Doodhnath Singh

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Doodhnath Singh (17 October 1936 – 12 January 2018) was an Indian writer, poet and literary critic who wrote in Hindi. He was born in Sobantha village in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, into a farming family and was the eldest of three brothers. He studied Hindi at the University of Allahabad, earning an MA, and taught there as a professor of Hindi until his retirement in 1994. Earlier in his career, he was principal of Rangoota High School in Kolkata and a sub-editor of a Hindi literary magazine.

Singh wrote many well-known works, including Sapaat Chehre Wala Aadmi, Aakhri Kalaam, Nishkaasan, Bhai Ka Shok Geet, Dharmakshetra-Kurukshetra and Surang se Lautate Huye. He also published poetry collections such as Ek Aur Bhi Aadmi Hai, Agli Shatabdi Ke Naam and Yuva Khusboo. As a critic, he wrote analyses of the works of Nirala, Varma and Muktibodh. He received the Bharat Bharti Award and the Maithlisharan Gupta Samman, and served as the national president of Janwadi Lekhak Sangh. He was part of the group known as the “Four Friends of Hindi,” along with Gyan Ranjan, Kashinath Singh and Ravindra Kalia.

Singh was married to Nirmala Thakur. In October 2017, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer at AIIMS in New Delhi. He returned to Allahabad on 26 December and died on 12 January 2018. His eyes were donated after his death, and he was cremated at Rasulabad Ghat, with his elder son Animesh Thakur performing the funeral rites. He is remembered as a leading Hindi writer and critic.