Ram Kumar Varma

Ram Kumar Varma was known as the father of Hindi one-act drama. He was born in Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh in 1904. He was also a famous poet. He had his first poem published at the age of 17. A representative of the romantic i.e. chhayavad movement in Hindi poetry, he combined mysticism with romanticism and personified nature with human emotions. He was also a noted scholar and literary historian, and a professor of Hindi at the Allahabad University.

His first collection of one-act plays Prithviraj ki ankhen i.e. `Prithviraj`s Eyes` came out in 1938. This was followed by Reshmi tie i.e. `Silk Tie` in 1941, Char aitihasik ekanki i.e. `Four Historical One-acts` in 1950, and Ruprang i.e. `Form and Colour` in 1951. Shivaji in 1943 and Kaumudi mahotsav i.e. `Full-moon Festival` in 1961 were full-length dramas. He took up both social and historical themes. Absorbing the influence of Shaw, Ibsen, Chekhov, and Maeterlinck, he portrayed his characters with an Indian sensitivity. Combination of an Indian ethos i.e. both modern and traditional, with the Western craft of playwriting gave his works a new dimension. His one- act plays were very popular in schools, colleges, and amateur Hindi theatre. Ram Kumar Varma died in the year 1990.

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