Gunvantrai Popatbhai Acharya (9 September 1900 – 25 November 1965) was a
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 and journalist from India. His experience with seafarers impacted his adventure and novel writings. His works include several historical fiction novels.
Biography
Acharya was born on 9 September 1900 in Jetalsar near
Nawanagar (now
Jamnagar
Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...
, Gujarat, India). He completed his school education from
Mandvi
Mandvi is a Beach town with municipality in the Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao (king) of the Cutch State. The old city was enclosed in the fort wall and remai ...
,
Kutch where he came in contact with seafarers. His father Popatbhai was in police department. He joined college but dropped out after a brief period. He joined ''Saurashtramitra'' daily in 1927. He was also associated with several news dailies like ''Saurashtra'', ''
Phulchhab
''Phulchhab'' is the Gujarati daily published from Rajkot, Gujarat, India. RNI , Reg. No.72457/1999 , Name: PHULCHHAB , Link: http://rni.nic.in/registerdtitle_search/registeredtitle_ser.aspx It was founded in 1921 as a ''Saurashtra'' weekly ...
'', ''Prajabandhu'' and ''
Gujarat Samachar
''Gujarat Samachar'' is a Gujarati-language daily newspaper published in India. Its headquarters are in Ahmedabad with a branch in Surat. It is distributed from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Mumbai, Mehsana, Bhuj and New Y ...
''. He was the director of ''Mojmajah'', a film weekly. 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 ...
in 1945. He died on 25 November 1965.
His daughters,
Ila Arab Mehta
Ila Arab Mehta (born 16 June 1938) is a Gujarati novelist and story writer from Gujarat, India.
Biography
Mehta was born on 16 June 1938 at Bombay (now Mumbai) to Gujarati writer Gunvantrai Acharya. Her family belonged to Jamnagar. She complet ...
and
Varsha Adalja
Varsha Mahendra Adalja is an Indian Gujarati language feminist novelist, playwright and negotiator who won the 1995 Sahitya Akademi Award for Gujarati language for her novel ''Ansar''. She is also a dramatist, writing for stage plays, screenp ...
, are also authors.
Works
Acharya wrote 169 books including fictional novels, historical novels, short story collections, adventure novels, teen stories, humor and mystery novels. His novels about seafarers and their adventure were widely popular. His ''Dariyalal'' (The Beloved Sea, 1934), an adventure novel about seafarers of Gujarat and their settlement in
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
based on
oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...
, won him popularity.
Kathiawar
Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is ...
. His other novels include ''Bhagavo Nejo'' (1937), ''Sarfarosh'' (1953), ''Ratnakar Maharaj'' (1964). His historical novels include ''Girnarne Khole'' (1946), ''Senapati'' (1947), ''Gurjarlaxmi'' (1952), ''Shridhar Mehta'' (1957), ''Karad Kal Jage'' Part 1 and 2 (1957), ''Bhoot Rade Bhenkar'' (1961). His historical novel series on Vaghela dynasty
The Vaghela dynasty were an offshoot vassal clan connected to the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty, ruling Gujarat in the 13th century CE. Their capital was Dholka. They were the last Hindu dynasty to rule Gujarat before the Muslim conquest of ...
of Gujarat includes ''Vishaldev'' (1960), ''Arjundev'' (1961), ''Idariyo Gadh'' (1962). His notable social novels are ''Kori Kitab'' (1935), ''Viratno Zabbo'' (1938), ''Putrajanma'' (1940), ''Ramkahani'' (1941). ''Chhelli Salam'' (1962), Kedi ''ane Kanta'' (1962) and ''Sakkarbaar'' are spy fiction
Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligen ...
s. ''Otana Pani'' (1938), ''Shri ane Saraswati'' (1956), ''Neelrekha'' (1962), ''Jobanpagi'' (1964) are his novella collections.
He wrote plays also. ''Allabeli'' (The God is the Protector, 1946),
Bibliography
*
See also
* List of Gujarati-language writers
Well known laureates of Gujarati literature are Hemchandracharya, Narsinh Mehta, Mirabai, Akho, Premanand Bhatt, Shamal Bhatt, Dayaram, Dalpatram, Narmad, Govardhanram Tripathi, Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 Octob ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acharya, Gunvantrai
1900 births
1965 deaths
Gujarati-language writers
Indian male journalists
Indian male novelists
20th-century Indian novelists
Gujarati people
People from Jamnagar district
Novelists from Gujarat
Recipients of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak
20th-century Indian male writers