Madhur Kapila

Madhur Kapila (15 April 1942 – 19 December 2021) was an Indian novelist, journalist, art critic and a reviewer of Hindi literature. was published posthumously in January 2024 by Penguin Random House India.

She was a recipient of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi Award for lifetime contributions to literature and the Cultural Representative Award from the Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Early life Kapila was born in Jalandhar, Punjab, in what was then British India, on 15 April 1942. She was introduced to Hindustani classical music in her childhood at the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan.

Career Madhur Kapila started her writing career early when she was aged 12. Her first novel Bhatke Rahi (Hindi: भटके रही) told the story of a woman through her experiences during the Partition of India and following the country's independence in 1947. including the Kala Kshetraya – a weekly art and literature column in the Dainik Tribune which also serialized and published her first novel Satwan Swar (Hindi: सातवाँ स्वर). In a later interview, Kapila would note that an interview of the Hindi author and playwright, Bhisham Sahni, was her first journalistic assignment.

Her first story was published in 1960 in the Veer Pratap, a newspaper from Jullundur. She subsequently published three novels, including Bhatke Raahi (Hindi: भटके राही; ), Satwan Swar (Hindi: सातवाँ स्वर; ) and Saamne ka Aasman (Hindi: सामने का आसमान; ); three short story collections – Beechon Beech (Hindi: बीचों बीच; ), Tab Shayad (Hindi: तब शायद; ) and Ek Muqadama Aur (Hindi: एक मुक़दमा और; ). Her published novel Saamne ka Aasmaan (Hindi: सामने का आसमान) told the story of three individuals from different strata of the society coming together and living a shared experience at a theater. Her works were noted for narratives in simple language, often written with central women characters and their experiences and emotions in a male-dominated society. India, a part of the Ministry of Education India of the Government of India.

Awards

In 2011, Kapila received the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi Award for her outstanding contribution to literature. She was also a recipient of the Cultural Representative Award from the Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi and was noted as one of 111 Hindi female writers of the 21st century by The Sunday Indian.

Personal life Kapila was married to journalist Ramesh Kapila, who worked with The Indian Express. The couple had three children; two daughters and a son.

Kapila died from a cardiac arrest on 19 December 2021, at the age of 79 at her home in Chandigarh.

Novels

Short story collections