Ramchandra Bhikaji Gunjikar ( Devanagari: ) (10 April 1843 – 18 June 1901) was a

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

writer from the

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 ...

in British India. He was born on 10 April 1843 in the town of Jamboti in Belgaum District. He graduated in 1864 from Elphinstone High School in Mumbai, and started teaching in the same school three years later. In 1888, he assumed the headmaster's position in the Anglo-vernacular High School in Hubli, and moved on four years later to be an assistant deputy educational inspector for Belagaum district. In 1867, Gunjikar became the first editor of the monthly ''Wiwidha Dnyan Wistar'' () which was founded with the objective of disseminating information on varied topics, including sciences, biographies, literary criticisms, and philosophical/ethical ideas. He stayed in that position for seven years to turn the magazine into a prestigious monthly. His proficiency in Sanskrit,

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- ...

, Kannada,

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

, and English languages helped him in his editorial and literary works. His articles included ones on Marathi poetry, Marathi grammar, and Marathi as a language. He also invented a Marathi shorthand script. Gunjikar became the first historic novelist in Marathi literature when he wrote the novel ''Mochangad'' () in 1871. The novel vividly describes life in Maharashtra in the first half of the 17th century. He died before he could finish his second historic novel ''Godawari'' () pertaining to Portuguese rule in Goa.

Literary work

The following is a list of titles of Gunjikar's major works: * (1871) * (Translation of Shakespeare's play ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'') (1872) * (Translation of Bhattoji Dikshit's Sanskrit volumes titled concerning Sanskrit grammar) (1877–79) * (1878) * (1884) * (1884) * (A critique in Marathi on Sanskrit ''

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

'' (1884) * (1886) * (1895) * (Translation of

Kalidas Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...

's Sanskrit play ) *

References

* (Book in Marathi containing a compilation of Gunjikar's essays) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunjikar, Ramchandra Bhikaji 1843 births 1901 deaths Marathi-language writers Writers from British India People from Bombay Presidency