The First 'Aanchalik Upanyaskar'

I was very young 16 years old when I came across the novels of Phanishwar Nath 'Renu'. Although it was his Maila Anchal that made him famous but I began him reading with ‘Parti Parikatha’. And its impression is still fresh in my mind. Even Maila Anchal could not impress me more than that.
I belong to the area in which his was born and so it was very easy for me to understand the intricacies of the rural languague or say “Aanchalikta”. (Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' was born on 4 March 1921, at village Aurahi Hingna near Forbesganj, in Araria district (then Purnea district),Bihar.)
He simply picked up the language of the local people and put them on the pages. The way we talk, the manners in which we behave, the folk songs and many other things, he just copied. It does not mean that there was no invention. It was really a devil’s task but he performed brilliantly.

Despite his masterpiece, Maila Anchal (The Soiled Linen, 1954), brought into an unprecedented change in Hindi literature, it was not suitably awarded. What he got in the name of recognition, in the name of honour, was a Padma Sri in 1970. That too he gave up when followed the Jayaprakash Narayan Andolan.

Through his writings, he made many local places famous. Katihar railway station figures in many of his writings. But there is hardly a place to which his name has been associated.

His main works are: Novels- Maila Anchal, Parti Parikatha, Juloos, Deerghtapa
Stories-Maare Gaye Gulfam (Teesri Kasam), Lal Pan Ki Begum, Panchlight
Story collections- Thumri, Agnikhor, Acche Aadmi, Ek Adim Ratri Ki Mehak, Ek Shravani duphari,
Reportage-HrinJal- DhanJal, Nepali Kranti Katha, Van tulsi ki gandh, Shruth Asruth purve

After him many writers have termed as Aanchalik writer but I think he was the only real one and there is none who can match him.