Gujarati literature
Encyclopedia
The history of Gujarati
literature may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, other than its composers. Well known laureates of Gujarati literature are Hemchandracharya, Narsinh Mehta
, Mirabai, Akho
, Premanand Bhatt
, Shamal Bhatt
, Dayaram
, Dalpatram
, Narmad, Govardhanram Tripathi
, Gandhiji, K. M. Munshi
, Umashankar Joshi
, Suresh Joshi
, Pannalal Patel
and Rajendra Keshavlal Shah
.
Gujarat Vidhya Sabha
, Gujarat Sahitya Sabha
, and Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
are Ahmedabad
-based literary institutions promoting the spread of Gujarati literature.
Gujarati literature is divided mainly into two eras or 'Yug', the medieval and modern, with these eras being further subdivided.
The medieval ara (1000 AD-1850 AD) is subdivided into 'before Narsinh' and 'after Narsinh' periods. Some scholars further subdivide it as 'Rasa yug', 'Sagun Bhakti' and 'Nirgun Bhakti'.
The modern era (1850 AD to date) is divided into 'Sudharak Yug' or 'Narmad Yug', 'Pandit Yug' or 'Govardhan Yug', 'Ghandhi Yug', 'Anu-Ghandhi Yug', 'Adhunik Yug' and 'Anu-Adunik Yug'.
The distinguished Jain monk and scholar Hemchandracharya suri was one of the earliest scholars of Prakrit
and Apabhramsha
grammars and the mother of the Gujarati language
. He had penned a formal set of 'grammarian principles' as the harbinger of the Gujarati language during the reign of the Rajput king Siddharaj Jayasinh of Anhilwara. This treatise formed the cornerstone of Apabhramsa grammar in the Gujarati language, establishing a language from a combination of corrupted forms of languages like Sanskrit and Ardhamagadhi. He authored "Kavyanushasana": poetics, a handbook or manual of poetry, "Siddha-haima-shabdanushasana": Prakrit and Apabhramsha grammars, and "Desinamamala": a list of words of local origin.
It is generally accepted by historians and researchers in literary genres in Gujarati literature that the earliest writings in this very ancient language were by Jaina authors. These were composed in the form of Rasas, Phagus and Vilasas. Rasas were long poems which were essentially heroic, romantic or narrative in nature. Salibhadra Suri's "Bharatesvara Bahubalirasa" (1185 AD), Vijayasena's "Revantgiri-rasa" (1235 AD), Ambadeva's "Samararasa" (1315 AD) and Vinayaprabha's "Gautama Svamirasa" (1356 AD) are the most illustrious examples of this form of literature in Gujarati. Other notable Prabandha or narrative poems of this period include Sridhara's "Ranamalla Chhanda" (1398 AD), Merutunga's "Prabodhachintamani", Padmanabha's "Kanhadade Prabandha" (1456 AD) and Bhima's "Sadayavatsa Katha" (1410 AD). The phagus are poems that pictured the blissful and cheery nature of the spring festival (Vasantha). Rajasekhara's "Neminatha-phagu" (1344 AD) and Ajnat (Unknown) Kavi's "Vasantha-vilasa" (1350 AD) are unsurpassed instances of such texts. "Neminatha Chatuspadika" (1140 AD) by Vinayachandra is the oldest of the baramasi genre of Gujarati poems. The earliest work in Gujarati prose was Tarunaprabha's "Balavabodha" (1355 AD). "Prithvichandra Charita" (1422 AD) of Manikyasundara, which essentially served as a religious romance, is the most paramount illustration of Old Gujarati prose and is reminiscent of Bāṇabhaṭṭa
's Kadambari
.
Due to flourishing trade and commerce in Ahmedabad and Khambat (Cambay), entertainment activities started to develop, and the Jain saints, story-tellers, puppet shows, and Bhavai (dramas) also revived literature. This gave birth to ancient literature and the 11th century noted poet Hemchandra (1088–1172).
During the 15th century, Gujarati literature had come under the tremendous sway of the Bhakti movement
, a popular cultural movement to liberate religion from entrenched priesthood. Narsinh Mehta (1415-1481 A.D.) was the foremost poet of this era. His poems delineated a very saintly and mystical sense and bore an intense reflection of the philosophy of Advaitism. Narasinh Mehta's "Govind Gaman", "Surat Sangram", "Sudama Charitra" and "Sringaramala" are stupendous and exceptional illustrations of this devotional poetry.
This is the age when Jain and Hindu poets produced Gujarat literature in abundance. The prose and poetry created were mostly to encourage religion and worship. The Gita, Mahabharat, Vedas, and Bhagvat were instantly popular, and worshiping and offering love to God through them stayed in the hearts of people for long. Narsinh Mehta's creations are considered the best. There were also creations of prayers, Jain history, etc. During this period of the influence of the Bhakti Movement on Gujarati literature, the Ramayana, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yogavashistha and the Panchatantra were all translated into Gujarati. This period also experienced the colossal Puranic revival, which led to the rapid growth and maturation of devotional poetry in Gujarati literature. This era is divided into two parts, "Sagun Bhakti Dhara" and "Nirgun Bhakti Dhara".
In this "Dhara", the God is worshiped in physical form, having some form and virtues like Ram
and Krishna
.
Narsinh Mehta, Meera
, and Dayaram
were foremost contributors of this "Dhara".
Bhalan
(1434-1514 AD) had furnished a meritorious representation of Bāṇabhaṭṭa's "Kadambari" into Gujarati. Bhalana composed other substantial and irreplaceable works like "Dasham Skandha", "Nalakhyan", "Ramabal Charitra" and "Chandi Akhyana". Meera supplied many "Pada" (Verse
). Premanand Bhatt
, who is deemed the most important of all Gujarati poets, was absolutely involved in taking and elevating the Gujarati language and literature to new peaks. Amongst Premananda Bhatta's umpteen authorships, the most crucial are "Okha Harana", "Nalakhyana, "Abhimanyu Akhyana", "Dasham Skandha", and "Sudama Charitra".
Shamal Bhatt
was an extremely creative and productive poet who gave birth to unforgettable works like "Padmavati", "Batris Putli", "Nanda Batrisi", "Sinhasan Batrisi" and "Madana Mohan" in Gujarati verse writing. Dayaram (1767–1852) had given rise to religious, ethical and romantic lyrics referred to as 'Garbi'. His most authoritative works comprise "Bhakti Poshan", "Rasik Vallabh" and "Ajamel Akhyan". The "Ramayana" was authored by Giridhara in Gujarati during the middle of the 19th century. Parmanand, Brahmanand, Vallabha, Haridas, Ranchhod and Divali Bai were other authoritative 'saint poets' from this period of poetry predomination in Gujarati literature. Poets from the Swaminarayan sect contributed immensely.
The God has no physical form in this "Dhara".
Narsinh Mehta and Akho
were the foremost contributors of this "Dhara". Akho's "Akhe Gita", "Chittavichar Samvad" and "Anubhav" Bindu" have always been illustrated as being 'emphatic' compositions on the Vedanta. Yet another poet, Mandana, had given form to immortal works like "Prabodha Battrisi", "Ramayan" and "Rupmangal Katha". Other contributors are Kabir
-Panthi, Dhira Bhagat, Bhoja Bhagat, Bapusaheb Gaikwad, and Pritam.
From the middle of 19th century, Gujarati, like other regional Indian languages, came under strong western influence, precisely due to colonial residence and colonial reign. Dalpatram
(1820–1898) and Narmad (1833–1886) are the trailblazers of modern Gujarati literature. Dalpatram's "Vinacharitra" portrays his incredible command over hilarity and wittiness. The very first Gujarati dictionary, known as "Narmakosh", was composed and compiled by Narmad; it is essentially a history of the world, and also an authority on poetics. Narmad attempted many varieties of poetry and smoothly adapted English verses into Gujarati. His "Rukmini Haran" and "Virasinh" are considered to be masterpiece compendia of poems. The other great works in Gujarati literature in this era are Bholanath Sarabhai's "Ishvara Prarthanamala" (1872), Navalram's "Bhatt nu Bhopalu" (1867) and "Veermati" (1869), and Nandshankar Mehta's (1835–1905) "Karana Ghelo" (1866), which was the first novel of Gujarati literature.
