Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh (13 November 1917 – 11 September 1964)[1] was a prominent Hindi poet, essayist, literary and political critic, and fiction writer of the 20th century.

He started out as was one of the seven poets included in the first volume of Tar Saptak, a series of anthologies (1943), which marked a transition in Hindi literature from the prevalent movement in Chhayavaad or Romanticism.

The initiation of Prayogvaad or Experimentalism and Pragativaad or Progressivism in Hindi poetry eventually led to the creation of the 'Nayi Kahani' (New Story) movement or Modernism.

[5] Although Muktibodh could not manage to get his works published, as a book in his lifetime, he was one of the contributing poets to the first three volumes of Tar Saptak, a series of path-breaking poetry anthologies, edited by Ajneya.

[2] Ek Sahityik ki Diary, first written for his column in the weekly Naya Khun, and later continued in the journal Vasudha (1957–60), offers a glimpse of his literary and socio-political criticism, and insights into his way of thinking, and was first published in 1964.

[15] bullets pierce empty nests on the fig-tree Bald detective of pale moonlight wander the city streets penetrating its many secret woes in multiangular corners... and further on: Her lips turn dark Suspended on a sculpted torso in a harijan temple greying thatch-roofs gnarled banyan roots misty ghosts of lime-smeared rags arrested in blouses, petticoats tattered bedsheets The lustful eye of the bald crooked moon... A Hindi feature film, Satah Se Uthata Aadmi (Arising from the Surface), with script and dialogues by him, was directed by veteran film director, Mani Kaul, and shown at Cannes Film Festival in 1981.