Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth | |
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| Born | 3 December 1829 Surat, British India |
| Died | 30 May 1891 (aged 61) Ahmedabad |
| Occupation | Educationist, reformer, novelist and biographer |
| Language | Gujarati |
| Notable works | Englandni Musafarinu Varnan (1862) |
| Spouse | Parvatikunwar |
| Children | Ramanbhai Nilkanth |
| Relatives | Pico Iyer (great-great-great grandson) |
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| mahipatram | |
Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth was a Gujarati educationist, reformer, novelist and biographer from 19th century India.
He was born in Surat on 3 December 1829 to Vadnagara Nagar Brahmin family of Rupram Nilkanth and Girijagauri. He lost his mother when he was one and half years old. He was engaged, when four years old, to three years old girl Parvatikunwar. He completed elementary education of local 'village school' in Gopipura, Surat known as Pranshankar Mehtaji's school. Later he joined Government English school. During his school days, he was influenced by his teachers and reformers Durgaram Mehta and Dadoba Pandurang, brother of Atmaram Pandurang who founded Prarthana Samaj. He also attended weekly meetings of Manav Dharma Sabha run by them. [1] [2]
Later he joined his alma mater as an associated teacher in 1851. In 1852, he joined Highschool department of Elphinstone Institute, Bombay and was appointed an assistant teacher in 1854. He was closely associated with reformist organisations; Gyan Prasarak Sabha and Buddhivardhak Sabha in Bombay. He was later appointed an acting headmaster at the Ahmedabad High School in 1857 and later made a deputy education inspector there. In 1859, he was appointed a member of school textbooks committee, the textbooks known by T. C. Hope's name as Hope Series, and was sent to England on 27 March 1860 to experience training colleges by Education Department. After returning on 13 April 1861, he served as a principal of P. R. Training College in Ahmedabad until his retirement. He was excommunicated from community for twelve years by his Nagar Brahmin community for crossing the sea. He was not even allowed to perform last rites of his father. He had to seek compromise and went to several rituals to enter his community again. [1] [2] [3] [4]
He had edited Parhejdar magazine in 1850 and also edited educational monthly Gujarat Shala Patra (1862–78, 1887–91). He was an incharge of reformist weekly Satyaprakash for ten months in 1857. [1] In 1885, he was awarded Rao Saheb and Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) by the British government. He was associated with Ahmedabad Prarthana Samaj and Gujarat Vernacular Society as well several other organisations seeking social reforms like widow remarriage, prohibition of child marriage. He had also served as commissioner and chairman of Ahmedabad Municipality. [1] [2]
He died in Ahmedabad on 30 May 1891. [2] His wife Parvatikunwar had supported and participated in his social reform activities. [3] His son Ramanbhai Nilkanth was also writer and he also served as a mayor of Ahmedabad. An orphanage named Mahipatram Rupram Ashram was established on 17 December 1892 in Raipur, Ahmedabad in his memory which is now one of the largest and the oldest orphanages in India. [3] [5] British travel writer Pico Iyer is his great-great-grandson. [4]
He wrote the first travelogue of Gujarati literature, Englandni Musafarinu Varnan (1862) in which he had described political, social, education condition of England then as well as descriptions of some popular places in England. [1] Uttam Kapol Karsandas Mulji Charitra (1877) is a biography of his public figure and friend Karsandas Mulji. Mehtaji Durgaram Manchharam Charitra (1879) is a biography based on diary of Durgaram Mehta. Parvatikunwar Akhyan (1881, second edition) is biography of his wife. Akbarcharitra (1887, second edition) is his historical biography of Akbar which is mostly based on English translation of Akbarnama . [1] [2] [3]
His initial, basic and historically important three novels of Gujarati literature are as follows: Sasuvahuni Ladai (1866) is about family life with mild humour which is considered as the first social novel in Gujarati. [1] Sadhara Jesang (1880) and Vanraj Chavdo (1881) are basic historical novels on Jayasimha Siddharaja and Vanraj Chavda respectively. They are chiefly based on folklores and cultural history. [2] [1] [6]
He collected and edited the first collection Veshas of folk theatre Bhavai as Bhavai Sangrah. He wrote his wish to reestablish Bhavai in its preface. He also published a collection of Garbi s. He published Bodhvachan, a collection of sayings in poetic form. [2] [1]
From 1856 onward, he wrote booklets on life-sketches of Columbus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton etc. He also translated work of Chamber[ who? ] with Nanabhai Haridas. He also wrote school textbooks; Gujarati Bhashanu Navu Vyakaran (New Grammar of Gujarati language, 1883) and Vyutpattiprakash (1889). He had also written books on education, geography, geology, science, medicine which were mostly translated works for students. [2]
Karsandas Mulji was an Indian journalist, social reformer, and administrator.
