Dhirubhai Thaker

Dhirubhai Thaker
Born 27 June 1918
Kodinar, Gujarat, India
Died 22 January 2014 (aged 95)
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Occupation author
Language Gujarati
Nationality Indian
Notable awards Padma Bhushan, Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak

Dhirubhai Thaker (27 June 1918 – 22 January 2014) was an Indian Gujarati writer, who was best known for creating the Gujarati Vishwakosh, a 25-volume encyclopedia of the Gujarati language.[1]

Life

He was born on 27 June 1918 in Kodinar near Junagadh, Gujarat, India. His native town was Viramgam, Ahmedabad. He completed MA from Mumbai University in 1941. He was a professor at Gujarat College until 1960. He complelted his PhD in 1956 and joined Modasa College in 1960. He also served as a president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad from 1999 to 2001. He died on January 22, 2014 at Ahmedabad.[1]

Works

He was a lecturer by proffession. He wrote criticism, essays, research and plays.[1]

He assemled 1700 subject experts to work on Gujarati Vishwakosh, a 25-volume encyclopedia of the Gujarati language which contains 25,000 pages and 23,000 entries.[1]

Awards

He was the recipient of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, the highest literary award in Gujarati language, in 1994 and the Narmad Award in 2012.[1][2]

He was awarded Padma Bhushan on January 25, 2014 for his contribution in field of literature and education.[3][4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Pioneer behind Gujarati Vishwakosh passes away at 96". The Times of India. January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  2. "Narmad award for nonagenarian Dhirubhai Thakar". dnaindia.com. September 9, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  3. "List of Padma awardees". The Hindu. January 26, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  4. "7 Gujaratis in Padma awards list". The Times of India. January 26, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.