Premanand Krushanram Bhatt (

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- ...

: પ્રેમાનંદ કૃષ્ણંરામ ભટ્ટ) (1636–1714), also known as Premanand, was a medieval

poet and ''Maanbhatt'' (professional story teller) known for his

Akhyana Akhyana was a traditional musical theatre as well as medieval genre of Gujarati poetry and Rajasthani poetry. It was primarily practiced in Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India. Etymology and definition ''Akhyana'' literally means ''to tell'' or ...

compositions.

Life

He was born in 1636 at

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capita ...

in the caste of the Nandora Chaturvanshi Brahmins. In colophons of his Akhyanas, he remarked such as, "Place of braves called Vadodara, Situated in the middle of Gujarat, caste Chaturvanshi Bramins, Bhatt Premanand is the name". In those times,

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 ...

was ruled by Mughal governor

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

. At that time it was openly said: "Marwari language is valued at 16 aanas (equiv. to 1 Rupee), Kachhi language is valued at 12 aanas; Marathi language is valued at 8 aanas, while Gujarati language is valued at 4 paise (equiv. to 1 aana)". Born at the time when Gujarati language was devalued in such a manner, Premanand vowed that: "I shall not put on a Turban on my head till the time I earn a respectable position for Gujarati Language". By supposed divine inspiration, Premanand undertook the commendable but Herculean task of taking The Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagwat, Harivansh Puraan and life episodes of Devout-Poet Narsinh Mehta through "Maankala" (with the help of playing Maan) across numerous villages of Gujarat. Premanand provided invaluable service to Gujarati Language as well as to the people of society by poetically narrating the religious and social inheritance of Middle Ages, i.e. episodes from epics and scriptures in a simple and effective language and also performed valuable act of cultural awakening. Premanand's creations are priceless possessions of Gujarati literature; they are the cultural inheritance of Gujarati populace. Renowned Gujarati Poet

Narmad Narmadashankar Lalshankar Dave () (24 August 1833 – 26 February 1886), popularly known as Narmad, was an Indian Gujarati-language poet, playwright, essayist, orator, lexicographer and reformer under the British Raj. He is considered to be the ...

has noted that: "Premanand's language is universally uniform. The depiction of customs, traditions and nature of people; and verbal depiction of incidents garnished with exaggerated descriptions have found their prominent place in the vernacular language. This is the beauty of Premanand's verses. And the eminent Gujarati novelist

Navalram Navalram Laxmiram Pandya (Gujarati: નવલરામ) (9 March 1836 – 7 August 1888) was a Gujarati critic, playwright, poet, essayist, editor, educationist and a social reformer. He is considered to be a most important figure in modern Gujara ...

has mentioned: "It is not surprising that Premanand who hails from Vadodara, who has written poetry on pure and profound love and whose name has become so dear to those art-loving people who have experienced divine love and pleasure; enjoys the supreme position amongst the contemporary poets. I personally believe that it is his modesty and humbleness that he obliges the other three frontline poets by allowing them to sit near the steps of his artistic kingdom! Really! Gujarati people should be proud of Premanand". Raskavi Premanand has structured his poetic verbal recitals as per time and incidences. For example, importance of "Okhaharan" (Abduction of girl named Okha) in the month of "

Chaitra Chaitra (Hindi: चैत्र) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Ch ...

" (6th month of the Vikram year), the pleasure of listening to a detailed poetic depiction of the marriage of "Shamalsha" (son of Narsinh Mehta) in the month of " Vaishakh" (7th month of the Vikram year) which is the season for marriages, while in "Bhadarvo" (11th month of the Vikram year) – the month of making ceremonial offerings to the dead ancestors – he would present a poetic recital on the description of such offerings to the deceased father of Narsinh Mehta. He wrote ''Okhaharan''.

Contribution

He was known by the title of "Ras-Kavi". His known creations are "

Nalakhyan ''Nalakhyan'' (; English: ''The Tale of Nala'') is a medieval Gujarati ''akhyana'' (long narrative poem), written by 17th-century Gujarati poet Premanand Bhatt (1649–1714). One of Premanand's most popular works, it retells the story of the my ...

", "Sudamacharitra", "Dashamskandh", "Rannyagna", ''Okhaharan'', ''Kunvarbainu Mameru''. Name of Raskavi (Poet of sentiments) Premanand is on the top of the list of "Aakhyankars".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatt, Premanand Gujarati-language writers Gujarati-language poets 1649 births 1714 deaths People from Vadodara