Kathiawar is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about 61,000 km2 (23,500 sq mi) bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat in the east. In the northeast, it is connected to the rest of Gujarat and borders on the low, fertile hinterland of Ahmedabad. It is crossed by two belts of hill country and is drained radially by nine rivers which have little natural flow aside from in monsoon months, thus dams have been built on some of these. Kathiawar ports have been flourishing centres of trade and commerce since at least the 16th century.
Rajkot district is one of the 33 districts of the Indian state of Gujarat. Located in Saurashtra peninsula, Rajkot city is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is the third-most advanced district in Gujarat and the fourth most populus.
Sursinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil, popularly known by his pen name, Kalapi was a Gujarati poet and the Thakor (prince) of Lathi state in Gujarat. He is mostly known for his poems depicting his own pathos.
Rajendra Anantrai Shukla is a Gujarati poet. He taught at various places before voluntarily retiring. He published several poetry collections which won him several major Gujarati literary awards.
Ramesh Parekh (1940-2006) was a Gujarati poet and lyricist from Gujarat, India. He was one of the most popular poets of modern Gujarati poetry. Though government servant by profession, he had deep interest in literature and music. He contributed heavily in field of poetry including geet, ghazal and non-lyrical poetry. He also wrote stories and contributed in Gujarati children's literature.
Premji: Rise of a Warrior is a new era Gujarati film directed by Vijaygiri Bava & produced by Twinkle Vijaygiri. It also stars the Hindi cinema actor, Abhimanyu Singh.
Malhar Pandya is an Indian actor.
Sanju Vala is a Gujarati poet and critic of postmodernism from Gujarat, India. He authored more than 10 books and received numerous literary awards.
Ashok Chavda, also known by his pen name Bedil, is a Gujarati poet, writer and critic from Gujarat, India. His anthology of poetry, Dalkhi Thi Saav Chhutan (2012), was awarded the Yuva Puraskar by the Sahitya Akademi in 2013. His collection of known writings include Pagla Talaavma (2003), Pagarav Talaavma (2012), Tu Kahu Ke Tame (2012), Pityo Ashko (2012), Shabdoday (2012), and Ghazalistan (2012), which is a translation of Urdu ghazals written by Indian and Pakistani poets. He is also a recipient of the Yuva Gaurav Award (2012) from the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi, and the Dasi Jivan Award (2013–14) from the Government of Gujarat. He has appeared in several TV and radio programs on All India Radio and Doordarshan.
Raeesh Maniar is a Gujarati language poet, translator,playwright, columnist, compere, lyricist and script writer from Gujarat, India. His significant works include Kafiyanagar (1989), Shabda Mara Swabhavma J Nathi (1998) and Aam Lakhvu Karave Alakh Ni Safar (2011). He has written two reference books for students of ghazals, Ghazal: Roop ane Rang (2006) and Ghazal Nu Chhandovidhan (2008). The later work contains original research that may be applicable to prosody of all north Indian languages. He has written lyrics for several Gujarati and Hindi language movies. The Indian National Theater of Mumbai awarded him the Shayda Award for 2001 and the Kalapi Award for 2016 for his contributions to Gujarati ghazal poetry.
Vinod Joshi is an Indian poet, writer and literary critic in Gujarati language from Gujarat, India. His notable works include Parantu, a collection of Geet, Shikhandi, a long narrative poem based on Shikhandi, a character from the Mahābhārata, Radio Natak: Swarup ane Siddhant, Tundil-tundika, a form of padyavarta, a Gujarati medieval literary genre, and Zalar Vage Zoothadi, a collection of poems. He is the recipient of the Jayant Pathak Puraskar (1985), Critic's award (1986), Kavishwar Dalpatram Award (2013), Sahitya Gaurav Puraskar (2015), Narsinh Mehta Award (2018), Kalapi Award (2018), Darshak Sahitya Sanman Award (2021), and Narmad Suvarna Chandrak (2022).
Bhikhudan Govindbhai Gadhvi is an Indian folk singer and songwriter, known as a proponent of Dayro, a narrative singing tradition of Gujarat. He is a recipient of the Gujarat Gaurav Award of the Government of Gujarat and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2016, for his contributions to folk music.
Aarohi Patel is an Indian actress who acts in Gujarati films. After making her acting debut as a child artist in Saandeep Patel's Moti Na Chowk Re Sapna Ma Ditha, she played her first leading role in Vijaygiri Bava's drama film Premji: Rise of a Warrior, which won 10 prominent Gujarat State Awards, including Best Film. She is known for her roles in the films Love Ni Bhavai and Chaal Jeevi Laiye. She also bagged the 'Best Actress' Award at the 17th Annual Transmedia Gujarati Screen and Stage Awards-2017 and at Radio City Cine Awards-2017 for Love Ni Bhavai.
Viru Purohit, full name Virendrarai Vrijlal Purohit, is a Gujarati poet and playwright from Gujarat, India.
Diwaliben Punjabhai Bhil, also known as Diwaliben Punjabhai Ladhia, was an Indian folk singer and playback singer from Gujarat. Her talent was discovered late; she then sang on radio and in Gujarati films and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990.
Vijaygiri Bava is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter who primarily works in Gujarati cinema.
Pingalshi Meghanand Gadhvi was a Gujarati folklorist, writer, singer and proponent of Charan literature from Saurashtra. Throughout his lengthy career, Gadhavi made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Gujarat's folklore and folk music as both a performer and scholar.
Dadudan Pratapdan Gadhvi, also known as Kavi Dad, was a Gujarati poet and folk singer from Gujarat, India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021.
Pranav Vinodbhai Pandya is a Gujarati-language writer, poet and columnist from Gujarat, India. In 2013, he received Kavi Ravji Patel Yuva Sahitya Pratibha Award, instituted by Gujarat Samachar. In 2019, the Indian National Theatre awarded him the Shayda Award for his contribution to Gujarati poetry.
Hemu Gadhavi, also spelled Hemu Gadhvi, was a Gujarati singer, songwriter, composer, dramatist, and actor. He was an exponent of folk-music of Saurashtra.
