''Manvi Ni Bhavai'' ( en, Endurance: A Droll Saga) is a 1947

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

novel written by

Pannalal Patel Pannalal Nanalal Patel (7 May 1912 – 6 April 1989) was an Indian author known for his contributions in Gujarati literature. He wrote more than 20 short story collections, such as ''Sukhdukhna Sathi'' (1940) and ''Vatrakne Kanthe'' (1952), and ...

. It is set in the period of the

Indian famine of 1899–1900 The Indian famine of 1899–1900 began with the failure of the summer monsoons in 1899 over Western and Central India and, during the next year, affected an area of and a population of 59.5 million. The famine was acute in the Central Provinc ...

, locally known as the ''Chhappaniyo Dukal'' (The Famine of

Samvat The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

1956) in Gujarat. The novel centres around the love story of Kalu and Raju as well as the difficult and often tragic life of farmers during the famine. It was translated into English by V. Y Kantak in 1995. It was adapted into a Gujarati film scene in 1993.

Background

Patel wrote ''Manvi Ni Bhavai'' at his small house in Mandli village, and at his maize farm in 1947, during the time of the Indian independence movement.

Theme

''Manvi Ni Bhavai'' tells the love story of Kalu, son of Vala Patel, and Raju, daughter of Gala Patel. They love each other and want to marry, but they are betrothed to other people. Patel set the love story during the time of the

Indian famine of 1899-1900 Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

, and the last scene in the novel ends with the first drops of rain, which symbolizes the end of the famine.

Reception

Gulabdas Broker noted in

Indian Literature Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Republic of India has 22 officially recognised languages. The earliest works of Indian literature were o ...

that, "though this book has a rural background, it is not a rural novel. Though it has love in its background, it is not a love story. It is a human document depicting the human conditions and portraying the destiny of man." The novel lead Patel to win the ''Jnanpith'' award for his "outstanding contribution towards literature" in 1985.

Translation and adaptation

The novel was translated into English by V. Y Kantak, and published in 1995 by Sahitya Akademi. The

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

translation was published in 1973 under the title ''Vazhkkai Oar Nadagam''. It was also adapted into the Gujarati film ''

Manvini Bhavai ''Manvi Ni Bhavai'' ( en, Endurance: A Droll Saga) is a 1947 Gujarati language, Gujarati novel written by Pannalal Patel. It is set in the period of the Indian famine of 1899–1900, locally known as the ''Chhappaniyo Dukal'' (The Famine of Vikra ...

'' (1993) by

Upendra Trivedi Upendra Jethalal Trivedi (14 July 1936 4 January 2015) was an Indian film and stage actor, director and producer who was one of the most prolific actors of Gujarati cinema. As an actor films like '' Mehndi Rang Lagyo'' (1960), ''Jogidas Khuman' ...

, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Gujarati. In the film, Trivedi played the role of Kalu.

References

External links

* (Gujarati) * (English translation) * (Vazhkkai Oar Nadagam, Tamil translation) * {{Authority control Indian novels adapted into films 1947 novels Gujarati-language novels 20th-century Indian novels Fiction set in the 20th century Novels set in Gujarat Jnanpith Award-winning works Third-person narrative novels