Ramnarayan V. Pathak

Ramnarayan V. Pathak
Native name રામનારાયણ વિશ્વનાથ પાઠક
Born Ramnarayan Vishwanath Pathak
(1887-04-09)9 April 1887
Ganol, Dholka Taluka, Ahmedabad district
Died 21 August 1955(1955-08-21) (aged 68)
Bombay (now Mumbai)
Pen name Dwiref, Shesh, Shairvihari
Occupation Poet, Critic, Short story writer, Prosodist, Essayist
Language Gujarati
Nationality Indian
Education
  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Bachelor of Law
Alma mater Wilson College, Mumbai
Period Gandhian Era
Notable works
  • Brihat Pingal
Notable awards
Spouse Heera Pathak
Signature

Ramnarayan Vishwanath Pathak (Gujarati: રામનારાયણ વિશ્વનાથ પાઠક) was a Gujarati poet and writer from India. Profoundly influenced by Gandhian thought, Pathak wrote criticism, poetry, drama, metrics and short stories. He had edited some works and translated few. He was appointed as the president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad in 1946. He was awarded Narmad Suvarna Chandrak for Prachin Gujarati Chhando in 1949 and Sahitya Akademi Award for Bruhat Pingal in 1956.

Life

K. M Munshi, Mansukhlal Jhaveri, Ramnarayan Pathak and Dr. Jivanlal at Rajkot, 1945

He was born on 8 April 1887 in Ganol, a village (now in Dholka Taluka, Ahmedabad district, Gujarat). He completed primary and secondary education from Jetpur, Rajkot, Jamkhambhaliya and Bhavnagar. In 1904, he matriculated with good score and joined Shamaldas College, Bhavnagar. He was ranked first in the first year of the college and received scholarship. Then he joined Wilson College, Mumbai (then Bombay) and completed Bachelor of Arts in 1908 with Logic and Moral Philosophy subjects with first class which received him a fellowship. He taught Sanskrit for a year there. In 1911, he completed LL.B from Bombay University and worked as Pleader at Ahmedabad and Sadra for seven years. Later, when he diagnosed with tuberculosis, he left the practice and settled in Sadra in 1919. On invitation by Indulal Yagnik, he briefly worked as the principal of J. L. New English School of Gujarat Kelvani Mandal in 1920. During the non-cooperation movement in 1920, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi which, eventually, led him to join Gujarat Vidyapith along with Rasiklal Parikh as a professor in 1921. He taught logic, epistemology and literature there till 1928. During this time, his articles on education and literature were published in the magazines like Sabarmati, Puratatva, Yugdharma and Gujarat. He left Gujarat Vidyapith and served as an editor of Prasthan, a Gujarati magazine founded in 1926. He participated in different movements led by Gandhi and was jailed as well. From 1935, he joined SNDT University, Bombay as a professor. He also taught at L. D. Arts College, Ahmedabad; Bhavan's College and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay and the post graduate department of Gujarat Vidhya Sabha till 1952. He was engaged with teaching and research activities at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay till his death. In 1953, he served as an adviser to Gujarati department in Bombay Radio Station. He served as the president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad in 1946.[1][2][3]

He died on 21 August 1955 in Bombay following cardiac arrest.[3]

Personal life

He married twice. His second marriage was with Heera Pathak, who was also poet and literary critic. The couple had no children. She wrote Paraloke Patra (1978), a collection of poems addressed to her deceased husband Ramnarayan. She had also written highly appreciated critical works, like Apanu Vivechansahitya and Kavyabhavan.[4][2]

Works

Title page of Brihatpingal, published in Devanagari by Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, 1955

He was profoundly influenced by Gandhian thought but retained his originality and literary exuberance.[2] He had wrote short stories under the pen name Dwiref, poems under Shesh and essays under Swairvihari.[3]

Pathak was a proific writer who wrote criticism, poetry, drama, metrics and short stories. He had edited some works and translated few.[1]

His literary career started with a critical article The poems of poet Balashankar Ullasram Kantharia published in the first issue of Sabarmati in 1922. He also wrote his literary observation for Yugdharm.[3]

Pathak is well known for his Gujarati short stories.[1] He published three volume of short stories entitled Dwirefni Vato Part 1-2-3 (1928, 1935, 1942). His most acclaimed stories are Mukundrai, Khemi and Jakshani. Mukundrai shows the rift between father and son. The sun has no regard for his old father and young sister. The story suggests that modern education degenerates human values. Khemi is the story of the warmth of conjugal love between Khemi and Dhanio who belong to lowest caste of society. Khemi is considered as one of Pathak's most memorable characters. His stories like Jakshani reflects his subtle sense of humor.[5][6] His stories are emotionally linked with life.[7]

He published a collection of poems, Sheshna Kavyo (1938). It had 68 poems in first edition and 73 poems in second edition (1951), Visheshna Kavyo, his other collection of poems, was published posthumously in 1959.[3][8]

