Dhanpat Rai Srivastava[1] (31 July 1880 — 8 October 1936), better known by his pen name Munshi Premchand[2][3] (pronounced [mʊnʃiː preːm t͡ʃənd̪] (listen), was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. He is one of the most celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent,[4] and is regarded as one of the foremost Hindi writers of the early twentieth century.[5] His novels include Godaan, Karmabhoomi, Gaban, Mansarovar, Idgah. He published his firstl collection of five short stories in 1907 in a book called Soz-e Watan.