Narsinh Mehta, also known as Narsinh Bhagat, was a 15th-century poet-saint of Gujarat, India, honored as the first poet, or Adi Kavi, of the Gujarati language. Narsinh became a devotee of Krishna, and dedicated his life to composing poetic works described as bhakti, or devotion towards Krishna. His bhajans have remained popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan for over 5 centuries. Most notably, his composition Vaishnav Jan To was Mahatma Gandhi's favorite and became popular with freedom fighters across India
Rajendra Keshavlal Shah was a lyrical poet who wrote in Gujarati. Born in Kapadvanj, 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 is considered one of the giants of post Gandhi-era in Gujarati literature.
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.
Haku Vajubhai Shah was an Indian painter, Gandhian, cultural anthropologist and author on folk and tribal art and culture. His art belonged to the Baroda Group and his works are considered in the line of artists who brought themes of folk or tribal art to Indian art.
Mahagujarat movement, known as Mahagujarat Andolan locally, was a political movement demanding the creation of the state of Gujarat for Gujarati-speaking people from the bilingual Bombay state of India in 1956. It succeeded in the formation of Gujarat, on 1 May 1960.
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.
Kanu Desai, born Kanhaiyalal Hukumatrai Desai, was an Indian artist and art director. He contributed to decorative art, drew and designed sets for films, and illustrated several books written by Mahatma Gandhi.
Somalal Shah (1905–1994) was an Indian painter and art teacher. Born in Kapadvanj and educated in Bombay and Calcutta, he spent three decades painting and teaching art in Bhavnagar in Saurashtra, Gujarat.
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 number of editions. Later these media houses ventured into digital media also. The radio and television media expanded after 1990.
Anantrai Manishankar Raval was a Gujarati critic and editor from India. Born and studied in Amreli, he worked briefly with a daily. He taught at several colleges before joining government as a director of language department. He wrote criticism chiefly under the pen name Shaunak and edited several works of Gujarati literature and litterateurs.
Narsinh Mehta is a 1932 Gujarati biographical film directed by Nanubhai Vakil. It was the first Gujarati talkie film.
Radheshyam Sharma was a Gujarati language poet, novelist, short story writer, critic and compiler from the state of Gujarat, India. He is known in Gujarati literature for his experimental novels Fero (1968) and Swapnatirtha (1979). His other significant works include Aansu Ane Chandaranu (1963), and Gujarati Navalkatha, a work of literary criticism on Gujarati novels. Sharma was awarded the Gujarati literary honours Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, in 2004, and Dhanji Kanji Gandhi Suvarna Chandrak, in 1995.
Bansilal Verma (1917-2003), better known by his pen name Chakor, was a cartoonist and illustrator from Gujarat, India.
Kumar is a Gujarati literary magazine founded by Gujarati artist and author Ravishankar Raval in 1924. It is now edited by Dhiru Parikh. The headquarters is in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
The Indian National Theatre (INT) is a theatre organisation and troupe founded in 1944 and based in Mumbai, India. Although performing predominantly Gujarati theatre, the troupe has also produced a number of plays in other Indian languages. In addition to theatre productions, the troupe also carries theatre education, training and research activities.
Gujarati was a Gujarati language weekly published from 1880 to 1929 by Ichcharam Desai and his sons.
Kanchanlal Vasudev Mehta, better known by his pen name Malayanil, was a Gujarati short story writer from British India known for his humorous pieces. He was a pioneer of modern short story writing in Gujarati.
Manubhai Lallubhai Jodhani was a Gujarati writer, folklorist, ornithologist, botanist and editor from Gujarat, India. He had published more than 15 books.
Dinkar Krishnalal Mehta was an Indian politician and trade unionist. Mehta headed the communist movement in Gujarat for decades – leading the Gujarat state unit of the Communist Party of India between 1936 and 1964, and then the Communist Party of India (Marxist) between 1964 and 1989. He served as a legislator of Bombay State and Mayor of Ahmedabad. Mehta was a prominent leader of the Mahagujarat movement, which struggled for the creation of a Gujarati linguistic state.
Pushpa Janardanrai Mehta, also known as Pushpaben Mehta, was an Indian social worker and politician from Gujarat. She founded and headed several women and child welfare organisations in Ahmedabad and Saurashtra region. She served as the member of legislative assemblies of Saurashtra, Bombay and Gujarat states consecutively from 1952 to 1962. She served as the member of Rajya Sabha from 1966 to 1972. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1956.
