Bholabhai Patel

Bholabhai Patel
Born 7 August 1934
Soja village, Mehsana district, Gujarat, India
Died 20 May 2012 (aged 77)
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Occupation Author
Language Gujarati
Nationality Indian
Notable awards Padma Shri 2008

Bholabhai Patel (born 7 August 1934) was an Indian author who taught numerous languages at Gujarat University and did comparative studies of literature in different languages. He translated extensively and wrote essays and travelogues. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2008.

Life

Patel was born on 7 August 1934, in Soja village near Gandhinagar, Gujarat.[1] He earned a Bachelor's degree in Sanskrit, Hindi and Indian culture from Banaras Hindu University in 1957. He also studied at the Gujarat University, and completed his Masters degree in Hindi in 1960, a Bachelors in English in 1968, a Masters in English and Science of Language in 1970 and a PhD in Hindi in 1977. He also completed a diploma in German in 1971 and linguistics in 1974.[2] Patel obtained a fellowship from the Visva-Bharati University where he did a comparative study of Indian literature.[1][3]

Patel was married and had three children. He began his teaching career working at a primary school in Modasa. Later he taught and headed the Hindi Department of the School of Languages at Gujarat University. from 1969 to until his retirement in 1994. Patel served as a fellow of comparative literature at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, and at the Institute of Humanities, Vidya Bhavan. He was also the trustee of the institute which published Gujarati Vishwakosh, the Gujarati encyclopaedia. He served as the president of the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad from 2011 until his death in 2012.[1][3][4]

He died on 20 May 2012 at Ahmedabad following a heart attack.[3][4]

Works

Patel was an author who published more than 52 books. He was a polyglot who spoke Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, German, French, Hindi, Marathi, Puria, Asamiya and Sanskrit fluently. He translated many books from these languages to Gujarati and vice versa. He wrote literary travelogues about his travels across Europe and the US. Patel was an expert on the works of the ancient poet Kalidas and the nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.[1][4]

Awards and recognition

Patel was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in 2008. He also won the KK Birla Foundation fellowship. He received the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 1995, the highest award in Gujarati literature. He was the recipient of the National Sahitya Akademi Award.[1][3][4] Bholabhai Chowk, a crossroad near Gujarat University, is named after him.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Gujarati litterateur Bholabhai Patel dies". Daily News and Analysis (Ahmedabad). 21 May 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  2. ↑ Adhyaru Majithia, Priya (21 May 2012). "Famous literary figure Bholabhai Patel passes away, his wisdom survives". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Bholabhai Patel" (in Gujarati). Gujarati Sahitya Parishad. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "President of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad Bholabhai Patel dies". DeshGujarat. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Majithia, Priya Adhyaru (8 August 2012). "Welcome to Bholabhai Chowk!". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 June 2014.