Sursinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (26 January 1874 – 10 June 1900), popularly known by his pen name, ''Kalapi'' was a Gujarati poet and the Thakor (prince) of

Lathi state Lathi is a town with municipality in Amreli district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. Geography Lathi is located at . It has an average elevation of 141 metres (462 feet). Demographics India census, L ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

. He is mostly known for his poems depicting his own

pathos Pathos appeals to the emotions and ideals of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. ''Pathos'' is a term most often used in rhetoric (in which it is considered one of the three modes of persuasion, alongside ethos and ...

. He lived in Lathi-Gohilwad, which is located in the Saurashtra region of

Life

Kalapi was born on 26 January 1874 to his father

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Takhtasinhji, the ruler of Lathi, a small state situated in a far away corner of Saurashtra region, and mother Ramaba. Takhtasinhji died when Kalapi was 5, and Ramaba died when Kalapi was 14. These deaths left a permanent impact on Kalapi's mind. At the age of 8, Kalapi entered into Rajkumar College,

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the ...

for school education, and spent next 9 years (1882 – 1891) there, but didn't complete his schooling and dropped out of school. During these times, he studied extensively English, Sanskrit and contemporary Gujarati literature. Kalapi's date of death is uncertain. It is formally noted down as 10 June 1900. There is also some controversy over his death. It was declared as death due to

Cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

but some believed that it was not a natural death.

Personal life

Kalapi was married—at the age of 15—to two princesses. These were Rajba-Ramaba (born 1868), the princess of Kutch– Roha; and Kesharba-Anandiba (born 1872), the princess of Saurashtra–Kotada. When Kalapi was 20 years old, he fell in love with a family maid, Shobhana, who served his royal family. It is believed that Kalapi's love for Shobhana became a source of conflict with Rajba-Ramaba and the reason for his subsequent death due to

poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

ing by her.

Works

In spite of his short life, Kalapi's body of work was large. The poet penned about 250

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

s, including about 15,000 verses. He also authored a number of

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

writings and over 900 letters to his friends and wives. He not only used the

Gujarati language Gujarati ( ; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old Western Rājasthāni, Old Gujarati (). In India, it is one of the 22 Languages with ...

as his

medium Medium may refer to: Aircraft *Medium bomber, a class of warplane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film * ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...

to elaborate on his thoughts, but also translated four English novels to Gujarati. Kalapi mentored a number of budding poets who carried on his style of writing, many of whom become famous in their own right. The most prominent among these was Kavi Lalitji, who was about the same age as Kalapi, and was already an established poet when he was invited to the Lathi Darbar as a tutor for the royal children. He came under Kalapi's influence and the two became great friends. Lalitji went on to become the ''Rajya Kavi'' (Royal Bard) of Lathi. Kavi Kalapi had written poems in various Chhand (metres) of the Gujarati language. Like Mandakranta, Shardulvikridit, Shikharini and others, to write poems in Chhand, one has to follow the structure of that chhand and the rules of chhandas poetry. ''Aapni Yadi'' is one of his best known

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

s in the Gujarati literature.

Legacy

In his remembrance, the Indian National Theater at Mumbai, since 1997, gives the

Kalapi Award The Kalapi Award (Gujarati:કલાપી ઍવોર્ડ) is an annual award given to Gujarati language, Gujarati ghazal poets. It was founded by the Indian National Theatre, INT Aditya Birla Centre for Performing Arts and Research. The award ...

to an accomplished Gujarati

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

annually.

Museum

The ''Kalpi Tirtha Museum'' holds objects related to the life of the Gujarati poet Kalpi. The museum was inaugurated in 2005. It is located at Lathi on the birthplace of Kalpi in the Amreli district of Gujarat. There is a huge collection of articles written by the artists themselves, letters, the rare items they used, and the history of the monarchy. The memorials were also associated with the Kalpi Tirtha, where the Kalpati lived, the palace, which was sitting on the banks of the lake. This place is a center of attraction for Gujarat's literature makers. There is a small auditorium on the upper floors of Kalpitirth Bhawan. Apart from Wednesdays, this museum gives free entry. Videography and photography are permitted.

In popular culture

The 1966 Gujarati film, '' Kalapi'', is based on his life.

Sanjeev Kumar Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian actor. Considered as one of the greatest actors of Indian Cinema, he is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. ...

plays the titular role, and Padmarani plays the role of his wife, Rama. The film was directed by

Manhar Raskapur Manhar Rangildas Raskapur (8 May 1922 – 14 February 1980) was an Indian film director primarily known for his works in Gujarati cinema. Biography Raskapur was born in 1922 in Surat, Gujarat, India. He studied up to the first year of college b ...

References

External links

*
kavikalapi.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalapi, Kavi 1874 births 1900 deaths 19th-century Indian poets Amreli district Gujarati-language poets Gujarati-language writers Poets from Gujarat Unsolved deaths in India Poets from British India