A noted journalist and Hindi poet, Balkrishna Sharma ‘Naveen’ (b.1897-d.1960), was actively associated with the Indian freedom movement. He was imprisoned six times between 1921 and 1945.  He became the editor of Pratap, a nationalist Hindi daily in 1931. Balkrishna represented Kanpur constituency in the first Lok Sabha (1952-1957), and was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1957 till his death. He was appointed a member of the Official Languages Commission in 1955. Balkrishna Sharma ‘Naveen’ was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1960 for his contribution to Hindi literature. A commemorative stamp on him was issued by India Post in 1989. He wrote several patriotic poems, and his published works include Apalak, Kumkum, Kwasi, Rashmirekha, Vinoba Stavan and Urmila.

About the Collection: A set of seven rare and out of print books of anthologies of Balkrishna Sharma ‘Naveen’, namely Kumkum, Apalak, Rashmirekha, Kwasi, Vinoba Stavan, Urmila, and Hum Vishpaee Janam Ke have been donated by his daughter Rashmi Rekha Sharma. The Archives has digitized all the books and the pdfs are available for consultation.