Patna: Renowned poet-lyricist Satyanarayan, creator of Bihar’s state song Mere Bharat Ke Kanth-haar, died late on August 27 at his residence in Kadamkuan, Patna. He was 92.
His death marks the end of a literary career that spanned several decades and included his association with the JP Movement, public poetry performances and a significant contribution to Hindi Navgeet literature.
Satyanarayan was born on September 13, 1935, in Kaulodihari village in Bhojpur district, then part of Shahabad district. He retired from Bihar government service in 1993 and was serving as chairman of the Hindi Pragati Samiti under the Cabinet Secretariat’s Department of Official Language.
Association With JP Movement
Satyanarayan was associated with the JP Movement of 1974 and was regarded as a close associate of Jayaprakash Narayan.
During the movement, he regularly participated in poetry recitations and public-awareness programmes at street corners and public squares. He also worked in programmes led by writer Phanishwar Nath ‘Renu’.
His association with public movements and literature continued alongside his government service and later literary work.
Wrote Bihar’s State Song In 2012
Satyanarayan composed Mere Bharat Ke Kanth-haar in 2012 to mark the centenary of Bihar’s statehood. The song was subsequently adopted as an important part of the state’s cultural identity.
On March 21, 2012, former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar honoured Satyanarayan and released the song at an event marking Bihar’s centenary.
He also wrote the university anthem for Nalanda Open University.
According to writer Murli Manohar Srivastava, a close associate of Satyanarayan, he studied at Patna Collegiate. His interest in literature developed early. In 1942, he won an award after reciting verses from Jayadrath Vadh in a poetry competition.
Multiple Literary Honours
Satyanarayan received several awards during his literary career, including the Nagarjun Samman for 2020-21 from the Bihar government’s Official Language Department under the Hindi Seva Samman.
He received the National Film Award and the Bharatendu Harishchandra Award from the Publications Division in 2003. He was also honoured with the Vishisht Sahitya Seva Samman by the Bihar Rashtra Bhasha Parishad.
Among his other honours were the Raman Sahitya Puraskar for his poetry collection Tum Na Nahin Kar Sakte, the Gopal Singh Nepali Puraskar for Toot-te Jal Bimb Par and the Dr Shambhunath Singh Navgeet Puraskar in Varanasi for Sabhadhyaksh Hans Raha Hai.
Contribution To Hindi Navgeet
Satyanarayan was regarded as an important contributor to the development of Hindi Navgeet. His work covered poetry, songs and other literary forms.
His major works include Sune Prajanan, Toot-te Jal Bimb, Smritiyon Mein Sansmaran, Dharti Se Judkar, Geet, Dhar Par Hum and Samar Shesh Hai.
His writings were also published in literary journals and publications including Dharmayug, Smarika and Aajkal.
Dr Anil Sulabh, president of the Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, said Satyanarayan had also been associated with the organisation and had served on the jury for Bihar government literary awards.
A felicitation ceremony and the launch of Satyanarayan Samagra, a collection of his complete works, had been scheduled at the Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan premises on September 13, 2026, to mark his 92nd birthday.
Satyanarayan’s son, Sandeep, said his last rites would be performed at Bans Ghat on Saturday morning.