He considered criticism as an act of social responsibility,[7][9] His critical works include Arvachin Kavya Sahityana Vaheno (1935) and Sahityavimarsha (1939). His other critical works include Arvachin Gujarati Kavyasahitya (1933), Kavya Ni Shakti (1939), Aalochana (1944), Narmadashankar Kavi (1936), Narmad: Arvachin Gadya Padya No Aadya Praneta (1945), Sahityalok (1954), Nabhovihar (1961) and Aakalan (1964). He wrote critical introduction of Sharadsamiksha (1980), translated stories of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. His some critical articles are also in Kavyaparishilan (1965).[3]

Kulangar ane Biji Krutio (1959, posthumous) is a collection of dramas while Swairvihar part 1-2-3 (1931, 1937), Nitya no Aachar (1945) and Manovihar (1956) are the collection of his essays.[1][3]

He done a extensive research in meters of poetry and published as Brihat Pingal, which brought him Sahitya Akademi Award in 1956. It is a scientific presentation of structure and history of Gujarati prosody.[10][11] He co-edited several works with Umashankar Joshi; Kavyatatvavichar (1939), Sahityavichar (1942), Digdarshan (1942), Vicharmadhuri: Part 1 (1946). He also edited annotated edition of Purvalap, Apno Dharma (3rd edition, 1942), Ras Ane Garba (with Govardhan Panchal, 1954), Govindgaman (with Narhari Parikh, for textbook, 1923). He also edited Kavyasammuchchay Part 1-2 (1924) and Kavyaparichay (with Nagindas Parekh, 1928).[3]

He co-translated several works including Mammata Bhatta's Kavyaprakash 1-6 (with Rasiklal Parikh, 1924), Dhammapad (with Dharmanand Kosambi, 1924) and Chumban ane Biji Vartao (as Vama in second edition, with Nagindas Parekh, 1928).[1] his other works include Pramanpraveshika (1922) and Nityano Achar (1945).[3]

In the book Politics and the Novel in India writer Gopalan V. Gopalan mentioned that, Pathak published a novel in 1937 Aavtikal (Lit. Tomorrow), which is characterised by Gandhian principle of non-violence, generally known as satyagraha, trade unionism and the Gandhian ideal of cottage and village industries.[12] But, according to Gujarati Sahityakosh (Encyclopedia of Gujarati literature) Vol. 2, Pathak had never written any novel. According to Gujarati Sahityakosh, the novel Aavtikal, published in 1936, was written by Ramnarayan Nagardas Pathak (1905 - 1988), another Gujarati writer by same name and also associated with Satyagraha movement.[13]

Recogntion

R. V. Pathak Hall of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad named after him

Umashankar Joshi honored him as Sahitya Guru of Gandhian era and Yashvant Shukla considers him "the highest peak of Gujarati short stories".[1]

He was awarded Motisinhji Mahida Gold Medal in 1943 for his short story Uttar Marg no Lop (1940), Hargovinddas Kantawala Award and Narmad Suvarna Chandrak for Prachin Gujarati Chhando in 1949 and Sahitya Akademi Award for Bruhat Pingal in 1956.[1][3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Borisagar, Bhavesh (2016). "Chapter 1". Translation Of Selected Short Stories Of Ramnarayan Pathak From Gujarati Into English With A Critical Introduction (PDF) (Ph.D). Saurashtra University. hdl:10603/126479. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Beyond The Beaten Track - Ramnarayan Pathak". Gujaratilexicon.com (in Gujarati). Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "સવિશેષ પરિચય: રામનારાયણ વિ. પાઠક". Gujarati Sahitya Parishad (in Gujarati). Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  4. ↑ Nalini Natarajan; Emmanuel Sampath Nelson (1996). Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-313-28778-7. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Mohan Lal (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 4041. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  6. ↑ Rajendra Awasthy (2004). Selected Gujarati Short Stories. New Delhi: Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 978-81-89182-01-4. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  7. 1 2 Nalini Natarajan; Emmanuel Sampath Nelson (1996). Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India. London: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-313-28778-7. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  8. ↑ K. M. George (1992). Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Surveys and poems. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 132. ISBN 978-81-7201-324-0. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  9. ↑ Selected Stories from Gujarat. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House. 1 January 2002. p. 12. ISBN 978-81-7224-955-7. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  10. ↑ Mohan Lal (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot. Sahitya Akademi. p. 4148. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3.
  11. ↑ Sisir Kumar Das (1991). History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956, struggle for freedom : triumph and tragedy. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 850. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  12. ↑ Yogendra Kumar Malik; Carl Lieberman (1975). Politics and the Novel in India. Brill Archive. p. 115. ISBN 90-04-04243-1.
  13. ↑ Trivedi, Jayendra (1999). Topiwala, Chandrakant, ed. Gujarati Sahitya Kosh (Encyclopedia of Gujarati Literature). Ahmedabad: Gujarati Sahitya Parishad. p. 359.
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