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.
Nagar Brahmin is a Brahmin subcaste from the Indian state of Gujarat.
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.
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.
Manav Dharma Sabha was one of the earliest socio-religious reform organization in Gujarat and British India. It was founded on 22 June 1844 in Surat by Durgaram Manchharam Mehta, Dadoba Pandurang Tarkhadkar and a few others. The goals of the Sabha were to expose the hypocritical arts present in Christian, Muslim and Hindu religions. It had a very short life span and ceased to exist as Dadoba left for Bombay in 1846 and Durgaram left for Rajkot in 1852.
Ramanbhai Mahipatram Nilkanth was a Gujarati novelist, essayist, literary critic from India. The Ramanlal Nilkanth Hasya Paritoshik is named after him.
Jaishankar Bhudhardas Bhojak, better known by his theatre name Jaishankar Sundari , was an Indian actor and director of Gujarati theatre. Starting at the young age, he rose to fame for his roles of female impersonator in early Gujarati plays. He retired from acting in 1932 but returned to theatre direction and teaching in 1948. He directed and acted in several successful plays. He was awarded the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 1951 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1971.
Nandshankar Tuljashankar Mehta was an Indian Gujarati language author and social reformer. He is known for Karan Ghelo, the first original novel in Gujarati.
Mari Hakikat is the autobiography of Narmadashankar Dave, popularly known as Narmad, a Gujarati author from Surat in 19th century India. It was the first autobiography to be written in the Gujarati language. Written in 1866, it was published posthumously in 1933 on the centenary of Narmad's birth.
Rang Avadhoot, born Pandurang Vitthalapant Valame, was a mystic saint-poet belonging to Datta-panth of Hinduism. He was a social worker and independence activist before accepting asceticism. He is credited with the expansion of Datta-panth in Gujarat state of India. He has written more than 45 works, mostly concerning spirituality and devotion.
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.
Vidyagauri Nilkanth (1876-1958) was an Indian social reformer, educationist, and writer. She was also one of the first two women graduates in Gujarat.
Rasiklal Chhotalal Parikh (1897–1982) was a 20th-century Gujarati poet, playwright, literary critic, Indologist, historian, and editor from Gujarat, India. He was the president of Gujarat Sahitya Sabha and was appointed the president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad in 1964. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960 for his play Sharvilak. He is also a recipient of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak and the Narmad Suvarna Chandrak.
Bhadrambhadra is a 1900 Gujarati satirical novel by Ramanbhai Neelkanth. It is regarded as the first humorous novel in Gujarati literature and as the first Gujarati novel written in the first person narrative. Ramanbhai used the novel to illustrate the ridiculousness of a highly orthodox view of Gujarati society and as a vehicle for social reform.
Pransukh Manilal Nayak was an Indian Gujarati theatre actor, director, manager, and playwright from Gujarat, India. Born into a family of traditional theatre actors, he joined theatre troupes at a young age and rose to fame for his comic roles and female impersonations. His performances as a woman from Banaras in Kumali Kali and as Jivram Bhatt in Mithyabhiman were acclaimed. During his long career, he worked with many theatre companies and gave 22,455 performances, earning a listing in the 1989 Guinness Book of Records.
Kavijivan is a biographical work published in 1887 about Gujarati poet and writer, Narmadashankar Dave, popularly writing under the pen name Narmad. It was written by fellow Gujarati writer and critic Navalram Pandya. Kavijivan is largely based on Narmad's own private autobiographical account, Mari Hakikat, which was published posthumously in 1933. It was the first biography of Narmad in Gujarati literature. It covers Narmad's social and literary career and provides details about his public life, but avoids discussion of his private life.
Durgaram Manchharam Dave (1809–1876), popularly known as Durgaram Mehta or Durgaram Mehtaji, was a Gujarati social reformer, essayist, diarist and teacher from British India. Along with his companions he founded the Manav Dharma Sabha, the first reform association of Gujarat, at Surat in 1844, and pioneered social reform activities in Gujarat. He was the first to use autobiographical writing in Gujarati literature by keeping minutes of the transactions of the Manav Dharma Sabha with his comments and views.
The Buddhi Vardhak Sabha, also known as the Buddhi Vardhak Hindu Sabha, was a socio-religious reform organization in Bombay, in British India. It was founded in 1851 by the members of another Bombay reform association, the Jnayan Prasarak Mandali, whose members included Narmadashankar Dave (Narmad) and his fellow writers. The Jnayan Prasarak Mandali was a branch of the Students' Literary and Scientific Society of the Elphinstone Institution.
Satyaprakash was a Gujarati language weekly founded by social reformer and journalist Karsandas Mulji with an intention of social reform. Launched in 1855, it ran until 1861 and later was merged with Rast Goftar, another newspaper published in Bombay.
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