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Gyan Chaturvedi (born 1952) is an Indian writer, cardiologist, and satirist in Hindi language. His famous works include Baramasi (2009), Narak Yatra (2010), Alag (2010), and Pratyansha (2010).
Wiki/Biography
Gyan Chaturvedi was born on Saturday, 2 August 1952 (age 71 years; as of 2023) in Mauranipur, Jhansi district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Leo. He graduated in medicine from SS Medical College Rewa. Gyan Chaturvedi did Doctoral Advanced Training in cardiology and later joined the hospital at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) where he served for thirty years and retired as the head director of the hospital . Currently, he is a Chief Physician at Noble Multispecialty Hospital, Misrod Bhopal.
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents. Gyan Chaturvedi has two younger brothers, and both are doctors by profession. One of his brothers, Lieutenant General Ved Chaturvedi is the Colonel Commandant of the Army Medical Corps and was a senior official posted at the AMC Centre & College, Lucknow. Gyan Chaturvedi’s father was a doctor who worked for the state government. For Gyan Chaturvedi, his father was an inspiration. In an interview, he talked about his father and said,
He was a stiff-backed man, high-handed, irascible. There used to be few doctors in the countryside back then, sometimes just one doctor shared between 30 villages, so the doctor was a person of some note. My father had very decided ideas about his status and the respect he was owed by patwaris, tehsildars and local officials. Despite being an excellent doctor he would stir up awful rows, and at times even hit his patients. He had a polarising effect wherever he was sent and seemed to thrive on keeping things volatile, playing factions against one another. Within months of our arrival at a place, a tent would go up in front of our house with a bunch of villagers waving black flags at us.”
Wife & Children
Chaturvedi is married to Shashi Chaturvedi, a gynaecologist serving at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The couple has two children. His son, Dushyant is an engineer and is currently pursuing management studies at the Indian School of Business Hyderabad, and his daughter, Neha is an ophthalmologist at AIIMS, New Delhi.
Career
Gyan Chaturvedi started writing in the 70s and published his first work, Dharmayug. He wrote several books such as Ham Na Marab, Khamosh Nange Hamam Mein Hain, Marichika, Alag and Pratyansha. Gyan Chaturvedi has been writing regular columns for Naya Gyanodaya, India Today and several articles in Rajasthan Patrika. He is a recipient of several awards such as Sharad Joshi Samman of the Government of Madhya Pradesh, the Delhi Academy Award and the Indu Sharma Literary Award.
- Khamosh Nange Hamaam Mein Hain (2004)
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- Gyan Chaturvedi was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian award.
- Gyan Chaturvedi was awarded Sharad Joshi Samman by the Madhya Pradesh government for outstanding achievement in the field of Satire and Essay.
- Gyan Chaturvedi was awarded the Delhi Academy Award and the Indu Sharma Literary Award (London) for excellent achievement in the fields of satire and essays.
- Pagalkhana, a 2018 satirical novel by renowned Hindi novelist Dr. Gyan Chaturvedi, has won the 32nd Vyas Samman. A screening committee chaired by eminent author Prof. Ramji Tiwari chose Dr. Chaturvedi’s Pagalkhana for the coveted Vyas Samman.
Facts/Trivia
- Several Hindi readers admired his debut book, Narak-Yatra, which was based on the medical science education system in India.
- In an email interview, when asked about the context and setting of his first debut novel, he said,
My first novel, Narak Yatra, attacked the medical system in this country. This was the prevailing norm among satirists, you wrote against the system, and exposed it. Back in the day, satire meant Harishankar Parsai and Parsai was understood to mean political concerns. His stories and columns were about public themes, democratic politics, Nehru’s doings and misdoings. A whole generation grew up under his influence – at their most adventurous, these writers would take on some great social evil.”
- Alipur is a translated version of Baramasi (2009), published on 18 August 2021 written by Gyan Chaturvedi, and translated by Salim Yusufji. Gyan Chaturvedi loved poetry, in an interview, he stated,
Poetry is another inspiration, for getting the most out of words, planting indelible images in the reader’s mind, using the unsaid, getting the reader to feel a certain emotion as though spontaneously, make connections that are not stated.”