Phanishwar Nath Mandal 'Renu'[1] (March 4, 1921 – April 11, 1977) was a highly influential and successful writer of modern Hindi literature in the post-Premchand era. He authored Maila Anchal, which is regarded as one of the most significant Hindi novels after Premchand's Godaan.[2] Renu was born on March 4, 1921, in Aurahi Hingna, a small village near Simraha railway station in Bihar. Belonging to the Mandal community, an underprivileged group in India, his family nevertheless benefited from land, education, and social status. His father, Shilanath Mandal, was active in the Indian National Movement and was an educated and progressive individual interested in modern ideas, culture, and art.[3] Renu is best known for promoting rural India's voice through the genre of Aanchalik Upanyas ('regional story') and is considered one of the pioneering Hindi writers who introduced regional voices into mainstream Hindi literature. He maintained a close association with Bengali novelist Satinath Bhaduri and wrote a Bengali memoir titled Bhaduriji (Mr. Bhaduri).[3] His short story "Maare Gaye Gulfam" was adapted into the film Teesri Kasam (The Third Vow),[4] directed by Basu Bhattacharya and produced by poet-lyricist Shailendra in 1966, for which Renu also wrote the dialogues.[5] His short story "Panchlight" (Petromax) was later adapted into a TV short film, and the 2017 Bollywood film Panchlait is based on this story.[6]
