Premchand Family Tree: The Story Behind Hindi-Urdu Literature's Master

Dhanpat Rai Srivastava, known by his pen name Munshi Premchand, born 31 July 1880 in Lamhi, near Varanasi, North-Western Provinces, British India, was the seminal author of Hindi and Urdu fiction — wrote 300+ short stories and 14 novels, including Godan (1936), Gaban (1931), and the short story Kafan ("Shroud," 1936). He died 8 October 1936 in Varanasi at age 56.

The Family's Roots: A Kayastha North Indian Family

The Srivastava family was a Kayastha North Indian family of modest postal-service standing. The family lived in the village of Lamhi, about 4 km from Varanasi.

His Parents

Father: Munshi Ajaib Lal Srivastava — postal clerk; transferred frequently across the United Provinces; was the source of his pen-name "Munshi" (a respectful term for an educated man).

Mother: Anandi Devi — homemaker; died when Premchand was 8.

His First Wife

Premchand was married at age 15 to a child bride from a wealthy family; the marriage was unhappy and he left her after several years.

His Second Wife: Shivrani Devi

Shivrani Devi (1900–1977) — child widow; Premchand married her in 1906 in defiance of social custom. Their relationship was a major personal source for his fiction on women's rights and widow remarriage. She later wrote a biographical memoir of him (Premchand Ghar Mein, 1944) and continued writing.

His Sons

Sripat Rai Srivastava (1908–1994) — son; Hindi writer, painter, founder of the Saraswati Press publishing house.

Amrit Rai Srivastava (1921–1996) — son; Hindi writer; Sahitya Akademi Award winner; wrote Kalam Ka Sipahi (1962), the authoritative biography of his father.

His Daughter

Kamla Devi Srivastava — daughter.

The Srivastava (Premchand) Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Kayastha North Indian; Lamhi, Varanasi district.

Father: Munshi Ajaib Lal Srivastava — postal clerk.

Mother: Anandi Devi — died when Premchand was 8.

First Wife: A child bride (name not widely recorded); marriage unhappy and ended.

Second Wife: Shivrani Devi (1900–1977; m. 1906) — child widow; Hindi writer.

Sons: Sripat Rai (1908–1994) — Saraswati Press; Amrit Rai (1921–1996) — Sahitya Akademi Award-winning biographer of his father.

Daughter: Kamla Devi Srivastava.

Premchand:

  • Born 31 July 1880, Lamhi
  • Initially wrote in Urdu under the pen name "Nawab Rai"
  • Switched to Hindi after the British banned his Urdu collection Soz-e-Watan (1908)
  • Adopted the pen name "Premchand" from 1910
  • Government school teacher (Gorakhpur, Mahoba, Kanpur) until 1921; resigned to join Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement
  • Founded the journal Hans (1930) and Jagran (1932)
  • Co-founded the Saraswati Press (1923)
  • Briefly worked at Ajanta Cinetone, Bombay (1934–35) — wrote the screenplay for Mazdoor (1934) but was disillusioned by the commercial film industry and returned to writing
  • Novels: Sevasadan (1918), Premashram (1922), Rangbhumi (1925), Karmabhumi (1932), Godan (1936; his masterpiece)
  • 300+ short stories — best known include "Kafan" (1936), "Eidgah" (1933), "Boodhi Kaki" (1921), "Poos Ki Raat" (1930)
  • Died 8 October 1936, Varanasi

What the Srivastava Family Story Teaches Us

A postal-clerk father whose moves shaped Premchand's exposure to North Indian society. A mother who died when he was 8. A child-bride first marriage that ended unhappily. A second marriage to a child widow, defying social custom. Two sons, both of whom became Hindi writers — the second one wrote his father's definitive biography.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Premchand story carries the same lesson. Sometimes the child who writes about a parent becomes their truest archive. Amrit Rai's Kalam Ka Sipahi is on the Srivastava family record alongside Godan. Write down which children documented which parents. Documentation is itself a family act.

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