the short stories like bade bhaisahab and eidgah. But I found this book one of his best.
I pick one of his books when I'm not in a mood for experimentation and want some comfort food for soul. He never disappoints. I don't know anyone else who has has written characters so nuanced. The arc of each of the characters is phenomenal. They act in accordance with the situations they are put in. There are no blacks and whites. The reader gets to see the POV of each character and can sympathize with each and every one of them.
As in his other books, in Rangbhumi too, Premchand has created multiple worlds of different economic strata, different power status, different religions and all of them come together and revolve around one plot. The mere diversity in characters makes one wonder how could one person know all these different worlds so much to write them this well.
I particularly love the women characters in his books. He was a man who knew how to write women. Unlike his contemporaries, he has written real women-he neither puts them on a pedestal nor degrades them. His female characters are strong headed women with agency who act in accordance with what feels right to them. One of the characters, Indumati has been raised by her mother to be a pativrata and always prioritize serving her husband but she finds her value system clashing with that of her husband and often finds herself acting to protect her own value system. Another character, Sophie does not agree with the religious views of her family and decides to find her own truth.
In fact, I would go as far as saying that I would rate Rangbhumi even over Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.
I wish Premchand had more international acclaim than he does.

[Abhay Chandravanshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Related to real life and it feels like Nawab Rai consists every moment of life and everything is perfect as it should be.
Cheer up
Very very very very good book
Big cheers for ""Legendary Novelist Nawab Rai"""

[Karan Karwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

जो व्यक्ति अपने स्वधर्म से विचलित नहीं होता वही परमात्मा तक पहुंच सकता है ( यह किताब हमे यह सिखाती है)

जो व्यक्ति अपने स्वधर्म से विचलित नहीं होता वही परमात्मा तक पहुंच सकता है ( यह किताब हमे यह सिखाती है)

[Manish Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death is not defeat. A good player stand up again and get ready to play another innings.

[Saif Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

I have read 10 novel of munshi premchand and I truly say that
I love it whole I salute to kalam Ka siphai and upyanas samrat

[Kuldeep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

[Aniket · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was feeling the after effects of it for a long time, gripping tale.

[Ankit Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

उम्दा। कलम के जादूगर की अपूर्व कृति।

[Som · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first novel I have read. Premchand's writing is so amazing I felt so much while reading this. He is the literary king of Indian Sahitya.

[Gaurav · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the first hindi novel that I read, I wasn't sure of what to expect but I enjoyed most of it.

[Abhishek Ashish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love him, just love Munshi ji. It’s criminal that his works are not mandatory reading in high schools. The clarity and the accurate portrayal of society and in that realistic position, painting every shade of human psyche by him is just amazing. Everyone who can read Hindi must read Munshi ji. As far as this book goes beautiful, just beautiful.

[Rinku]

A true picture of our mind and our societies. Humans and societies have always remained the same, no matter in what time. The way Premchand writes about the psychology of humans and the societies in which they dwell, is remarkable and true even now.