Gaurishankar Govardhanram Joshi (1892–1965), better known by his pen name Dhumaketu, was an Indian

Gujarati-language Gujarati (; gu, ગુજરાતી, Gujarātī, translit-std=ISO, label=Gujarati script, ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old Guj ...

writer, who is considered one of the pioneers of the Gujarati short story. He published twenty-four collections of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, as well as thirty-two novels on social and historical subjects, and plays and

travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...

s. His writing is characterised by a dramatic style,

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

and powerful depiction of human emotions.

Early life

Gaurishankar was the third son of Govardhanram Joshi and was a Baj Khedawal Brahmin by birth. He was born on 12 December 1892 at Virpur, a place near

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...

and Gondal (now in

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). Gaurishankar served at Virpur School drawing a salary of four Rupees per month. During this period he was asked to read biographies, historical novels etc. before Khatijabibi, who was the wife of Ishan. This habit made Guarishankar take a deep interest in literature. He has also written famous English poems, chapters including ''The Letter'' which is still popular. In 1908, he went to Bilkha, a place close to

Junagadh Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state. Literally t ...

. He married Kashiben, the daughter of Gaurishankar Bhatt. There was Nathuram Sharma's Ashram in

Bilkha Bilkha is a small village in the Junagadh district in Gujarat, India. Bilkha lies at the foot of the Girnar clump in the south-east corner. History According to a legend, Bilkha was the ancient residence of the legendary king Bali. It is situated ...

. It had a large library which helped him graduate with Sanskrit and English in 1920. He served as a clerk at Gondal in railway for a year. In 1923, he left the government job and went to

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

and started teaching at the private school run by

Ambalal Sarabhai Ambalal Sarabhai (23 February 1890 – 13 July 1967) was an Indian industrialist, philanthropist, institution builder, and supporter of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the chairman and promoter of Calico Mills and the founder of The Sarabhai Group of Com ...

, father of

Vikram Sarabhai Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan ...

. During this period his literary activities blossomed. His pen name ''Dhumketu'' (Nom – de – plume) became well known in Gujarati literature. He died on 11 March 1965.

Works

He is considered one of the pioneers of the Gujarati short story. He wrote 492 short stories. A collection of his short stories with the title ''Tankha'' was published in 1926. The four volumes of ''Tankha'' are considered as a milestone in Gujarati literature. His writing is characterised by a poetic style, romanticism and powerful depiction of human emotions. Through his short story, he gave a new dimension of experience, created characters drawn from different status and professions of life; and introduced a variety of locales and psychological moods. His first short stories collection ''Tankha'' (Sparks) was published in 1926, followed by ''Tankha-2'' (1928), ''Tankha-3'' (1932) and ''Tankha-4'' (1935). His other short stories collections include ''Avashesh'' (1932), ''Pradeep'' (1933), ''Mallika Ane Biji Vartao'' (1937),''Tribheto'' (1938), ''Aakashdeep'' (1947), ''Parivesh'' (1949), ''Anamika'' (1949), ''Vanchhaya'' (1949), ''Pratibimba'' (1951), ''Vanrekha'' (1952), ''Jaldeep'' (1953), ''Vankunj'' (1954), ''Vanrenu'' (1956), ''Mangaldeep'' (1957), ''Chandrarekha'' (1959), ''Nikunj'' (1960), ''Sandhyarang'' (1961), ''Sandhyatej'' (1962), ''Vasantakunj'' (1964) and ''Chhello Jhabakaro'' (1964). He wrote novels, drama, biographies, reflective essays, satires and books for adults and children. He published more than 250 books in the various fields. He wrote 29 historical and 7 social novels. His historical novels are grouped in two series namely '' Chalukya Yuga Granthavalis'' and '' Gupta Yuga Granthavalis''. He has freely adapted

Kanaiyalal Munshi Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi (; 30 December 1887 – 8 February 1971), popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, ...

's dramatic devices in his historical novels. His historical novels include ''Chauladevi'' (1940), ''Rajsanyasi'' (1942), ''Karnavati'' (1942), ''Rajkanya'' (1943), ''Vachinidevi'' (1945), ''Jaysinha Siddharaj: Barbarjishnu'' (1945), ''Jaysinha Siddharaj: Tribhuvan Khand'' (1947), ''Jaysinha Siddharaj: Avantinath'' (1948), ''Gurajareshwar Kumarpal'' (1948), ''Rajarshi Kumarpal'' (1950), ''Nayikadevi'' (1951), ''Rai Karan Ghelo'' (1952), ''Ajit Bhimdev'' (1953), ''Aamrapali'' (1954), ''Nagari Vaishali'' (1954), ''Magadhpati'' (1955), ''Mahaamatya Chanakya'' (1955), ''Chandragupta Maurya'' (1956), ''Samrat Chandragupta'' (1957), ''Priyadarshi Ashok'' (1958), ''Priyadarshi Samrat Ashok'' (1958), ''Magadhsenapati Pushpamitra'' (1959), ''Kumardevi'' (1960), ''Gurjarpati Moolrajdev: 1-2'' (1961), ''Paradhin Gujarat'' (1962), ''Bharatsamrat Samudragupta: 1, 2'' (1963, 1964), ''Dhruvdevi'' (1966). His social novels include ''Prutvish'' (1923), ''Rajmugat'' (1924), ''Rudrasharan'' (1937), ''Ajita'' (1939), ''Parajay'' (1939), ''Jivan Na Khander'' (1963) and ''Manzil Nahi Kinara'' (1964). ''Kalikalsarvagnya Hemchandracharya'' (1940) is the biographical work written by him on the life of

Hemachandra Hemachandra was a 12th century () Indian Jain saint, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gain ...

, a

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

scholar and poet. ''Jivanpanth'' and ''Jivanrang'' are two of his autobiographies which provided a vivid glimpse of his past life and an idea of how he became a writer.

Recognition

In 1935, he was awarded

Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, also known as the Ranjitram Gold Medal, was founded by Gujarat Sahitya Sabha and is considered the highest literary award in Gujarati literature. The award is named after renowned Gujarati writer Ranjitram Mehta. It is ...

, the highest award in Gujarati literature, which he refused to accept. He received

Narmad Suvarna Chandrak Narmad Suvarna Chandrak (Gujarati: નર્મદ સુવર્ણ ચંદ્રક), also known as the Narmad Gold Medal or Narmad Chandrak, is a literary honour in Gujarat, India. It is bestowed by the organisation known as Narmad Sahitya Sa ...

for literary activities in 1949. He served as an adviser to the

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

for Gujarati in 1957. He won the rare honour to represent India in a book published in the US with the title ''Stories From Many Lands''. This was a collection of the best stories from sixty countries. His story ''The Letter'' (Originally published as ''

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

'') was included in it. Sahitya Akademi, Delhi published this story in ''Contemporary Indian Short Stories'' and Penguin Books published in ''The Best Loved Indian Stories of The Century'' (volume II).

Bibliography

Historical novels

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References