When Maithili Sharan Gupta?s humour bowled everyone over
SHE IS a prolific writer and has made valuable contributions to literature, theatre and programmes of All India Radio (AIR). Even at the age of 80, she is active in writing despite failing health and memory.
SHE IS a prolific writer and has made valuable contributions to literature, theatre and programmes of All India Radio (AIR). Even at the age of 80, she is active in writing despite failing health and memory.
Born in Bundi (Rajasthan), Shanti Mehrotra had a flair for writing since her childhood and All India Radio offered her the job of a producer in 1956 due to her poetic abilities. During her service in AIR, she produced many interesting programmes, which immensely impressed the listeners.
A recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 'Sahitya Bhushan Samman' of the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan and the Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi award, she has more than a dozen books to her credit.
Not only her poetry but also her satires, stories and scripts of plays and various radio programmes have made her quite popular in the literary world.
Besides, Shanti Mehrotra's poems and stories have been translated into different Indian and foreign languages, including Japanese and Russian. Moreover, her work has also found place in various magazines and collections of stories, poems and other literary writings.
Her style of writing has been admired by a sizeable number of readers and lauded by many renowned litterateurs, including 'Rashtrakavi' Maithili Sharan Gupta, Mahadevi Verma, Sumitranandan Pant, Sharad Joshi, Dharmaveer Bharati and Laxmi Kant Verma.
The excerpts from the interview:
Once renowned satirist Sharad Joshi was editing a magazine of satire and asked me to contribute. At the same time, Dharmaveer Bharati, editor of 'Dharmayug' had entrusted me with a responsibility to organise a talk with the title of 'Purush pakayen khana, lakhiye kautuk nana.' I had to collect satirical pieces from Sharad Joshi, Amar Singh, Ilachand Joshi, Uma Kant Malaviya and some other literary personalities. I wrote to Sharad Joshi that I had a very interesting satire for him but I would send it to him only if he was ready to contribute for the 'Dharmayug.'Ultimately Sharad, who was reluctant earlier, contributed to the column. His writing was admired by a large number of people.
Once Maithili Sharan Gupta visited Allahabad and stayed at Mahadevi Verma's residence. I, along with my husband and children went to see him. He was surrounded by literary personalities like Sumitranandan Pant, Girija Kumar Mathur and Ganga Prasad Pandey. Mathur enquired about his Indore journey during which he had fallen ill. On this, Guptaji, who was affectionately called 'Dadda,' said: "Yes, journey was satisfactory but I felt unwell and was taken to a doctor, who said it was perhaps a mild heart attack. I was comforted by the thought that at least I too was a patient of 'dard-e-dil.'
Maithili Sharan Gupta had a great sense of humour. He was given honorary doctorate by Allahabad University. When he was leaving the city, many of us went to see him off at the railway station. I cracked a joke that Dadda had received the doctorate and even relished delicious food but forgot us completely. At least you could have brought something for us, too. And pat came the reply: "Yes, I have brought many eatables for you." He took out a printed menu from his pocket and asked me to select whatever I liked. We burst into a laughter.
Sumitranandan Pant too was very witty and humorous. Once, his sister Shanta was telling him about a woman's love for jewellery. She told him: "Dadda, she wears rings in her all eight fingers and had it been possibly she could have also got rings for her thumbs." Pantji immediately replied: "Phir wo apney pati ko angootha kaise dikhayegi."
Once, Pantji was seriously ill and I, along with my husband Vaikunth Nath Mehrotra visited him. When we enquired about his health, he said he was hail and hearty. When someone asked my husband as to why he had lost weight, Pantji chipped in: "Sher ki maand mein rahkar dubla to hoga hi." In fact, Pantji was a good astrologer and he knew our Zodiac signs too (mine Leo and my husband's Aries).
In All India Radio, we had to be very punctual and one fine day when I could not get a rickshaw, I requested my husband to take me to my office on his bicycle. When we were on way to the All India Radio station, a car stopped near our cycle and Mahadevi Verma, who was sitting in the car, remarked: "Ab hum samjhe ki tum kyun moti ho rahi ho aur Vaikunthji kyun dubley ho rahey hain."
A satire script written by Razia Sajjad Zahir for AIR greatly impressed me and I consider it to be the best.