Musaji Isapji Hafesji (23 November 1925 – 12 December 2019), popularly known by his pen name Dipak Bardolikar, was a

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

poet, writer and journalist. Born and educated in Bardoli, he was involved in the Indian independence movement. He moved to

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

in Pakistan after the partition of India. After returning to India in 1960s, he was deported by the Government of India to Pakistan. After working for a brief period in

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...

, he moved to Karachi. He worked with several Gujarati dailies published from Karachi including Gujarati edition of ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...

''. He is widely recognised for his contribution to the

diasporic A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

Gujarati literature. He had published several works of poetry and history research. He also published his two-volume autobiography.

Biography

Dipak Bardolikar was born on 23 November 1925 at Bardoli (now in Surat district of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, India) to Isapji (Yusuf). He was youngest among six siblings. His father died when he was six. He studied first two grades in Urdu, then three grades in Gujarati followed by in English medium school. After completing his primary education, he joined and

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

from Bardoli Brahman Sarvajanik High School in Bardoli. He was interested in painting and boxing. He founded a gym with his friends. Later he joined the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

and later Congress Sewa Dal in 1945 and participated in the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

. After his opposition to leadership of Congress in Bardoli, he joined the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcont ...

. Following

assassination of Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 at age 78 in the compound of Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti), a large mansion in central New Delhi. His assassin was Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a Chitpavan Brahmin from Pune, Maharashtra, ...

, he was arrested with other leaders of All-India Muslim League affiliated Muslim National Guards in Surat district and jailed for a month in Surat. He married Khadija from

Wankaner Wankaner is a city and a municipality in Morbi district in the State of Gujarat. Until 2013, Wankaner was part of the Rajkot district. Etymology The city was named after its location on the Machhu River, "Wankaner" translating to "riverbend" ( ...

in his early life. After release from jail and partition of India, he moved to

, Pakistan with his elder brother Ibrahim for their tobacco business. He worked as a school teacher from 1949 to 1953. He returned to India when the health of his wife Khadija deteriorated following death of their daughter. The Government of India declared him a foreigner and brought a case against him for overstay in 1955 but he won the case in court a year later. In 1958, his son Nazir Ahmad died and he separated from his wife. He also had two sons from this marriage who are in the UK. Later he was given the deportation order to leave India in 1961. He was not allowed to enter Pakistan because he was recognised as an Indian. He was later allowed to live in Pakistan after facing some difficulties. He moved to

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

) and worked as an accountant in a firm M. E. Dadabhai and Sons for one and half years. He later married Fatima in 1961 and had two sons, Jamil Ahmad and Nadim Ahmad; and a daughter Nusratbanu. He returned to Karachi and joined Dawn Group of Newspapers as a translator in advertisement department. He also managed its page on religious matters published on every Friday. He also worked with ''Watan'' in which he managed a page on films and later he was appointed to editorial department. He had also worked with '' Millat''. In 1966–1967, he joined as a sub-editor of Gujarati edition of Pakistan's major daily ''

''. He later served as its Editor-in-Charge. In 1968, his mother died but he could not visit India due to political situation prevailing in Pakistan. In 1980, he was elected the President of Pakistan Herald Workers' Union, a union of press workers. In 1980s, during martial law in Pakistan, he was imprisoned for three months. He worked for a survival of Gujarati language in Pakistan and served as the President of Gujarati Kavi Sangat, a group of Gujarati poets. After death of his wife in 1990 and retirement, he moved to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, UK with his son in 2000. He died on 12 December 2019 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, UK following cancer.

Works

Bardolikar primarily contributed to ghazal poetry. His poetry collections are ''Parivesh'', ''Mosam'', ''Amantran'', ''Vishwas'', ''Talab'', ''Eni Sherima'', ''Gulmahorna Ghunt'', ''Champo Ane Chameli'', ''Hawana Pagala'', ''Kulliyate Dipak'', ''Tadko Taro'' ''Pyar'', ''Relo Ashadno''. His novels are ''Dhuliyu Akash'' and ''Bakhtavar''. His works of history and research include ''Sunni Vahora'', ''Vahora Vibhutio'', ''Quran Parichay'', ''Nyayno Divas'', ''Vatna Diva''. ''Meghdhanushya'' was his collection of essays. He published his autobiography in two volumes. ''Uchhala Khay Chhe Pani'' (2004) records from his birth to 1978 while ''Sankalono Sitam'' (1999) includes his experiences in jail in 1978 followed by his life events till 1990. ''Gazalni Duniyama'' is his memoir. He edited ''Videshi Gazalo'', a collection of Gujarati ghazals from Pakistani poets.

Recognition

Rangkala Gujarati Cultural Society of Karachi awarded him the Fakir Suvarna Chandrak in 1990 for his contribution to Gujarati Ghazals.

References

{{authority control 1925 births 2019 deaths Gujarati-language poets Gujarati-language writers Indian emigrants to Pakistan Indian essayists Indian independence activists from Gujarat Indian novelists Indian poets Pakistani editors Pakistani emigrants to India Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom Pakistani essayists 20th-century Pakistani historians Pakistani novelists Pakistani people of Gujarati descent Pakistani poets All India Muslim League members

Biography

Works

Recognition

See also

References