Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi (; 20 October 1855 – 4 January 1907) 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 Gu ...
novelist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is known for his four volume novel, ''
Saraswatichandra'', acclaimed as one of the masterpieces of
Gujarati literature. The novel represents the life of Gujarat during the early part of 19th-century.
Life
![Govardhanram Smriti Mandir](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Govardhanram_Smriti_Mandir.jpg)
Govardhanram was born in Vadnagara
nagar brahmin
The Nagar Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Gujarat.
Author T. Sasaki says, Among Brahmins in Gujarat Nagar Brahmins were most prominent subdivision in the political, economic and social activities of this ...
family on 20 October 1855 on the day of the
Dashera festival at
Nadiad
Nadiad is a city in the state of Gujarat, India and the administrative centre of the Kheda district. The city is managed by the Nadiad Municipality. It is known for the Santram Mandir, the Mai Mandir, ,
Bombay presidency
The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...
(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 ...
), to his mother, Shivkashi, and his father, Madhavram. He took his primary education from the Buddhivardhak Gujarati Shala in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
and Government English School at Nadiad. Thereafter, he joined
Elphinstone High School
Elphinstone High School was a school established in 1822 in Bombay, India in honour of Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay (1819–1827). In 1834 the Elphinstone Institute was founded, which started the Elphinstone College
Elphin ...
from where he passed his matriculation examination in 1871. In the same year, he joined
Elphinstone College
Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1823, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the ed ...
to obtain his
BA degree. He passed his BA examination at the second attempt, in 1875.
After three unsuccessful attempts, he passed
LLB
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
examination in 1883, and started working as a lawyer in Mumbai in 1884. At the age of 43, he retired early and settled in his hometown to contribute to
Gujarati literature and public service.
Govardhanram died in Mumbai on the evening of 4 January 1907.
Personal life
In 1868, Govardhanram married Harilakshmi, who died in 1874 in a
child birth
Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births global ...
, leaving behind a daughter, Radha, who also died soon after. In 1876, he married Lalitagauri,
who gave birth to three daughters, Lilavati (b. 1881), Jashvanti (b. 1884) and Jayanti (b. 1888); and a son, Ramaniyaram (b. 1886). He was a younger cousin of Gujarati writer
Mansukhram Tripathi.
Works
![Young Govardhanram Tripathi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Young_Govardhanram_Tripathi.jpg)
In 1875, he read a paper, ''A Rude Outline of the General Features of Practical Asceticism in My Sense of the World'', before the Friendly Society. According to Gujarati critic
Balwantray Thakore
Balwantray Kalyanray Thakore ( gu, બળવંતરાય કલ્યાણરાય ઠાકોર) (23 October 1869 – 2 January 1952), popularly known as B. K. Thakore ( gu, બ.ક.ઠાકોર), was a poetry teacher and one of the gre ...
, this paper can be considered the key-stone of Govardhanram's ideology, aspiration and character.
In 1887, the first volume of ''Saraswatichandra'' was published, and was followed by volumes 2, 3 and 4 in 1892, 1898, and 1901, respectively; each volume has a separate subtitle: ''The Administration of Buddhidhan'', ''The Family-maze of Gunasundari'', ''The Political Administration of Ratnanagari'' and ''The Dreamland of Saraswati''.
The novel represents the life of Gujarat during the early part of 19th-century and also focuses on contemporary social, political, philosophical and cultural issues. It is believed that Govardhanram has sketched his own various personalities through this novel.
He also took an active role in the Indian Congress during 1902; and in 1905, he was elected as the first president of
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad () is a literary organisation for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Mehta with the aim of creating literature appealing to all classes of society an ...
. He also wrote various articles and essays in the papers '
Vasant
Basant or Vasant is a Hindustani classical raga.
Raga
Every raga has a strict set of rules which govern the number of notes that can be used; which notes can be used; and their interplay that has to be adhered to for the composition of a tu ...
' and 'Samalochak', which were later published as books.
His other works include ''Snehamudra'', ''Leelavati Jeevankala'' (Lilavati's Art of Living), ''Navalramnu Kavijeevan'' (
Navalram's life as a poet), ''Dayaramno Akshardeh'' (The Literary Works of
Dayaram
Dayaram (1777–1853) was a Gujarati poet of medieval Gujarati literature and was the last poet of the old Gujarati school. He is known in Gujarati literature for his literary form called ''Garbi'', a lyric song. He was a follower of Pushtimarg ...
), ''Sadavastu Vichar'', and ''
Scrap Book
Scrapbooking is a method of preserving, presenting and arranging personal and family history in the form of a book, box or card. Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork. Scrapbook albums are often decorated and frequ ...
'', an autobiographical work.
His ''Classical Poets of Gujarat'' is a critical work with a historical approach. It discusses Gujarati poets Mira, Narsinh Mehta, Akho, Premananda and Shamal; and the influence of these poets and their works on society and morals.
Legacy
The period from 1885 to 1915 is called "Govardhan-Yug" or "Govardhan-Era" in Gujarati literature.
On 27 April 2016, a commemorative postage stamp was released by Indian Posts to honour Govardhanram Tripathi. The
Chief Minister of Gujarat
The Chief Minister of Gujarat is the chief executive of the government of the Indian state of Gujarat. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. The chief minister's ter ...
,
Anandiben Patel
Anandiben Mafatbhai Patel (born 21 November 1941) is an Indian politician serving as the current Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She also served as Governor of Madhya Pradesh and Governor of Chhattisgarh. She has served as the first female Chie ...
, released the postage stamp in
Gandhinagar
Gandhinagar (, ) is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the Industrial corridor between Delhi, the political capital of India, and Mu ...
.
References
Sources
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Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripathi, Govardhanram
1855 births
1907 deaths
Gujarati people
Gujarati-language writers
Gujarati-language poets
Poets from Gujarat
19th-century Indian poets
People from Nadiad
Indian male poets
Indian literary critics
19th-century Indian male writers
Indian literary historians
19th-century Indian judges
British India judges
19th-century diarists