Morarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of India between 1977 and 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his long career in politics, he held many important posts in government such as Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister and 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of India.
Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to author and politician. He is a well-known name in Gujarati literature. He founded Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, an educational trust, in 1938.
ABP News is an Indian Hindi-language free-to-air television news channel owned by ABP Group. Initially launched as Star News in 1998, it was later acquired by the Bengali media group Anand Bazar Patrika (ABP). It won the Best Hindi News Channel award in the 21st edition of the Indian Television Academy Awards in 2022.
Narhari Dwarkadas Parikh was a writer, independence activist and social reformer from Gujarat, India. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, he was associated with Gandhian institutes throughout his life. He wrote biographies, edited works by associates and translated some works. His writing also reflected Gandhian influence.
Shrimad Rajchandra, also known as Param Krupalu Dev, Jain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar, and reformer. Born in Vavaniya, a village near Morbi, he claimed to have attained recollection of his past lives at the age of seven. He performed Avadhāna, a memory retention and recollection test that gained him popularity, but he later discouraged it in favour of his spiritual pursuits. He wrote much philosophical poetry including Atma Siddhi Shastra. He also wrote many letters and commentaries and translated some religious texts. He is known for his teachings on Jainism and his spiritual guidance to Mahatma Gandhi.
Narmadashankar Lalshankar Dave, popularly known as Narmad, was an Indian Gujarati-language poet, playwright, essayist, orator, lexicographer and reformer under the British Raj. He is considered to be the founder of modern Gujarati literature. After studying in Bombay, he stopped serving as a teacher to live by writing. During his prolific career, he introduced many literary forms in Gujarati. He faced economic struggles but proved himself as a dedicated reformer, speaking loudly against religious and social orthodoxy. His essays, poems, plays and prose were published in several collections. His Mari Hakikat, the first autobiography in Gujarati, was published posthumously. His poem Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat is now the state anthem of Gujarat state of India.
Narayan Hemchandra Divecha (1855–1904), commonly known as Narayan Hemchandra, was a Gujarati writer, translator and critic. He travelled extensively and wrote autobiography, novels, stories and criticism. He was a prolific translator and credited with introducing Bengali literature to Gujarat.
Daisy Irani is a Singaporean television actress, director, and producer of Indian origin.
Amrita Patel is an Indian businessperson associated with cooperative dairy sector as well as an environmentalist. She headed National Dairy Development Board from 1998 to 2014 which led the world's biggest dairy development program Operation Flood. She chaired several other institutes and has been a member of board of banks. She was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2001.
Indulal Kanaiyalal Yagnik was an Indian independence activist, who purchased indian tri colour flag from Germany to India. He was a leader of the All India Kisan Sabha and one who led the Mahagujarat Movement, which spearheaded the demand for the separate statehood of Gujarat on 8 August 1956. He is also known as Indu Chacha. He was also a writer and film maker.
The Media in Gujarati language started with publication of Bombay Samachar in 1822. Initially the newspapers published business news and they were owned by Parsi people based in Bombay. Later Gujarati newspapers started published from other parts of Gujarat. Several periodicals devoted to social reforms were published in the second half of the 19th century. After arrival of Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian independence movement peaked and it resulted in proliferation of Gujarati media. Following independence, the media was chiefly focused on political news. After bifurcation of Bombay state, the area of service changed. Later there was an increase in readership due to growth of literacy and the media houses expanded its readership by publishing more editions. Later these media houses ventured into digital media also. The radio and television media expanded after 1990.
Dinkar Joshi is a Gujarati language author from India. He has written more than 160 books including novels, short story collections, essay collections and columns.
The Works of Narmadashankar Lalshankar Dave, popularly known as Narmad, consist essays, poems, plays and other prose were published in collections by Gujarati. He is considered as the founder of modern Gujarati literature.
Yugpurush: Mahatma Na Mahatma is a 2016 Gujarati play based on the relationship between Jain philosopher Shrimad Rajchandra and Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. The play depicts the spiritual journey of Gandhi. It is written by Uttam Gada and directed by Rajesh Joshi. The original song for the play is composed by Sachin–Jigar. It is produced by Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur and inspired by its founder Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai. The play is adapted into seven total languages including English, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Kannada. It won the Best Drama award at the 16th Annual Transmedia Gujarati Screen and Stage Awards 2016. The play has completed 1004 shows as of November 2017.
Jayant Gokaldas Gadit was a Gujarati novelist, critic and professor from Gujarat, India. He received the Dhanji Kanji Gandhi Suvarna Chandrak in 2008 and was awarded the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi prize twice.
The Kheda Satyagraha of 1918 was a satyagraha movement in the Kheda district of Gujarat in India organised by Mahatma Gandhi during the period of the British Raj. It was a major revolt in the Indian independence movement. It was the second Satyagraha movement, which was launched 7 days after the Ahmedabad mill strike. After the successful Satyagraha conducted at Champaran in Bihar, Gandhi organised the movement to support peasants who were unable to pay the revenue because of famine and plague epidemic.
Manoj Sakarchand Shah is an Indian theatre director, actor and producer known for his works in the Gujarati theatre. He has directed over 90 plays, such as one-man plays and biographical plays, in different genres. He is known primarily for his quirky biographical plays which include: Hu Chandrakant Bakshi based on the writer of the same name, Mohan No Masalo based on Mahatma Gandhi, Apurva Avsar based on Jain mystic Shrimad Rajchandra, Mareez based on poet Mareez, Jal Jal Mare Patang based on writer-philosopher Manilal Dwivedi, Karl Marx in Kalbadevi based on German philosopher Karl Marx, and Dr. Anandibai Joshi: Like, Comment, Share based on Anandi Gopal Joshi, India's first female doctor. He produces plays under his theatre company Ideas Unlimited.
Tridip Suhrud is an Indian writer, political scientist, cultural historian and translator from Gujarat, India.
Chimanlal Narandas Patel was an Indian writer, literary critic and translator from Gujarat, India. He received the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 2000 for his contribution to Gujarati literature.
The Mahatma Gandhi 150th Birth Anniversary Year Padyatra or 2019 Gandhi March or "Gandhi Kooch" was a cultural march held during the celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, India. The 150km long march lasted for seven days from 16 January 2019 to 22 January 2019. The event was organized by Mansukh L. Mandaviya, the then Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Union Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizer, now Union Health and Family Welfare Minister of India and a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat. The march passed through 150 villages of Gujarat with 150 prominent followers of Gandhi as स्थायी पदयात्री while thousands of People joined the Padyatra Every day and Experienced the Gandhian Philosophy of Life. The aim of the march was to spread awareness for method of 'Basic Education' or 'Buniyadi Shikshan' an Education Method given by Mahatma Gandhi among public and to introduce the Gandhian philosophy to young generation.
