Padma Bhushan Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a celebrated writer and one of the pioneers of modern Hindi poetry. Though he belonged to Chhayavad Yug (1914-1938), a period of neo-romanticism in Hindi literature, he had a distinct and different writing style. His peers included well-known writers like Mahadevi Varma, Sumitrananan Pant and Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. Dr Bachchan's famous work includes 'Madhushala' and 'Agnipath'.