Ranchhodlal Udayaram Dave
(1837–1923) is almost always respected as the groundbreaker and trailblazer in the art of play-writing in Gujarati with his "Lalita Dukh Darsak" Natak (Play
). Other significant dramatists were Dalpatram, Narmad and Navalram
.
Modern studies of Gujarat and its language began with the British administrator Alexander Kinlock Forbes shortly after the British occupation of the region. Alexander Forbes carried out an extensive investigation of Gujarati culture and literature over the previous thousand years and amassed a large collection of manuscripts. An organisation named after him, called the Farbas Gujarati Sabha, dedicates itself to the preservation of Gujarati literature and language and history from its headquarters in Mumbai
.
Govardhanram Tripathi
is the main author of this age. The work of others includes Narsinhrao Divetiya's "Smarana Samhita", "Kusumamala", "Hridayavina", "Nupur Jhankar" and "Buddha Charit"; Manishankar Ratanji Bhatt or Kavi Kant
's "Purvalap" ('Devayani', 'Atijnana', 'Vasanta Vijay' and 'Chakravak Mithuna') and Balwantray Thakore
's "Bhanakar". Nhanalal was another important poet of this period in Gujarati literature, who had outshone incredibly in his "Apadya Gadya" or rhyming prose. Nhanalal's recognition and reputation is based on two poetic compilations, namely "Vasantotsava" (1898) and "Chitradarshan" (1921), an epic referred to as "Kuruksetra", and numerous plays like "Indukumar", "Jayajayant", "Vishva Gita", "Sanghamitra" and "Jagat Prerana".
Govardhanram Tripathi (1855–1907) was among the dazzling and stupendous novelists of Gujarati literature, whose celebrated and well-admired novel is "Saraswatichandra (novel)
".
During this period, the Gandhiji and Gujarat Vidyapith
became the nerve-centre of all literary activities, where new values emerged and more emphasis was given to Gandhian values, Indianisation and simplification. Novels, short stories, diaries, letters, plays, essays, criticisms, biographies, travel books and all kinds of prose began to flood Gujarati literature.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Gandhiji, Ramnarayan Pathak, Kanaiyalal Munshi or K. M. Munshi
, Swami Anand, Umashankar Joshi
, Sundaram
, Jhaverchand Meghani
, Pannalal Patel
, Jyotindra Dave, Chandravadan Mehta, Zinabhai Desai ("Snehrashmi"), Manubhai Pancholi ("Darshak"), and Ishwar Petlikar are the main contributors of this age.
Modern Gujarati prose was ushered in with a bang by Narmada, but K.M. Munshi and, of course, the legend and nationalist himself, Mahatma Gandhi, gave it prominence in this age. Gandhiji's autobiography, An Autobiography of My Experiments with Truth
((Gujarātī
"સત્યના પ્રયોગો અથવા આત્મકથા")), Satyagraha in South Africa about his struggle there, Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule
, a political pamphlet, and a paraphrase in Gujarati of John Ruskin
's Unto The Last are his most well-known works. This last essay sets out his programme on economics. He wrote extensively on vegetarianism, diet and health, religion, social reforms, etc. Gandhi usually wrote in Gujarati, though he also revised the Hindi and English translations of his books.
Gandhiji was a prolific writer. For decades he edited several newspapers including Harijan
in Gujarati
, Hindi
and English
; Indian Opinion
while in South Africa and, Young India
, in English, and "Navajivan", a Gujarati monthly, on his return to India. Later, "Navajivan" was published in Hindi. He wrote letters almost every day to individuals and newspapers.
During the 1940s, there could be witnessed a rise in communistic poetry and this inspired a movement for progressive literature in Gujarati too. Meghani, Bhogilal Gandhi, Swapnastha and others began to preach class conflict and hatred of religion through their writings. K.M. Munshi is deemed one of the most multi-talented and flexible and looming literary figures of Gujarati literature of contemporary times. K.M. Munshi's voluminous works include dramas, essays, short stories and novels. His famous novels are included in the list of "Patan ni Prabhuta", "Gujarat no Nath", "Jay Somnath" (1940), "Prithvi Vallabh", "Bhagavan Parshuram" (1946) and "Tapasvini" (1957).
Indeed, after the rise of Mahatma Gandhi's prominence in a steadily strengthening struggle for independence and social equality, a great volume of poetry, written by poets like Umashankar, Sundaram, Shesh, Snehrashmi and Betai, amongst others, centred on the existing social order, the struggle for independence and the travails of Mahatma Gandhi himself. Highly inspired by Rabindranath Tagore
's dialogue poems, Umashankar Joshi enriched the existing Gujrati literature by penning in the same manner. Two such poems are his "Prachina" and "Mahaprasthan". For his poem "Nishith", he received the Jnanpith Award
in 1967. Pannalal Patel
received the Jnanpith Award
in 1985 for his novel
"Maanavi Ni Bhavaai".
The Gujarati novel was also made a household name by G.G. Joshi ('Dhumaketu'), Chunilal V. Shah, Gunvantrai Acharya, Jhaverchand Meghani, Pannalal Patel and Manubhai Pancholi.
Significant dramatists of this age are Chandravadan Mehta, Umashankar Joshi, Jayanti Dalal and Chunilal Madia.
Amongst the important essayists, citation can be made of Kaka Kalelkar, Ratilal Trivedi, Lilavati Munshi, Jyotindra Dave, Ramnarayan Pathak.
In this era there is a dominance of poetry
. The main contributors of this age are Rajendra Shah, Niranjan Bhagat, Venibhai Purohit, Prahlad Parekh and Balmukund Dave. Rajendra Shah won the Jnanpith—the Indian government's most prestigious literary prize—for the year 2001. The judges noted, "his intensity of emotion and innovation in form and expression which set him apart as a poet of great significance. The mystical tone of his poetry stems from the tradition of great medieval masters like Kabir, Narsinh Mehta and literary giants like them". He authored more than 20 collections of poems and songs, mainly on the themes of the beauty of nature, and about the everyday lives of indigenous peoples and fisherfolk communities. In his poems using Sanskrit metrics, he was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore. He was one of the giants of the post Gandhi-era, called 'Anu-Gandhi Yug' in Gujarati literature.
Post-independence Gujarati poetry displays a higher form of subjectivity and explores newer philosophies and lines of thought and imagery. The poems became more subjective and brutal, discarding old imageries and symbols and replacing them with new ideas. Prominent Gujarati poets of the post-independence era include critically acclaimed poets like Suresh Joshi
, Gulam Mohamed Sheikh, Harinder Dave, Chinu Modi, Nalin Raval and Adil Mansuri, among others.
Post-independence prose literature in Gujarati had two distinct trends, traditional and modern. The former dealt more with ethical values and its main writers were Gulabdas Broker, Mansukhlal Jhaveri, Vishnuprasad Trivedi and others. Existentialism, surrealism and symbolism influenced the latter. The modernists also wanted to do away with moral values and religious beliefs. Eminent writers of this trend comprise Chandrakant Bakshi
, Suresh Joshi, Madhu Rai, Raghuvir Chowdhury, Saroj Pathak and others. Gujarati prose has recorded growth and literary feats quite rapidly in less than two hundred years and now can be counted among the front benchers in Indian literature.
In this age the main themes are Dalit
literature and 'Feminist literature'.
Dr. Mohan parmar
Dr Raghuvir Chaudhary
Until the creation of a separate state of Gujarat in 1960, the heart of Gujarati culture and politics was divided: Mumbai was as much a Gujarati centre as Ahmedabad. Indeed, in the early 1960s, the largest Gujarati daily newspaper continued to be published in Mumbai. Bombay Samachar, founded in 1822 and the oldest still-publishing newspaper in India, had a circulation of 51,000 in 1962, and its Mumbai rival, Janmabhoomi, 24,000. The two Ahmedabad dailies that came to dominate the Gujarati daily press, Gujarat Samachar and Sandesh, had circulations of 45,000 and 42,000, respectively. Once the state of Gujarat was created, however, the focus of Gujarati life turned increasingly towards Ahmedabad and the provincial towns of the new state. Education and administration in Gujarati grew, and with both, the number of potential readers of publications in Gujarati.
Founded 70 years ago, published from Ahmedabad. Editions from Ahmedabad, Vadodara (Baroda), Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Mumbai and New York. Owned by the Lok Prakashan Ltd Group. Publisher: Shreyansh Shantilal Shah.
Divya Bhaskar
Published by the Bhaskar Group. Launched in 2003. Has a North American edition for NRIs in Gujarati. Published from Ahmedabad, Badodara, Surat, Rajkot. Sections are National, International, Sport, Business, and MUMBAI. City supplements for Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Uttar Gujarat, Dakshin Gujarat, Madhya Gujarat, Kutch, Saurashtra. Magazines are Woman Bhaskar, Bal Bhaskar, Dharma Darshan, Utsav, Aha! Zindagi.
It has a literary supplement with features like Navalkatha, Navalika, Gazal ane Kavitha, Kahaveto, Hasya Lekh.
Sandesh
The Sandesh Limited has its headquarters at Ahmedabad. in 1923 Shri Nandlal Bodiwala started a Sandesh daily on a small scale, but by 1958 the late Shri Chimanbhai Patel was at the helm of affairs. His unique contribution to journalism was the Sunday Sanskar Poorti in Gujarati, which included many celebrities as columnists. He thus pioneered Sunday supplements in Gujarati journalism. Until 1984, Sandesh was a single edition newspaper published from Ahmedabad. Then under an expansion programme new editions were launched: Baroda, Surat, Rajkot and Bhavnagar in 1985, 1989, 1990 and 1998, respectively.
Gujaratmitra Darpan
Established 1863. A bi-weekly named 'Gujaratdarpan' was amalgamated in 1894 with the 'Gujaratmitra' and thereafter the paper was known as 'Gujaratmitra & Gujaratdarpan'. Initially started as a weekly in 1936, the paper was later converted into a daily. Founder: Shri Dinshaw Ardeshir Talyarkhan.
Bombay Samachar
Launched in 1822 by Parsi priest Fardoonji Murazban. Its first issue had 14 pages. Its first page consisted of advertisements, two columns about things lost and one about the sale of some property, all relating to Parsis. Then follows what may be called an article on "Ourselves". Then there are four columns of short paragraphs about Government and Court appointments and changes and powers of attorney taken from court sources; about the arrival and departure of ships and of Europeans from Mumbai; a list of European deaths; and the ships loading in the harbour. Six columns are devoted to Kolkata news taken from the Indian Gazette and the Calcutta Chronicle; one column to Chennai news from the Government Gazette of that city; two columns to London news, whilst a short paragraph of ten lines is devoted to news from Canton in China, giving the prices of opium. Of local Bombay news there is very little, except the short paragraph about appointments mentioned above.
A weekly until 1832, a bi-weekly until 1855 and a daily thereafter, the paper contained articles and letters by freedom fighters like Gandhi and Patel. The paper passed through various hands before coming into the ownership of the Cama family, its present publishers, in 1933.
Akila Daily
Akila Daily is a 16-page Gujarati-language evening daily newspaper published from Rajkot, Gujarat. It appears in black and white with spot colour ads.
Sambhaav and Sambhaav Metro
Sambhaav
was earlier a broadsheet morning Gujarat paper brought out by the Sambhav media group, but in March 2005 it was modified into an afternoon tabloid, Sambhaav Metro. It is published from Ahmedabad only, six days a week, not Sunday. It was changed ostensibly because the broadsheet was heavily dependent on agencies and there was a wish to focus more on local news and features. The Sambhaav media group is a franchise of The Asian Age for Gujarat, and publishes a socio-political weekly magazine, Abhiyaan.
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
literature may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, other than its composers. Well known laureates of Gujarati literature are Hemchandracharya, Narsinh Mehta
Narsinh Mehta
Narsinh Mehta also known as Narsi Mehta or Narsi Bhagat was a poet-saint of Gujarat, India, and a member of the Nagar Brahmins community, notable as a bhakta, an exponent of Hindu devotional religious poetry. He is especially revered in Gujarati literature, where he is acclaimed as its Adi Kavi...
, Mirabai, Akho
Akho
Akha Bhagat was a medieval period poet in Gujarati literature who wrote in the tradition of the Bhakti movement. He kept Gujarati literature alive and wrote his poems in pattern which is called "chhappa" .- History :He came to Ahmedabad from Jetalpur in the 17th Century...
, Premanand Bhatt
Premanand Bhatt
Premanand Bhatt is known for his contribution in Gujarati literature. Popularly, he is known as Premanand in Gujarat. Premanand is known for his literary form called "Aakhyan" in Gujarati...
, Shamal Bhatt
Shamal Bhatt
Shamal Bhatt was a Gujarati author of the middle age in Gujarati literature. He is known for his "Padhya-Vaarta"....
, Dayaram
Dayaram
Dayaram was a Gujarati poet. He belongs to middle age or " Madhya-kal " in Gujarati literature.He was known for his literary form called " Garbi " in Gujarat.He was a follower of Pushtimarg of Hindu religion....
, Dalpatram
Dalpatram
Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi was a noted author, poet of Gujarati literature, and was given a title of "Kavishwar" by people of Gujarat...
, Narmad, Govardhanram Tripathi
Govardhanram Tripathi
Govardhanram Tripathi was a novel writer of Gujarati literature.-Life:Govardhanram Tripathi was born in Nadiad, India on 20 October 1855 on the day of the Dasara festival....
, Gandhiji, K. M. Munshi
K. M. Munshi
Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to literature and politics. He was a well known name in Gujarati literature...
, Umashankar Joshi
Umashankar Joshi
Umashankar Joshi was an eminent poet, scholar and writer. He received the Jnanpith Award in 1967 for his contribution to Indian, especially Gujarati literature.-Works:...
, Suresh Joshi
Suresh Joshi
Suresh Joshi was an Indian novelist, short-story writer, critic, poet, translator, writer and academic in the Gujarati language.He was born in Valod, a small town in South Gujarat on 30 May 1921....
, Pannalal Patel
Pannalal Patel
Pannalal Nanalal Patel is a Gujarati author. He was the recipient of Jnanpith Award in 1985. He was born at Mandli village, Dungarpur, Rajasthan.-Works:- Novels :* Maanavi Ni Bhavaai...
and Rajendra Keshavlal Shah
Rajendra Keshavlal Shah
Rajendra Keshavlal Shah was a lyrical poet who wrote in Gujarati. Born in Kapadvanaj, he authored more than 20 collections of poems and songs, mainly on the themes of the beauty of nature, and about the everyday lives of indigenous peoples and fisherfolk communities...
.
Gujarat Vidhya Sabha
Gujarat Vidhya Sabha
Gujarat Vidhya Sabha, originally called The Gujarat Vernacular Society is a literary institution for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It was founded by a British judge Alexander Forbes in 1848...
, Gujarat Sahitya Sabha
Gujarat Sahitya Sabha
Gujarat Sahitya Sabha, originally called the Social and Literary Association is a literary institution for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Vavabhai Mehta in 1898...
, and Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad is a literary institution for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Mehta with an aim of creating literature appealing to all classes of the society and cultivate a literary sense among the people...
are Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
-based literary institutions promoting the spread of Gujarati literature.
Era or Yug
Such factors as the policies of the rulers, the living style of the people, and the worldwide influence on society are important for any literature to flourish. In Gujarat, due to the development of trade and commerce, the religious influence of Jainism as well as Hinduism, and also due to the safety and encouragement of rulers like Siddhraj, Solanki and Vaghela Rajputs, literary activities were in full force from the 11th century. Literature in Gujarati is sometimes also classified into two broad categories, namely poetry and prose, the former savouring and basking in its long lineage, dating back to the 6th century. Poetry as a perception was a medium for expressing religious beliefs and judgements, a stronghold of medieval Indian times. In this context of gradual evolution, the history of Gujarati literature is generally classed into three broad periods, consisting of the Early period (up to c. 1450 AD), the Middle period (up to 1850 AD) and the Modern period (1850 AD. onwards). However, Gujarati literature and its tremendous maturation and proficiency in contributing to culture is retraced back to sultanate days (referring to the Muzaffarid dynasty, which had provided the sultans of Gujarat in western India from 1391 to 1583).Gujarati literature is divided mainly into two eras or 'Yug', the medieval and modern, with these eras being further subdivided.
The medieval ara (1000 AD-1850 AD) is subdivided into 'before Narsinh' and 'after Narsinh' periods. Some scholars further subdivide it as 'Rasa yug', 'Sagun Bhakti' and 'Nirgun Bhakti'.
The modern era (1850 AD to date) is divided into 'Sudharak Yug' or 'Narmad Yug', 'Pandit Yug' or 'Govardhan Yug', 'Ghandhi Yug', 'Anu-Ghandhi Yug', 'Adhunik Yug' and 'Anu-Adunik Yug'.
Madhyakalin Sahitya (Medieval literature)
- Praag Narsinh-Yug (1000 AD to 1400 AD)
The distinguished Jain monk and scholar Hemchandracharya suri was one of the earliest scholars of Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
and Apabhramsha
Apabhramsha
Apabhraṃśa is a term used by Sanskrit grammarians since Patañjali to refer to dialects that deviate from the norm of Sanskrit grammar. The term in Sanskrit literally means "corrupt" or "non-grammatical language". It is used as a cover term for the dialects forming the transition between the late...
grammars and the mother of the Gujarati language
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
. He had penned a formal set of 'grammarian principles' as the harbinger of the Gujarati language during the reign of the Rajput king Siddharaj Jayasinh of Anhilwara. This treatise formed the cornerstone of Apabhramsa grammar in the Gujarati language, establishing a language from a combination of corrupted forms of languages like Sanskrit and Ardhamagadhi. He authored "Kavyanushasana": poetics, a handbook or manual of poetry, "Siddha-haima-shabdanushasana": Prakrit and Apabhramsha grammars, and "Desinamamala": a list of words of local origin.
It is generally accepted by historians and researchers in literary genres in Gujarati literature that the earliest writings in this very ancient language were by Jaina authors. These were composed in the form of Rasas, Phagus and Vilasas. Rasas were long poems which were essentially heroic, romantic or narrative in nature. Salibhadra Suri's "Bharatesvara Bahubalirasa" (1185 AD), Vijayasena's "Revantgiri-rasa" (1235 AD), Ambadeva's "Samararasa" (1315 AD) and Vinayaprabha's "Gautama Svamirasa" (1356 AD) are the most illustrious examples of this form of literature in Gujarati. Other notable Prabandha or narrative poems of this period include Sridhara's "Ranamalla Chhanda" (1398 AD), Merutunga's "Prabodhachintamani", Padmanabha's "Kanhadade Prabandha" (1456 AD) and Bhima's "Sadayavatsa Katha" (1410 AD). The phagus are poems that pictured the blissful and cheery nature of the spring festival (Vasantha). Rajasekhara's "Neminatha-phagu" (1344 AD) and Ajnat (Unknown) Kavi's "Vasantha-vilasa" (1350 AD) are unsurpassed instances of such texts. "Neminatha Chatuspadika" (1140 AD) by Vinayachandra is the oldest of the baramasi genre of Gujarati poems. The earliest work in Gujarati prose was Tarunaprabha's "Balavabodha" (1355 AD). "Prithvichandra Charita" (1422 AD) of Manikyasundara, which essentially served as a religious romance, is the most paramount illustration of Old Gujarati prose and is reminiscent of Bāṇabhaṭṭa
Banabhatta
Bāṇabhaṭṭa , also known as Bāṇa, was a Sanskrit scholar and poet of India. He was the Asthana Kavi in the court of King Harshavardhana, who reigned in the years c. 606–647 CE in north India...
's Kadambari
Kadambari
Kādambari is a romantic novel in Sanskrit. It was substantially composed by Bānabhatta in the first half of the 7th century, who did not survive to see it through completion. The novel was completed by Banabhatta's son Bhushanabhatta, according to the plan laid out by his late father...
.
Due to flourishing trade and commerce in Ahmedabad and Khambat (Cambay), entertainment activities started to develop, and the Jain saints, story-tellers, puppet shows, and Bhavai (dramas) also revived literature. This gave birth to ancient literature and the 11th century noted poet Hemchandra (1088–1172).
- Narsinh-Yug (1400 AD onwards)
During the 15th century, Gujarati literature had come under the tremendous sway of the Bhakti movement
Bhakti movement
The Bhakti movement is a Hindu religious movement in which the main spiritual practice is loving devotion among the Shaivite and Vaishnava saints. The Bhakti movement originated in ancient Tamil Nadu and began to spread to the north during the late medieval ages when north India was under Islamic...
, a popular cultural movement to liberate religion from entrenched priesthood. Narsinh Mehta (1415-1481 A.D.) was the foremost poet of this era. His poems delineated a very saintly and mystical sense and bore an intense reflection of the philosophy of Advaitism. Narasinh Mehta's "Govind Gaman", "Surat Sangram", "Sudama Charitra" and "Sringaramala" are stupendous and exceptional illustrations of this devotional poetry.
- 'Bhakti-Yug (15th-19th century)
This is the age when Jain and Hindu poets produced Gujarat literature in abundance. The prose and poetry created were mostly to encourage religion and worship. The Gita, Mahabharat, Vedas, and Bhagvat were instantly popular, and worshiping and offering love to God through them stayed in the hearts of people for long. Narsinh Mehta's creations are considered the best. There were also creations of prayers, Jain history, etc. During this period of the influence of the Bhakti Movement on Gujarati literature, the Ramayana, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yogavashistha and the Panchatantra were all translated into Gujarati. This period also experienced the colossal Puranic revival, which led to the rapid growth and maturation of devotional poetry in Gujarati literature. This era is divided into two parts, "Sagun Bhakti Dhara" and "Nirgun Bhakti Dhara".
- "Sagun Bhakti Dhara"
In this "Dhara", the God is worshiped in physical form, having some form and virtues like Ram
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
.
Narsinh Mehta, Meera
Meera
Meerabai was an aristocratic Hindu mystical singer and devotee of Lord Krishna from Rajasthan and one of the most significant figures of the Sant tradition of the Vaishnava bhakti movement...
, and Dayaram
Dayaram
Dayaram was a Gujarati poet. He belongs to middle age or " Madhya-kal " in Gujarati literature.He was known for his literary form called " Garbi " in Gujarat.He was a follower of Pushtimarg of Hindu religion....
were foremost contributors of this "Dhara".
Bhalan
Bhalan
Bhalan was a famous Gujarati poet of the medieval period. Also a scholar of Sanskrit literature, he is considered as major contributor in Bhakti-kal in Gujarati literature....
(1434-1514 AD) had furnished a meritorious representation of Bāṇabhaṭṭa's "Kadambari" into Gujarati. Bhalana composed other substantial and irreplaceable works like "Dasham Skandha", "Nalakhyan", "Ramabal Charitra" and "Chandi Akhyana". Meera supplied many "Pada" (Verse
Verse (poetry)
A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
). Premanand Bhatt
Premanand Bhatt
Premanand Bhatt is known for his contribution in Gujarati literature. Popularly, he is known as Premanand in Gujarat. Premanand is known for his literary form called "Aakhyan" in Gujarati...
, who is deemed the most important of all Gujarati poets, was absolutely involved in taking and elevating the Gujarati language and literature to new peaks. Amongst Premananda Bhatta's umpteen authorships, the most crucial are "Okha Harana", "Nalakhyana, "Abhimanyu Akhyana", "Dasham Skandha", and "Sudama Charitra".
Shamal Bhatt
Shamal Bhatt
Shamal Bhatt was a Gujarati author of the middle age in Gujarati literature. He is known for his "Padhya-Vaarta"....
was an extremely creative and productive poet who gave birth to unforgettable works like "Padmavati", "Batris Putli", "Nanda Batrisi", "Sinhasan Batrisi" and "Madana Mohan" in Gujarati verse writing. Dayaram (1767–1852) had given rise to religious, ethical and romantic lyrics referred to as 'Garbi'. His most authoritative works comprise "Bhakti Poshan", "Rasik Vallabh" and "Ajamel Akhyan". The "Ramayana" was authored by Giridhara in Gujarati during the middle of the 19th century. Parmanand, Brahmanand, Vallabha, Haridas, Ranchhod and Divali Bai were other authoritative 'saint poets' from this period of poetry predomination in Gujarati literature. Poets from the Swaminarayan sect contributed immensely.
- "Nirgun Bhakti Dhara"
The God has no physical form in this "Dhara".
Narsinh Mehta and Akho
Akho
Akha Bhagat was a medieval period poet in Gujarati literature who wrote in the tradition of the Bhakti movement. He kept Gujarati literature alive and wrote his poems in pattern which is called "chhappa" .- History :He came to Ahmedabad from Jetalpur in the 17th Century...
were the foremost contributors of this "Dhara". Akho's "Akhe Gita", "Chittavichar Samvad" and "Anubhav" Bindu" have always been illustrated as being 'emphatic' compositions on the Vedanta. Yet another poet, Mandana, had given form to immortal works like "Prabodha Battrisi", "Ramayan" and "Rupmangal Katha". Other contributors are Kabir
Kabir
Kabīr was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement...
-Panthi, Dhira Bhagat, Bhoja Bhagat, Bapusaheb Gaikwad, and Pritam.
Arvaachin Sahitya (Modern Literature, 1850 AD - To date)
With the British Government and the new technology of printing and press, education in the English language began. The new age brought many newspapers and magazines, which spread awareness in society. Because of this, there was much more literature, and it included forms other than the ancient religious style of poetry. The creations reflect social welfare, criticism, plays, new-age thinking, worship of the country, the values of life, etc. This era is subdivided into 'Sudharak Yug' or 'Narmad Yug', 'Pandit Yug' or 'Govardhan Yug', 'Gandhi Yug', 'Anu-Gandhi Yug', 'Adhunik Yug' and 'Anu-Adhunik Yug'.- Sudharak Yug or Narmad Yug (1850-1885 AD)
From the middle of 19th century, Gujarati, like other regional Indian languages, came under strong western influence, precisely due to colonial residence and colonial reign. Dalpatram
Dalpatram
Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi was a noted author, poet of Gujarati literature, and was given a title of "Kavishwar" by people of Gujarat...
(1820–1898) and Narmad (1833–1886) are the trailblazers of modern Gujarati literature. Dalpatram's "Vinacharitra" portrays his incredible command over hilarity and wittiness. The very first Gujarati dictionary, known as "Narmakosh", was composed and compiled by Narmad; it is essentially a history of the world, and also an authority on poetics. Narmad attempted many varieties of poetry and smoothly adapted English verses into Gujarati. His "Rukmini Haran" and "Virasinh" are considered to be masterpiece compendia of poems. The other great works in Gujarati literature in this era are Bholanath Sarabhai's "Ishvara Prarthanamala" (1872), Navalram's "Bhatt nu Bhopalu" (1867) and "Veermati" (1869), and Nandshankar Mehta's (1835–1905) "Karana Ghelo" (1866), which was the first novel of Gujarati literature.
Ranchhodlal Udayaram Dave
Ranchhodlal Udayaram Dave
Ranchhodlal Udayaram Dave Ranchhodlal Udayaram Dave Ranchhodlal Udayaram Dave ((Gujarati:રણછોડલાલ ઉદયરામ દવે) (1837-1923) is almost always respected as the groundbreaker and trailblazer in the art of play-writing in Gujarati with his "Lalita Dukh Darsak" Natak...
(1837–1923) is almost always respected as the groundbreaker and trailblazer in the art of play-writing in Gujarati with his "Lalita Dukh Darsak" Natak (Play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
). Other significant dramatists were Dalpatram, Narmad and Navalram
Navalram
Navalram was a noted author and critic of Gujarati literature.He is considered as the first critic of modern Gujarati literature.-Contribution:...
.
Modern studies of Gujarat and its language began with the British administrator Alexander Kinlock Forbes shortly after the British occupation of the region. Alexander Forbes carried out an extensive investigation of Gujarati culture and literature over the previous thousand years and amassed a large collection of manuscripts. An organisation named after him, called the Farbas Gujarati Sabha, dedicates itself to the preservation of Gujarati literature and language and history from its headquarters in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
- Pandit Yug or Govardhan Yug (1885-1915 AD)
Govardhanram Tripathi
Govardhanram Tripathi
Govardhanram Tripathi was a novel writer of Gujarati literature.-Life:Govardhanram Tripathi was born in Nadiad, India on 20 October 1855 on the day of the Dasara festival....
is the main author of this age. The work of others includes Narsinhrao Divetiya's "Smarana Samhita", "Kusumamala", "Hridayavina", "Nupur Jhankar" and "Buddha Charit"; Manishankar Ratanji Bhatt or Kavi Kant
Kavi kant
Kavi Kant is a poet associated with Gujarat and Gujarati literature.-Life:Kavi Kant was born Manishankar Rataji Bhatt in 1868 in Chavand village, part of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat....
's "Purvalap" ('Devayani', 'Atijnana', 'Vasanta Vijay' and 'Chakravak Mithuna') and Balwantray Thakore
Balwantray Thakore
Balwantray Thakore , as popularly he is known, was born at Bharuch in Gujarat.He was very well known poet of Gujarati literature.-Contribution:...
's "Bhanakar". Nhanalal was another important poet of this period in Gujarati literature, who had outshone incredibly in his "Apadya Gadya" or rhyming prose. Nhanalal's recognition and reputation is based on two poetic compilations, namely "Vasantotsava" (1898) and "Chitradarshan" (1921), an epic referred to as "Kuruksetra", and numerous plays like "Indukumar", "Jayajayant", "Vishva Gita", "Sanghamitra" and "Jagat Prerana".
Govardhanram Tripathi (1855–1907) was among the dazzling and stupendous novelists of Gujarati literature, whose celebrated and well-admired novel is "Saraswatichandra (novel)
Saraswatichandra (novel)
Saraswatichandra is a Gujarati novel by Govardhanram Madhavaram Tripathi, an author of early twentieth century from Gujarat, India. It is widely readGujarati literature....
".
- Gandhi Yug (1915-1945 AD)
Gujarat Vidyapith
The Gujarat Vidyapith is a major university located in Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat in India. It was founded in 1920 by Mohandas Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement...
became the nerve-centre of all literary activities, where new values emerged and more emphasis was given to Gandhian values, Indianisation and simplification. Novels, short stories, diaries, letters, plays, essays, criticisms, biographies, travel books and all kinds of prose began to flood Gujarati literature.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Gandhiji, Ramnarayan Pathak, Kanaiyalal Munshi or K. M. Munshi
K. M. Munshi
Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to literature and politics. He was a well known name in Gujarati literature...
, Swami Anand, Umashankar Joshi
Umashankar Joshi
Umashankar Joshi was an eminent poet, scholar and writer. He received the Jnanpith Award in 1967 for his contribution to Indian, especially Gujarati literature.-Works:...
, Sundaram
Tribhuvandas Luhar
Tribhuvandas Luhar Sundaram was an Indian, Gujarati poet.-Introduction:He was born on 22 March 1908 at Miyamatar, Bharuch, Gujarat, India and died on 13 January 1991-Awards:...
, Jhaverchand Meghani
Jhaverchand Meghani
Jhaverchand Meghani was noted poet, litterateur, social reformer and freedom fighter from Gujarat.He is well known name in the field of Gujarati literature. He was born in Chotila. Mahatma Gandhi spontaneously gave him the title of Raashtreeya Shaayar...
, Pannalal Patel
Pannalal Patel
Pannalal Nanalal Patel is a Gujarati author. He was the recipient of Jnanpith Award in 1985. He was born at Mandli village, Dungarpur, Rajasthan.-Works:- Novels :* Maanavi Ni Bhavaai...
, Jyotindra Dave, Chandravadan Mehta, Zinabhai Desai ("Snehrashmi"), Manubhai Pancholi ("Darshak"), and Ishwar Petlikar are the main contributors of this age.
Modern Gujarati prose was ushered in with a bang by Narmada, but K.M. Munshi and, of course, the legend and nationalist himself, Mahatma Gandhi, gave it prominence in this age. Gandhiji's autobiography, An Autobiography of My Experiments with Truth
The Story of My Experiments with Truth
The Story of My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, covering his life from early childhood through to 1920. It was initiated at the insistence of Swami Anand and other close co-workers of Gandhi, for him to explain the background of his public campaigns...
((Gujarātī
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
"સત્યના પ્રયોગો અથવા આત્મકથા")), Satyagraha in South Africa about his struggle there, Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule
Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule
Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule is a book written by Mohandas K. Gandhi in 1909. It is a book in which he expresses his views on Swaraj, Modern Civilization, Mechanisation etc.-Background:...
, a political pamphlet, and a paraphrase in Gujarati of John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
's Unto The Last are his most well-known works. This last essay sets out his programme on economics. He wrote extensively on vegetarianism, diet and health, religion, social reforms, etc. Gandhi usually wrote in Gujarati, though he also revised the Hindi and English translations of his books.
Gandhiji was a prolific writer. For decades he edited several newspapers including Harijan
Harijan
Harijan was a term used by Gandhi for Dalits. Gandhi said it was wrong to call people 'untouchable', and called them Harijans, which means children of God...
in Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
; Indian Opinion
Indian Opinion
The Indian Opinion was a newspaper established by Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi. The publication was an important tool for the political movement led by Gandhi and the Natal Indian Congress to fight racial discrimination and win civil rights for the Indian immigrant community in South...
while in South Africa and, Young India
Young India
Young India was a weekly journal published in English by Mahatma Gandhi from 1919 to 1932. Gandhi wrote various quotations in this journal that inspired many. He used the Young India to spread his unique ideology and thoughts regarding independence....
, in English, and "Navajivan", a Gujarati monthly, on his return to India. Later, "Navajivan" was published in Hindi. He wrote letters almost every day to individuals and newspapers.
During the 1940s, there could be witnessed a rise in communistic poetry and this inspired a movement for progressive literature in Gujarati too. Meghani, Bhogilal Gandhi, Swapnastha and others began to preach class conflict and hatred of religion through their writings. K.M. Munshi is deemed one of the most multi-talented and flexible and looming literary figures of Gujarati literature of contemporary times. K.M. Munshi's voluminous works include dramas, essays, short stories and novels. His famous novels are included in the list of "Patan ni Prabhuta", "Gujarat no Nath", "Jay Somnath" (1940), "Prithvi Vallabh", "Bhagavan Parshuram" (1946) and "Tapasvini" (1957).
Indeed, after the rise of Mahatma Gandhi's prominence in a steadily strengthening struggle for independence and social equality, a great volume of poetry, written by poets like Umashankar, Sundaram, Shesh, Snehrashmi and Betai, amongst others, centred on the existing social order, the struggle for independence and the travails of Mahatma Gandhi himself. Highly inspired by Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
's dialogue poems, Umashankar Joshi enriched the existing Gujrati literature by penning in the same manner. Two such poems are his "Prachina" and "Mahaprasthan". For his poem "Nishith", he received the Jnanpith Award
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
in 1967. Pannalal Patel
Pannalal Patel
Pannalal Nanalal Patel is a Gujarati author. He was the recipient of Jnanpith Award in 1985. He was born at Mandli village, Dungarpur, Rajasthan.-Works:- Novels :* Maanavi Ni Bhavaai...
received the Jnanpith Award
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
in 1985 for his novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
"Maanavi Ni Bhavaai".
The Gujarati novel was also made a household name by G.G. Joshi ('Dhumaketu'), Chunilal V. Shah, Gunvantrai Acharya, Jhaverchand Meghani, Pannalal Patel and Manubhai Pancholi.
Significant dramatists of this age are Chandravadan Mehta, Umashankar Joshi, Jayanti Dalal and Chunilal Madia.
Amongst the important essayists, citation can be made of Kaka Kalelkar, Ratilal Trivedi, Lilavati Munshi, Jyotindra Dave, Ramnarayan Pathak.
- Anu-Ghandhi Yug (1940-1955 AD)
In this era there is a dominance of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. The main contributors of this age are Rajendra Shah, Niranjan Bhagat, Venibhai Purohit, Prahlad Parekh and Balmukund Dave. Rajendra Shah won the Jnanpith—the Indian government's most prestigious literary prize—for the year 2001. The judges noted, "his intensity of emotion and innovation in form and expression which set him apart as a poet of great significance. The mystical tone of his poetry stems from the tradition of great medieval masters like Kabir, Narsinh Mehta and literary giants like them". He authored more than 20 collections of poems and songs, mainly on the themes of the beauty of nature, and about the everyday lives of indigenous peoples and fisherfolk communities. In his poems using Sanskrit metrics, he was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore. He was one of the giants of the post Gandhi-era, called 'Anu-Gandhi Yug' in Gujarati literature.
- Adhunik Yug (1955-1985 AD)
Post-independence Gujarati poetry displays a higher form of subjectivity and explores newer philosophies and lines of thought and imagery. The poems became more subjective and brutal, discarding old imageries and symbols and replacing them with new ideas. Prominent Gujarati poets of the post-independence era include critically acclaimed poets like Suresh Joshi
Suresh Joshi
Suresh Joshi was an Indian novelist, short-story writer, critic, poet, translator, writer and academic in the Gujarati language.He was born in Valod, a small town in South Gujarat on 30 May 1921....
, Gulam Mohamed Sheikh, Harinder Dave, Chinu Modi, Nalin Raval and Adil Mansuri, among others.
Post-independence prose literature in Gujarati had two distinct trends, traditional and modern. The former dealt more with ethical values and its main writers were Gulabdas Broker, Mansukhlal Jhaveri, Vishnuprasad Trivedi and others. Existentialism, surrealism and symbolism influenced the latter. The modernists also wanted to do away with moral values and religious beliefs. Eminent writers of this trend comprise Chandrakant Bakshi
Chandrakant Bakshi
Chandrakant Keshavlal Bakshi was a Gujarati author. He was a son of Keshavlal and Chanchalbahen. He completed his primary education at Palanpur. Fans also address him as "Bakshi" or "Bakshibaabu".He completed his M.A. in History and Bachelor of Laws from Calcutta...
, Suresh Joshi, Madhu Rai, Raghuvir Chowdhury, Saroj Pathak and others. Gujarati prose has recorded growth and literary feats quite rapidly in less than two hundred years and now can be counted among the front benchers in Indian literature.
- Anu-Adunik Yug (1985 - to date)
In this age the main themes are Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
literature and 'Feminist literature'.
Literary Forms
- Rasa
- Pada (VerseVerse (poetry)A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
)
- Padya-Vaarta
- Aakhyan
- Chhappa
- Khand-Kavya
- BhavaiBhavaiBhavai is a popular folk theatre form of Gujarat. Jasma Odan based on Gujarati folk tale, wriiten and directed by Shanta Gandhi and Mena Gujari produced by Deena Gandhi are some of most popular Bhavai musicals..-History:...
- Natak (PlayPlay (theatre)A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
)
- Navalkatha (NovelNovelA novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
)
- Navlika (Short storyShort storyA short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
)
- Urmi-Kavita (LyricLyric poetryLyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
)
- Aatma-Katha (AutobiographyAutobiographyAn autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
)
- Jivan-Charitra (BiographyBiographyA biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
)
- Nibandh (EssayEssayAn essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
)
List of Gujarati Authors/Poets ( A to Z )
- Adil Mansuri
- AkhoAkhoAkha Bhagat was a medieval period poet in Gujarati literature who wrote in the tradition of the Bhakti movement. He kept Gujarati literature alive and wrote his poems in pattern which is called "chhappa" .- History :He came to Ahmedabad from Jetalpur in the 17th Century...
- Alexander Kinlock Forbes
- Amrut Ghayal
- Anandshankar Dhruv
- Anantray Rawal
- Ardeshar Khabardar
- Bachubhai Ravat
- Bakul Dave
- Bakul Tripathi
- Balmukund Dave
- Balwantray ThakoreBalwantray ThakoreBalwantray Thakore , as popularly he is known, was born at Bharuch in Gujarat.He was very well known poet of Gujarati literature.-Contribution:...
- Bhagwati Kumar Sharma
- BhalanBhalanBhalan was a famous Gujarati poet of the medieval period. Also a scholar of Sanskrit literature, he is considered as major contributor in Bhakti-kal in Gujarati literature....
- Bhanuprasad Pandya
- Bholabhai Patel
- Bhupat Vadodariya
- Bindu Bhatt
- Botadkar
- Chandrakant BakshiChandrakant BakshiChandrakant Keshavlal Bakshi was a Gujarati author. He was a son of Keshavlal and Chanchalbahen. He completed his primary education at Palanpur. Fans also address him as "Bakshi" or "Bakshibaabu".He completed his M.A. in History and Bachelor of Laws from Calcutta...
- Chandrakant ShahChandrakant ShahChandrakant Shah, OOnt, MD, FRCP, FAAP, SM is a Canadian doctor, researcher and social activist. Dr. Shah is the clinical coordinator of Anishnawbe Health Toronto, where he has been a staff physician since 1996, providing primary health care to Toronto’s aboriginal community as well as people who...
- Chandrakant Sheth
- Chandrakant Topiwala
- Chandravadan Mehta
- Chunilal Madia
- Chinu Modi
- DalpatramDalpatramNanalal Dalpatram Kavi was a noted author, poet of Gujarati literature, and was given a title of "Kavishwar" by people of Gujarat...
- Darshak or Manubhai Pancholi
- DayaramDayaramDayaram was a Gujarati poet. He belongs to middle age or " Madhya-kal " in Gujarati literature.He was known for his literary form called " Garbi " in Gujarat.He was a follower of Pushtimarg of Hindu religion....
- Dhiru Parikh
- Dhiruben Patel
- Dhirubhai Thaker
- Diva Pandya
- Dhruv Bhatt
- Dhumketu or Gaurishankar Joshi
- Gandhiji or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- Gani Dahiwala
- Geeta Parikh
- Gijubhai BadhekaGijubhai BadhekaBorn on 15th November, 1885 at Chittal in Saurashtra as Girijashankar Badheka to Bhagwanji and Sm. Kashiba of Vala , and known as Gijubhai Badheka, Gijubhai was a distinct reformist, educationist and an author....
- Govardhanram TripathiGovardhanram TripathiGovardhanram Tripathi was a novel writer of Gujarati literature.-Life:Govardhanram Tripathi was born in Nadiad, India on 20 October 1855 on the day of the Dasara festival....
- Gulabdas Broker
- Gulam Mohammad Sheikh
- Gunvant ShahGunvant ShahGunvant Shah , also known as Dr Gunvant B Shah, is a noted thinker, writer and columnist...
- Harilal UpadhyayHarilal UpadhyayShri Harilal Upadhyay was a Gujarati author, considered as one of the all-time great authors in the Gujarati language. He wrote more than a hundred books, including historical novels, social novels, short story collections, biographies, the great Mahabharat series, children's literature, poems and...
- Harindra DaveHarindra DaveHarsh Ghetia was a Gujarati writer of the post-independence period. He was born in Khambhra village in Kachchh, and was educated at Shamaldas Gandhi College, Bhavnagar, Gujarat and later Bombay University. He authored more than fifty works, including poems, essays, Drama and fiction. He was a...
- Harikrishna Pathak
- Harivallabh Bhayani
- Harshad Chandarama
- Harshad Trivedi
- Hasmukh Pathak
- Heera Pathak
- Hemchandracharya (A.k. A Kalikalasarvagnya)
- Hemen Shah
- Indu Pawar
- Indulal Gandhi
- Ishwar Petlikar
- Jagadish Joshi
- Jawahar Bakshi
- Jaya Mehta
- Jayant Pathak
- Jayanti Dalal
- Jaydev Shukla
- Jayendra Shekhdiwala
- Jayshree Merchant
- Jhaverchand MeghaniJhaverchand MeghaniJhaverchand Meghani was noted poet, litterateur, social reformer and freedom fighter from Gujarat.He is well known name in the field of Gujarati literature. He was born in Chotila. Mahatma Gandhi spontaneously gave him the title of Raashtreeya Shaayar...
- Jyotindra Dave
- Kaka Kalelkar
- Kalapi or Sursinhji Takhtsinhji Gohil
- Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi or K. M. MunshiK. M. MunshiKanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to literature and politics. He was a well known name in Gujarati literature...
- Kavi KantKavi kantKavi Kant is a poet associated with Gujarat and Gujarati literature.-Life:Kavi Kant was born Manishankar Rataji Bhatt in 1868 in Chavand village, part of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat....
or Manishankar Bhatt
- Kanti Bhatt
- Karsandas Luhar
- Karsandas Manek
- Keshav Harshad Dhruv
- Kishore Shah
- Kishorelal Mashruwala
- Kismat Kureshi
- Krishnalal Shridharani
- Kunal Pandya
- Kundanika Kapadiya
- Labhshankar Thakar
- Lalji Kanpariya
- Madhav Ramanuj
- Madhukar Randeriya
- Madhu Ray
- Mafat Oja
- Mahesh Yagnik
- Mahesh Shah
- Makarand Dave
- Mala Kapadia
- Manhar Modi
- Manilal Desai
- Manilal NabhubhaiManilal NabhubhaiManilal Nabhubhai was a notable poet,novel-writer and essayist in Gujarati literature. He was a well-known philosopher as well.He was born at Nadiad in Gujarat.He was contemporary of Govardhanram Tripathi...
- Manoj Khanderia
- Mansukhlal Jhaveri
- Mariz
- Meghbindu
- Mehul
- Mirabai
- Mohammad Mankad
Dr. Mohan parmar
- Mukesh Vaidya
- Mukesh Choksi
- Mukundrai Parashya
- Nagindas Parekh
- Nalin Pandya
- Nalin Rawal
- Nandshankar Mehta
- Narmad
- Narsinhrao DivetiaNarsinhrao DivetiaNarsinhrao Divetia is known for his contributions in the field of Gujarati literature. He wrote the elegy called " Mangal Mandir Kholo " in Gujarati.-Contribution:...
- Narsinh MehtaNarsinh MehtaNarsinh Mehta also known as Narsi Mehta or Narsi Bhagat was a poet-saint of Gujarat, India, and a member of the Nagar Brahmins community, notable as a bhakta, an exponent of Hindu devotional religious poetry. He is especially revered in Gujarati literature, where he is acclaimed as its Adi Kavi...
- Naushil Mehta
- NavalramNavalramNavalram was a noted author and critic of Gujarati literature.He is considered as the first critic of modern Gujarati literature.-Contribution:...
- Nayan Desai
- Nhanalal
- Niranjan Bhagat
- Nitin Mehta
- Pandit Sukhlalji (Pragnyachakshu)
- Panna Nayak
- Pannalal PatelPannalal PatelPannalal Nanalal Patel is a Gujarati author. He was the recipient of Jnanpith Award in 1985. He was born at Mandli village, Dungarpur, Rajasthan.-Works:- Novels :* Maanavi Ni Bhavaai...
- Pinakin Thakur
- Praful Pandya
- Prahalad Parekh
- Pranjivan Mehta
- Pratap Rathod
- Pravin Darji
- Premanand BhattPremanand BhattPremanand Bhatt is known for his contribution in Gujarati literature. Popularly, he is known as Premanand in Gujarat. Premanand is known for his literary form called "Aakhyan" in Gujarati...
- Priyakant Maniyar
- Pujalal
- Radheshyam Sharma
Dr Raghuvir Chaudhary
- Rajendra Shah
- Rajendra ShuklaRajendra ShuklaRajendra Shukla is a well known Gujarati poet.Introduction to Kavi Shri Rajendra ShuklaName: Rajendra ShuklaFather: Anantray ShuklaMother: VidyagauriPlace of Birth: Bantwa, Dist. Junagadh, Gujarat.Date of Birth: 12 October 1942....
- Ramanbhai NilkanthRamanbhai NilkanthRamanbhai Nilkanth was a noted author of Gujarati literature. He was also the Mayor of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.He belonged to "Pandit-Yug" or "Goverdhan-Yug"...
- Ramanlal Desai
- Ramesh Parekh
- Ramnarayan V Pathak
- Ranchhodlal Udayaram DaveRanchhodlal Udayaram DaveRanchhodlal Udayaram Dave Ranchhodlal Udayaram Dave Ranchhodlal Udayaram Dave ((Gujarati:રણછોડલાલ ઉદયરામ દવે) (1837-1923) is almost always respected as the groundbreaker and trailblazer in the art of play-writing in Gujarati with his "Lalita Dukh Darsak" Natak...
- Ranjitram MehtaRanjitram MehtaRanjitram Mehta is a very famous Gujarati author.Gujarati literature's highest award, Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, is given in honour of him.-Positions held:* Founder - Gujarat Sahitya Sabha...
- Rasik Mehta
- Rasiklal Parikh
- Ramprasad Bakshi
- Ravji PatelRavji PatelRavji Patel was a modernist poet and novelist in Gujarati. He was born in Vallavpura village in Kheda District of Gujarat. His only collection was published posthumously titled 'Angat' ....
- Saif Palanpuri
- Sarup Dhruv
- Shahbuddin Rathod
- Shamal BhattShamal BhattShamal Bhatt was a Gujarati author of the middle age in Gujarati literature. He is known for his "Padhya-Vaarta"....
