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Karbala: A Historical Play by Premchand
In seventh-century Arabia, Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussain,
sacrificed his life and his family members and companions in the desert of
Karbala, Iraq, to resist the debauched ruler Yazid. In twentieth-century India,
when the communal conflict was at its peak, Premchand wrote a play about this
pivotal event of Islamic history and transformed it into a nationalist narrative.
This first-ever English translation of Premchand's outstanding play Karbala
(1924) is an illuminating blend of historical facts and imagination. It reveals
Premchand's profound understanding of the communal conflict in early
twentieth-century India and his unique way of imagining the nation, in tune
with Gandhian principles of communal harmony and co-existence of religions.
sacrificed his life and his family members and companions in the desert of
Karbala, Iraq, to resist the debauched ruler Yazid. In twentieth-century India,
when the communal conflict was at its peak, Premchand wrote a play about this
pivotal event of Islamic history and transformed it into a nationalist narrative.
This first-ever English translation of Premchand's outstanding play Karbala
(1924) is an illuminating blend of historical facts and imagination. It reveals
Premchand's profound understanding of the communal conflict in early
twentieth-century India and his unique way of imagining the nation, in tune
with Gandhian principles of communal harmony and co-existence of religions.
241 pages, Hardcover
Published January 2, 2023
About the author
Munshi Premchand
1,054 books1,209 followersMunshi 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 17, 2024
Although the seeds of discord aming Muslims were sown much before the ascension of throne by Yazid son of Muawiya. However, his assumption of caliphate in Damascus and asking Hussain ibn Ali, grand of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) and few other notables of Madina for allegiance to throne and their reluctance caused uncertainity innthe ciry of Madina. The situation forced Hussain to leave Madina, firsy to Mecca and then towards Kufa for avoiding bloodshed in sacred cities of Mecca and Madina. This drama by Premchand, titled "Karbala", is narrating events from journey of Hussain from Madina to Karbala and happenings in Damascus and Kufa. Baring few factual errors this is fine depiction of the events unfolded in Damsacus, Kufa, Madina, Mecca and in Karbala.
July 24, 2022
कर्बला की दर्दनाक और ऐतिहासिक घटना पर बहुत अच्छा नाटक।
हर भारतीय को , विशेषकर सुन्नी मुस्लिमों और हिंदुओं को जरूर पढ़ना चाहिए।
हर भारतीय को , विशेषकर सुन्नी मुस्लिमों और हिंदुओं को जरूर पढ़ना चाहिए।
November 3, 2025
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” – G.K. Chesterton
July 20, 2025
Munshi Premchand wrote this masterpiece which helps us understand and feel the pain that Imam Hussain had to bear in order to protect the religion and teachings of his ancestors. This book isn't meant to be read by only those who follow Islam, but for the entire mankind.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews