Ashok Vajpeyi

Ashok Vajpeyi Biography

Ashok Vajpeyi born on January 16, 1941 currently lives in New Delhi. He is the founder of the multi-art center, Bharat Bhawan, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and was the first Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, Wardha.  Ashok Vajpeyi is a well known poet in Hindi, who has been involved in many other forms of Hindi literature including essay, critic, and a noted cultural and arts administrator.

Ashok Vajpeyi is a former civil servant who has served as chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi the National Academy of Arts under Ministry of Culture, from 2008–2011. Ashok Vajpeyi has published more than twenty three books consisting of poetry, art, biography, art and criticism. Ashok Vajpeyi was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award given by India's National Academy in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin. 

His notable poetry collections-Shaher Ab Bhi Sambhavana Hai, Tatpurush, Bahuri Akela, Ibarat Se Giri Matrayen, Ummeed ka Doosra Naam and Vivaksha. Ashok Vajpeyi is better known for his art criticism such as in  Samay se Bahar, Kavita ka Galp and Sidhiyan Shuru ho Gayi Hain, Filhal, Kuchh Poorvagrah. 

Ashok Vajpeyi has served in various capicities as Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Secretary of Culture, Union Ministry of Culture, Chairman, Bharat Bhavan Trust as a trustee, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA); member, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and executive board member of the Sangeet Natak Akademi. He has won the Dayavati Modi Kavi Shekhar Award in 1994 and the Kabir Award in 2006. 

The work of Ashok Vajpeyi has been translated in different Indian languages including English, French, and Polish. Ashok Vajpeyi has translated works of four major poets of Poland, Czeslaw Milosz, W. Szymborska, Z. Herbert and T. Rozewicz into Hindi. After his retirement from Indian Administrative Service (IAS), he has lived in Delhi. Ashok Vajpeyi was in news recently when he returned his Sahitya Akademi Award supporting "the right to dissent" and protesting recent murders of writers.

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Updated: October 11, 2015