Gujarat's Gaurav

Gujarati poet, RajendraKeshavlal Shah was chosen for the prestigious Bharatiya Jnanpith Award for 2001 by a selection board headed byLaxmi Mal Singhvi which included Mahashweta Devi, Vidya Niwas Mishra, C. T. Indira, Sitangshu Yashaschandra,M.T. Vasudevan Nair, U. R. Ananthamurthy, Ramakant Rath, Gopi Chand Narang, Ashok Bajpai and PrabhakarShrotriya.

This is the third time that a writer in Gujarati has been chosen for the award after UmaShankar Joshi and Pannalal Patel in 1967 and 1985 respectively. The award carries a citation plaque, a bronzicstatue of Vagdevi and Rs 5 lakhs in cash.

When asked by a reporter whether the award wasn't a much belated recognition, Rajendra Shahsaid, "I never waited for it? So how's it late? I am happy. I am satisfied." His interest andmeditations on Advaita [non-duality] may well account for this equanimity.

A pioneer of a new trend in Gujarati poetry in the post-Independence period, RajendraKeshavlal Shah was born in 1913 at Kpaadvanaj in district Kaira, Gujarat. His father passed away at the age oftwo and his mother brought him up in the strict religious tradition of the family.  He studied in hishometown upto matriculation and later joined Wilson College Bombay, finally graduating from the prestigiousM.S.University, Baroda.  Over time, he has worked as a teacher, grocer, partner in a business firm andowner of a printing press

His first poem was published in 1933, in Wilsonian, the magazine of Wilson College.Bombay, but it was his first collection of poems Dhvani published in 1951, which created quite a stirin Gujarati literary circles. He has 21 collections of poems to his credit, the important ones being Dhvani(1951), Andolan (1951), Shruti (1957), Morpinchh (1959), Shat Kolahal (1962), Chirantan(1967), Kshan je Chirantan (1968), Vishadne Sad (1966), Madhyama (1976), Udgiti(1979), Ikshana (1979), Patralekha (1981), Prasana Saptak (1982), Panch Parva (1983),Vibhavan (1983), Dwasuparna (1983), Chandan Bhini Anamik (1987), Aranyak (1992), AmblawyaMor (1988) and Rumzum (1969). He has also translated masters like Jayadeva (Geet Govinda),Vidyapati, Jeebanananda Das, Budha Dev Basu etc into Gujarati

His poems reveal his commitment to society at large, but it is the commitment of anartist. He is a seeker of beauty and his poetry reflects it in full measure. He is prominent as a lyrical poet,known for his songs on love, nature, God, death, myths  and the simple beauty of rural life.Critic Niranjan Bhagat considers him Gujarat's best poet of the twentieth century. Many put the intensity ofemotion and innovation in form and expression and the mystical tone of his poetry to the tradition of greatmedieval masters like Narasimha Mehta, Kabir and Akho.

First recognition came way back in 1947, when he received the 'Kumar Chandrak' award forthe best contribution (poems) to the Kumar. His other awards include Rajitram Suvarna Chandrak(1956),Sahitya Akademi Award (1964), Mahakavi Nanalal Prize (1966), Narmnad Chandrak (1977), Aurobindo SuvarnaChandrak by Gujarati Sahitya Parishad (1980), Bharatlya Bhasha Parishad Award (1985), Dhanaji Kanaji SuvarnaChandrak (1986), Mardhanya Sahityakar Samman by Gujarat Sahitya Akademi (1993) and the Narasimba Mehta Awardof Government ofGuJarat (1994).