Makrand Mehta (born 25 May 1931) is a social and business historian from

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.

Biography

Makrand Mehta was born on 25 May 1931 at Ahmedabad in a Nagar Brahmin family. He studied at the

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a university in 1949 after the independence of ...

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and

Gujarat University The Gujarat University is a public state university located at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The university is an affiliating university at the under-graduate level and a teaching university at the postgraduate level. It is accredited B++ by NA ...

. He headed the Department of History at the School of Sciences, Gujarat University before retirement. He is associated with several organisations including Gujarat Itihas Parishad, Gujarat Vidyasabha and Darshak Itihas Nidhi.

Works

Mehta has written more than 20 books in English and Gujarati. He has also published several papers on social and economic history. His selected works are: * ''The Ahmedabad Cotton Textile Industry : Genesis and Growth'' * ''Urbanization in Western India : A Historical Perspective'' * ''Business Houses in Western India : A Study in Entrepreneurial Response 1850-1956'' (co-author) * ''Regional Roots of Indian Nationalism'' * ''Indian Merchants and Entrepreneurs in Historical Perspective: with Special Reference to Shroffs of Gujarat, 17th to 19th Centuries'' * ''Merchants and ports of Gujarat'' * ''History of International Trade and Customs Duties in Gujarat'' * ''Gujarat-no Rajwadi Warso'' (Gujarati) * ''Gujarat Ane Dariyo'' (Gujarati) * ''Kasturbhai Lalbhai'' (Gujarati) * ''Gujaratna Ghadvaiya: Swavikas ni Prayogshala'' (Gujarati) * ''Itihas, Samaj ane Sahityama Gujarat'' (Gujarati) * ''Hindu Varnavyavastha, Samaj Parivartan Ane Gujaratna Dalito'' (Gujarati) * ''Sanstha Sthapan Ane Samaj Parivartan'' (Gujarati)

Reception

Mehta published a research paper titled ''Sectarian literature and Social Consciousness - A study of the Swaminarayan sect 1800-1840'' in December 1986 in ''Arhat''. It triggered a controversy among the followers of Swaminarayan Sampraday. In it, Mehta has contended that Sahajanand, who is believed to be an incarnation of Krishna by his followers, was only a social reformer who conspired with his followers to project himself as a god. He had also argued that the sect had done nothing for poor. In 1988, the followers of the sect received a permission from the government of Gujarat to lodge a case against him under section 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of

Indian Penal Code The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. The code was drafted on the recommendations of first law commission of India established ...

Personal life

He has married a historian Shirin Mehta.

References

External links