Ramesh Parekh (1940-2006) was a
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- ...
poet and lyricist 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. He was one of the most popular poets of modern Gujarati poetry.
[ Though government servant by profession, he had deep interest in literature and music. He contributed heavily in field of poetry including ]geet Geet may refer to:
Media
* geet (song), a traditional Hindi or Urdu song
* ''Geet'' (1944 film)
* ''Geet'' (1970 film), a Bollywood film directed by Ramanand Sagar
* ''Geet'' (1992 film), a Bollywood film directed by Parto Ghosh
* ''Geet'' (TV ...
, ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
and non-lyrical poetry. He also wrote stories and contributed in Gujarati children's literature.
Life
Ramesh Parekh was born on 27 November 1940 at Amreli
Amreli is a city and a municipality in Amreli district in Indian state of Gujarat.
History
It is believed that during 534 AD Amreli existed was formerly known as Anumanji, Amlik and then Amravati. The city is named in ancient Gujrati as ''A ...
in Kapol Vanik family of Mohanlal and Narmadaben. He studied at Parekh Mehta Vidyalaya. His first story ''Pretni Duniya'' was published in ''Chandani'', a story magazine when he was still in school. He completed his S.S.C. in 1958 with the first class. He received scholarship. He had interest in painting and wanted to join Sir J. J. School of Art
The Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art (Sir J. J. School of Art) is the oldest art institution in Mumbai, India, and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The school grants bachelor's degrees in fine art and sculpture, and Master's de ...
but he could not join due to his financial condition. He joined Amreli district
Amreli district is one of the 33 administrative districts of the state of Gujarat in western India. The district headquarters are located at Amreli. The district occupies an area of 6,760 km2 and has a population of 1,514,190 of which 22.45 ...
office in 1960. He continued his interest in painting and music. He continued writing stories till 1962 and also founded Moral Music Club. He started writing poetry in 1967. He met Anil Joshi in 1968 who encouraged him to write more poetry. His poems started being published in literary magazines.
He retired from government service in 1988 and devoted his life to literary career. He moved to Rajkot from Amreli in 1997. He died on 17 May 2006 at Rajkot
Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...
following a heart attack.
Works
Ramesh Parekh is chiefly known for his songs
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...
though he had heavily contributed in non-lyrical poetry and ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
s. His poems and songs addressed to Sonal and Meerabai
Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition.
Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...
are the most attractive. His first poetry collection ''Kya'' (1970) was well received. ''Khading'' (1979), his second collection won several awards. His other collections followed; ''Tva'' (1980), ''Sananan'' (1981), ''Khamma Ala Bapune'' (1985), ''Meera Same Par'' (1986) and '' Vitan Sud Beej'' (1989). All his poetry was collected and published as ''Chha Akshar Nu Nam'' in 1991. It was well received and four editions were sold out in five years. ''Le, Timira! Surya'' was published in 1995 followed by ''Chhatima Barsakh'' (1998), ''Chashmana Kach Par'' (1999) and ''Swagatparva'' (2002). ''Kal Sachave Pagala'' (2009) was edited and published by his friend Nitin Vadgama posthumously.
''Stanpurvak'' (1983) was his story collection. He had also written three-act plays, ''Sagapan Ek Ukhanu'' (1992), ''Surajne Padchhayo Hoy'' (2002) and humorous play ''Tarkhat''. He published a collection of essays, ''Honkaro Aapo To Kahu'' (1994), ''Chalo Ekbeejane Gameeye'' (2001), ''Sarjaknaa Shbadane Salama'' (2002). He had edited ''Gira Nadine Teer'' (1989), a poetry collection and ''Aa Padakhu Faryo Le!'' (1989), a ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
collection.
He had notable contribution in field of Gujarati children's literature. His collections of children's poetry include ''Hauk'' (1979), ''Chi'' (1980), ''Dariyo Zullam Zulla Hasie Khullam Khulla'' (1988, illustrated), ''Chapati Vagadata Avadi Gai'' (1997). His collections of children's stories include ''Hafarak Lafarak'' (1986), ''De Talli'' (1979), ''Gor Ane Chor'' (1980), ''Kuvama Paninu Jhad'' (1986) and ''Jantar Mantar Chhu'' (1990). His children's novels include ''Jadui Deevo'' and ''Ajab Gajabno Khajano''.
Awards
He received Kumar Chandrak
Kumar Suvarana Chandrak or the Kumar Gold Medal is a literary award given by Kumar Trust, Ahmedabad, India since 1944. The medal is annually conferred to a Gujarati author for his contribution in '' Kumar'' magazine published by Kumar Trust. In 1 ...
in 1970, Dhanji Kanji Gandhi Suvarna Chandrak
Dhanji Kanji Gandhi Suvarna Chandrak also known as Dhanji Kanji Gandhi Gold Medal, is a literary honour in Gujarat, India given by Gujarat Sahitya Sabha. Established in 1983, the award is conferred annually on the most outstanding literate for his ...
in 1983, 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 1986 and Kala Gaurav Award in 1989. He received Narmad Suvarna Chandrak
Narmad Suvarna Chandrak (Gujarati: નર્મદ સુવર્ણ ચંદ્રક), also known as the Narmad Gold Medal or Narmad Chandrak, is a literary honour in Gujarat, India. It is bestowed by the organisation known as Narmad Sahitya Sa ...
for 1978 and Uma-Snehrashmi Prize
Uma-Snehrashmi Prize, also known as Uma-Snehrashmi Paritoshik ( gu, ઉમા-સ્નેહરશ્મિ પારિતોષિક) is a literary award in Gujarat, India founded by Snehrashmi in 1963 in a remembrance of his deceased daughter ...
for 1978-79 for his book ''Khading''. He received Gijubhai Badheka Suvarna Chandrak (1988), Shri Arvind Suvarna Chandrak for ''Meera Same Par'' state-level Gujarati Sahitya Akademi Award (1979) by Gujarat Sahitya Akademi. He won Sahitya Akademi Award
The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
for 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- ...
given by Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
for his poetry collection '' Vitan Sud Beej'' in 1994. He also received Rajkumar Bhuvalka Award for the same book. He was recognised with Sanskar Award in 1988 for all his works and Kalagaurav Suvarna Chandrak (1989) by Amreli District Office. He was given Narsinh Mehta Award
Narsinh Mehta Award (Gujarati: નરસિંહ મહેતા પુરસ્કાર) is one of the highest awards of Gujarati literature. The award is conferred upon Gujarati language author by Adyakavi Narsinh Mehta Sahitya Nidhi, Junagadh, ...
in 2004.
He won the Best Lyricist award of Gujarat State Film Award in 1982-83 for film ''Nasibni Balihari'' and in 1993-94 for film ''Manvini Bhavai''.[
]
Personal life
He married Rasilaben in 1972. His daughter Neha was born in 1974 and his son Niraj born in 1975.
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, K. M. Munshi, Umashankar Joshi, Suresh Joshi, Pan ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Ramesh Parekh on Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parekh, Ramesh
Indian male poets
Gujarati-language writers
People from Rajkot district
1940 births
2006 deaths
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Gujarati
20th-century Indian poets
Poets from Gujarat
Recipients of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak
20th-century Indian male writers