Madhur Kapila

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.[2][3]

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.[2] She moved to Chandigarh in 1977 after her marriage to journalist Ramesh Kapila. During this time she emerged as an art critic and contributed to many newspapers and magazines as a freelance journalist and an art critic. The Dainik Tribune, Dinaman, the Punjab Kesari, the Jansatta, Hindi Hindustan newspapers and various literary journals and magazines such as Hans, Vartamaan Sahitya, Vaagarth, Naya Gyanodaya (Bharatiya Jnanpith), Dastak, Irawati, Harigandha, Jaagriti and many more have published her short stories and literary columns,[4] 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).[1] In a later interview, Kapila would note that an interview of the Hindi author and playwright, Bhisham Sahni, was her first journalistic assignment.[5]

Kapila's 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; transl. Wandered), Satwan Swar (Hindi: सातवाँ स्वर; transl. Seventh vowel) and Saamne ka Aasman (Hindi: सामने का आसमान; transl. The sky in front);[6][7] three short story collections – Beechon Beech (Hindi: बीचों बीच; transl. In the middle), Tab Shayad (Hindi: तब शायद; transl. Then maybe) [8] and Ek Muqadama Aur (Hindi: एक मुक़दमा और; transl. One more case).[9] Her last 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.[2] She also wrote a book on Indian classical singer, Pandit Jasraj.[10] 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.[10]

Kapila was a member of the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi for over three decades.[2][3] Her stories have been translated into Indian and foreign languages including Punjabi, Telugu and English. English translations of her stories have been included in the anthology "Flowing like a River".[11][12]

Kapila receiving the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi lifetime achievement award (2011) from Karan Singh

In 2011, Kapila received the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi Award for her outstanding contribution to literature.[13][14] 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.[12][15]

Kapila was married to journalist Ramesh Kapila, who worked with The Indian Express. The couple had three children; two daughters and a son.[3] Her daughter Shruti Kapila is a published author and an associate professor of history at the University of Cambridge.[16]

Kapila died from a cardiac arrest on 19 December 2021, at the age of 79 at her home in Chandigarh.[2]

Sources:[2][12]

• Indian literature
• Hindi literature
• List of Indian writers

• Indian Literature, Sahitya Akademi Journal, Vol. 57, No. 1 (273) (January/February 2013), pp. 170-175 - Flowing like a Riverː Madhur Kapila and Jaswant Singh Saini
• The Sunday Indian (22 Aug - 4 Sep, 2011) - 111 Female Hindi writers of the 21st century (द सनडे इंडियन - 21वी सदी की 111 हिन्दी लेखिकाएँ)