- Shayda
- Shekhadam Abuwala
- Shilpin Thanki
- Shivkumar Joshi
- Shirish Panchal
- Shobhit Desai
- Sitanshu Yashashchandra
- Snehrashmi or Zinabhai Desai
- Sunderji Betai
- Suresh Dalal
- Suresh JoshiSuresh JoshiSuresh Joshi was an Indian novelist, short-story writer, critic, poet, translator, writer and academic in the Gujarati language.He was born in Valod, a small town in South Gujarat on 30 May 1921....
- SundaramTribhuvandas LuharTribhuvandas Luhar Sundaram was an Indian, Gujarati poet.-Introduction:He was born on 22 March 1908 at Miyamatar, Bharuch, Gujarat, India and died on 13 January 1991-Awards:...
or Tribhuvandas Luhar
- Swami Anand
- Swami Sadchidanand
- Tarak Maheta
- Udyan Thakkar
- Umashankar JoshiUmashankar JoshiUmashankar Joshi was an eminent poet, scholar and writer. He received the Jnanpith Award in 1967 for his contribution to Indian, especially Gujarati literature.-Works:...
- Utpal Bhayani
- Vadilal Dagli
- Vaju Kotak
- Varsha Pathak
- Vatsal Vasani (Vaidhya)
- Venibhai Purohit
- Vinesh Antani
- Vinod Adhvaryu
- Vinod Bhatt
- Narsinh Mehta
- Vinod Joshi
- Vipin Parikh
- Vishnu Prasad Trivedi
- Vithal Pandya
- Yahwant Shukla
- Yashwant Trivedi
- Yogesh Patel
- Yousef Mekwan
- Bhagwandas PatelBhagwandas PatelBhagwandas Patel is a Gujarati folklorist who pioneered research into Gujarat's tribal literature and brought the state's oral literature to the attention of the literary community. In 1995 he compiled the first published tribal version of the Ramayana, Bhili Lokakhyan: Roam Sitma ni Varatathe,...
Gujarati journalism
As Gandhi’s birthplace and the scene of the celebrated salt march of 1930, Gujarat generated a press even more influenced by nationalist causes than elsewhere. Gandhi himself started the magazine Navjivan in Gujarati at the time he broke into India’s national politics in 1919. Gujarat Samachar and Sandesh, the two great rivals of the 1990s, both originated during the struggle against the British: Gujarat Samachar in 1932 in the heat of Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement and Sandesh in 1923, immediately after his non-cooperation movement. The Bombay evening daily, Janmabhoomi ("Native Land"), carries under its masthead the slogan in Gujarati, ‘Mother and Motherland are greater than Heaven’. Founded in 1934, Janmabhoomi is part of the Saurashtra Trust, which publishes a variety of Gujarati newspapers and magazines in Bombay and Gujarat. These include one of the first business magazines in an Indian language, Vyapar, founded in 1948, and Kutchmitra (friend of Kutch), a daily published from the town of Bhuj since 1955, and which, the Trust claims, "Kutchhis, a large community of astute businessmen in Mumbai [and the] rest of India, make it a point to use ... as their link with their home state".Until the creation of a separate state of Gujarat in 1960, the heart of Gujarati culture and politics was divided: Mumbai was as much a Gujarati centre as Ahmedabad. Indeed, in the early 1960s, the largest Gujarati daily newspaper continued to be published in Mumbai. Bombay Samachar, founded in 1822 and the oldest still-publishing newspaper in India, had a circulation of 51,000 in 1962, and its Mumbai rival, Janmabhoomi, 24,000. The two Ahmedabad dailies that came to dominate the Gujarati daily press, Gujarat Samachar and Sandesh, had circulations of 45,000 and 42,000, respectively. Once the state of Gujarat was created, however, the focus of Gujarati life turned increasingly towards Ahmedabad and the provincial towns of the new state. Education and administration in Gujarati grew, and with both, the number of potential readers of publications in Gujarati.
Major newspapers
Gujarat Samachar:Founded 70 years ago, published from Ahmedabad. Editions from Ahmedabad, Vadodara (Baroda), Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Mumbai and New York. Owned by the Lok Prakashan Ltd Group. Publisher: Shreyansh Shantilal Shah.
Divya Bhaskar
Published by the Bhaskar Group. Launched in 2003. Has a North American edition for NRIs in Gujarati. Published from Ahmedabad, Badodara, Surat, Rajkot. Sections are National, International, Sport, Business, and MUMBAI. City supplements for Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Uttar Gujarat, Dakshin Gujarat, Madhya Gujarat, Kutch, Saurashtra. Magazines are Woman Bhaskar, Bal Bhaskar, Dharma Darshan, Utsav, Aha! Zindagi.
It has a literary supplement with features like Navalkatha, Navalika, Gazal ane Kavitha, Kahaveto, Hasya Lekh.
Sandesh
The Sandesh Limited has its headquarters at Ahmedabad. in 1923 Shri Nandlal Bodiwala started a Sandesh daily on a small scale, but by 1958 the late Shri Chimanbhai Patel was at the helm of affairs. His unique contribution to journalism was the Sunday Sanskar Poorti in Gujarati, which included many celebrities as columnists. He thus pioneered Sunday supplements in Gujarati journalism. Until 1984, Sandesh was a single edition newspaper published from Ahmedabad. Then under an expansion programme new editions were launched: Baroda, Surat, Rajkot and Bhavnagar in 1985, 1989, 1990 and 1998, respectively.
Gujaratmitra Darpan
Established 1863. A bi-weekly named 'Gujaratdarpan' was amalgamated in 1894 with the 'Gujaratmitra' and thereafter the paper was known as 'Gujaratmitra & Gujaratdarpan'. Initially started as a weekly in 1936, the paper was later converted into a daily. Founder: Shri Dinshaw Ardeshir Talyarkhan.
Bombay Samachar
Launched in 1822 by Parsi priest Fardoonji Murazban. Its first issue had 14 pages. Its first page consisted of advertisements, two columns about things lost and one about the sale of some property, all relating to Parsis. Then follows what may be called an article on "Ourselves". Then there are four columns of short paragraphs about Government and Court appointments and changes and powers of attorney taken from court sources; about the arrival and departure of ships and of Europeans from Mumbai; a list of European deaths; and the ships loading in the harbour. Six columns are devoted to Kolkata news taken from the Indian Gazette and the Calcutta Chronicle; one column to Chennai news from the Government Gazette of that city; two columns to London news, whilst a short paragraph of ten lines is devoted to news from Canton in China, giving the prices of opium. Of local Bombay news there is very little, except the short paragraph about appointments mentioned above.
A weekly until 1832, a bi-weekly until 1855 and a daily thereafter, the paper contained articles and letters by freedom fighters like Gandhi and Patel. The paper passed through various hands before coming into the ownership of the Cama family, its present publishers, in 1933.
Akila Daily
Akila Daily is a 16-page Gujarati-language evening daily newspaper published from Rajkot, Gujarat. It appears in black and white with spot colour ads.
Sambhaav and Sambhaav Metro
Sambhaav
Sambhaav
Sambhaav is a Gujarati newspaper, the first to have a web presence. It began in 1986 under the editorship of Bhupat Vadodaria, and eventually became the Sambhaav Group of Newspapers. Today, it is known as "Sambhaav Media"...
was earlier a broadsheet morning Gujarat paper brought out by the Sambhav media group, but in March 2005 it was modified into an afternoon tabloid, Sambhaav Metro. It is published from Ahmedabad only, six days a week, not Sunday. It was changed ostensibly because the broadsheet was heavily dependent on agencies and there was a wish to focus more on local news and features. The Sambhaav media group is a franchise of The Asian Age for Gujarat, and publishes a socio-political weekly magazine, Abhiyaan.
External links
- Focus on Modern Gujarati poetry on Muse India
- An Article on Gujarati Dalit Literature
- Rita Kotharis significant article on Gujarati Dalit Short Story
- Official Website of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
- http://tahuko.com A website for the lovers of Gujarati poems/gazals
- http://www.readgujarati.com Collection of Gujarati Articles, Gujarati Stories, Gujarati Jokes, Gujarati Recipes and all types of Gujarati Literature.
- History of Gujarati Literature
- Bhasha India: Gujarati literature
- Culturopedia: Indian Literature - Gujarati literature
- Dr Vankar's blog on Gujarati Dalit Sahitya
- http://www.narmad.com all about reformer Gujarati poet writer Narmad
- Collection of Gujarati Books reviews, Author and publisher information