Makrand Mehta (born 25 May 1931) is a social and business historian from Gujarat, India.
Makrand Mehta was born on 25 May 1931 at Ahmedabad in a Nagar Brahmin family. [1]
He studied at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, University of Pennsylvania and Gujarat University. [2]
He headed the Department of History at the School of Sciences, Gujarat University before retirement. He is associated with several organisations including Gujarat Itihas Parishad, Gujarat Vidyasabha and Darshak Itihas Nidhi. [2]
Mehta has written more than 25 books in English and Gujarati. He has also published several papers on social and economic history. Latest book Business Culture of Gujarat published by Zen Opus, Ahmedabad, in December 2023. [2]
His selected works are: [2]
Mehta published a research paper titled Sectarian literature and Social Consciousness - A study of the Swaminarayan sect 1800-1840 in December 1986 in Arthat. It triggered a controversy among the followers of Swaminarayan Sampraday. In it, Mehta has contended that Sahajanand, who is believed to be an incarnation of Krishna by his followers, was only a social reformer who conspired with his followers to project himself as a god. He had also argued that the sect had done nothing for poor. In 1988, the followers of the sect received a permission from the government of Gujarat to lodge a case against him under section 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of Indian Penal Code. [3]
He has married a historian Shirin Mehta. [2]
Kasturbhai Lalbhai was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He co-founded Arvind Mills along with his brothers and several other institutes. He was a co-founder of the Ahmadabad Education Society which later founded Ahmedabad University and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Lalbhai served as the chairman of the historic and influential Anandji Kalyanji Trust, that manages Shatrunjaya and several other Jain pilgrimage centers, for 50 years.
Swaminarayan, also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and ascetic believed by followers to be a manifestation of Krishna or the highest manifestation of Purushottama, around whom the Swaminarayan Sampradaya developed.
The Gujarat Samachar is the leading Gujarati-language daily newspaper published in India. Its headquarters are in Ahmedabad with a branch in Surat. It is distributed from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Mumbai, Mehsana, Bhuj and New York City.
Nagar Brahmin is a Brahmin subcaste from the Indian state of Gujarat.
The Gujarati people, or Gujaratis, are an Indian ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to a region of the Indian subcontinent primarily centered in the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They primarily speak Gujarati, an Indian language. While Gujaratis mainly inhabit Gujarat, they have a diaspora worldwide. Gujaratis in India and the diaspora are prominent entrepreneurs and industrialists and maintain high social capital. Many notable independence activists were Gujarati, including Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
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.
The Vachanamrut is a sacred Hindu text consisting of 273 religious discourses delivered by Swaminarayan from 1819 to 1829 CE and is considered the principal theological text within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. Compiled by five of his senior disciples, Swaminarayan edited and approved the scripture. As followers believe Swaminarayan to be Parabrahman, or God, the Vachanamrut is considered a direct revelation from God and thus the most precise interpretation of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and other important Hindu scriptures.
Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kalupur is the first Temple of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, a Hindu sect. It is located in Kalupur area of Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat, India. It was built on the instructions of Swaminarayan, the founder of the sect.
Ramanbhai Mahipatram Nilkanth was a Gujarati novelist, essayist, literary critic from India. The Ramanlal Nilkanth Hasya Paritoshik is named after him.
Vishnu Pandya is a journalist, biographer, poet, novelist, writer and political analyst from Gujarat, India. He has been the chairman of Gujarat Sahitya Akademi since 2017. Pandya writes articles on politics, history and historical places which are carried by several Gujarati newspapers and magazines, are among the most widely read columns in the State. He has been active in journalism for the last 40 years. Along with column writing in a Gujarati daily, he serves as General Secretary of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj.
Chinu Modi, , also known by his pen name Irshad, was a Gujarati language poet, novelist, short story writer and critic from Gujarat, India. Educated in languages, he taught at various institutions and established himself as a poet and author. He was a recipient of several awards including Sahitya Akademi Award, Vali Gujarati Award and Narsinh Mehta Award.
Chandrakant Sheth is a Gujarati poet, essayist, critic, translator and compiler from Gujarat, India. His pen names include Aryaputra, Nand Samavedi, Balchadra and Daksh Prajapati. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Gujarati in 1986 for his book Dhoolmani Paglio.
Ratnamanirao Bhimrao Jhote was an Indian historian who wrote extensively on the history and culture of Gujarat.
Prabodh Bechardas Pandit was an Indian linguist from Gujarat, India. He published a total of ten books in the Gujarati language, along with many research papers published in various journals. In 1967, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award, and in 1973, the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, for his contribution to the study of Gujarati language and linguistics.
Dewan BahadurNarmadashankar Devshankar Mehta was a Gujarati writer, historian of philosophy, and administrator from British India. He was a student of Anandshankar Dhruv, and a nephew of Balashankar Kantharia.
Pitambar Narsinhbhai Patel, also known by his pen name Pinakpani, was an Indian novelist, short story writer and journalist from Gujarat.
Bharati Kirtikumar Shelat was an Indian archaeologist from Gujarat. She spent most of her career at B. J. Institute of Learning and Research, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Kishorlal Ghanshyamlal Mashruwala was an Indian independence activist as well as biographer, essayist and translator. Educated in Bombay and Agra, he completed BA and LLB. He was an associate of Mahatma Gandhi and was deeply influenced by him. He extensively wrote on education, religion and philosophy as well as translated some works in Gujarati.
Jnanasudha was a Gujarati magazine that ran from 1892 to 1919, in which Ramanbhai Neelkanth edited.
Manjulal Ranchhodlal Majmudar was a Gujarati language writer and scholar. He was awarded the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 1968.