Krishnalal Shridharani (16 September 1911 – 23 July 1960) was an Indian poet, playwright and journalist. He studied sociology, economics and journalism at various institutions in India and the US. He 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 ...

and was imprisoned, during which time he started writing plays and poetry. He also wrote many non-fiction books in English.

Life

Shridharani was born in Umrala near

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...

on 16 September 1911. He spent his childhood in

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 completed his primary education in Umrala and secondary education from Dakshinamurti Vinay Mandir, Bhavnagar. He joined

Gujarat Vidyapith Gujarat Vidyapith is a deemed university in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It was founded in 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement, and deemed a university in 1963. Etymology "Vidyapith," in many languages of ...

in 1929 and participated as a young man in the

Dandi March The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

of 1930. He was arrested near Karadi when he was going for

Dharasana Satyagraha Dharasana Satyagraha was a protest against the British salt tax in colonial India in May, 1930. Following the conclusion of the Salt March to Dandi, Mahatma Gandhi chose a non-violent raid of the Dharasana Salt Works in Gujarat as the next protes ...

. He spent some time in Sabarmati and Nasik jails. He joined

Shantiniketan Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...

(

Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati () is a public central university and an Institution of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which means the communion of the w ...

) in 1931 and completed his graduation in 1933. In 1934, he went to US for further studies on the advice of James Pratt and

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

, which made a lasting impression on his attitude. He completed Masters in Sociology and Economics from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in 1935. He completed MS in 1936 and PhD in 1940 from

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism s ...

. He started writing for ''

Amrita Bazar Patrika ''Amrita Bazar Patrika'' was one of the oldest daily newspapers in India. Originally published in Bengali script, it evolved into an English format published from Kolkata and other locations such as Cuttack, Ranchi and Allahabad. The paper ...

'' in 1945 and returned to India in 1946. He worked with the Ministry of External Affairs for some time. He married Sundari, a dancer and performing artist. He presided over the history and economics department 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 ...

in 1946. He died following heart attack in Delhi on 23 July 1960. His book ''War Without Violence'' (1939), which analyses Gandhian philosophy and tactics of nonviolence, influenced the members and strategies of the

Congress of Racial Equality The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African Americans, African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement. Founded in 1942, its stated mission ...

, and was widely circulated by African-American leaders during the U.S.

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

. It was studied by

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

during the

Montgomery bus boycott The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States ...

Works

He wrote total sixteen plays. He wrote ''Vadlo'' (1931), a children's play, during his imprisonment during Dandi March. ''Peela Palash'' (1934), ''Piya Gori'', ''Dusku'', ''Dungali no Dado'', ''Sonpari'', ''Vijali'', ''Vrushal'', ''Mor na Inda'' are his other plays. ''Padmini'' is a historical play. In 1934, his first poetry collection ''Kodiya'' was published, followed by ''Punarapi'' in 1961. ''Insan Mita Doonga'' is a short story based on his experiences with inmates during imprisonment. His original works in English include ''My India, My America'' (1941) which is about his experiences during his life in the US. His book ''War without Violence'' had a great impact on the American civil rights movement. Others are ''Warning to the West'' (1943), ''The Big Four of India'' (1941), ''The Adventures of the Upside-Down Tree'' (1959), ''Story of The Indian Telegraph'' (1953), ''The Journalist in India'' (1956), ''Smiles From Kashmir'' (1959) and ''The Mahatma and the World'' (1946). He contributed in several journals and newspapers including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

''.

Awards

He was awarded the

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 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shridharani, Krishnalal 1911 births 1960 deaths Gujarati-language poets Indian male dramatists and playwrights Indian male journalists Indian independence activists from Gujarat People from Bhavnagar district Visva-Bharati University alumni New York University alumni Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Poets from Gujarat 20th-century Indian poets Indian male poets Recipients of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak Journalists from Gujarat Dramatists and playwrights from Gujarat

Life

Works

Awards

See also

References