(; ) is a

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

humorous novel co-authored by

Dhansukhlal Mehta Dhansukhlal Krishnalal Mehta (October 20, 1890 – August 29, 1974) was a Gujarati writer from Gujarat, India. He is considered a pioneer of Gujarati short stories. He is known for his humorous novel , co-written with Jyotindra Dave. He receiv ...

and Jyotindra Dave, published in 1935. It is widely considered to be the second humorous novel in

Gujarati literature The history of Gujarat, Gujarati literature () may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, other than its composers. Gujarat Vidhya S ...

, after ''

Bhadrambhadra ''Bhadrambhadra'' () is a 1900 Gujarati language, Gujarati satirical novel by Ramanbhai Neelkanth. It is regarded as the first humorous novel in Gujarati literature and as the first Gujarati novel written in the first person narrative. Ramanbhai ...

'' (1900) by

Ramanbhai Neelkanth Ramanbhai Mahipatram Nilkanth (13 March 1868 – 6 March 1928) was a Gujarati novelist, essayist, literary critic from India. The Ramanlal Nilkanth Hasya Paritoshik is named after him. Life Ramanbhai Nilkanth was born on 13 March 1868 in Ahm ...

. The novel presents the story of protagonist Vipin from his birth to marriage.

Origin

Gujarati writer

K. M. Munshi Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi (; 30 December 1887 – 8 February 1971), popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned t ...

suggested that the authors, Dhansukhlal Mehta and Jyotindra Dave, write a humorous novel for his publication ''Gujarati''. They agreed, and used to frequent Munshi's office and sometimes a restaurant to discuss the novel. Initially, the five chapters of the novel were serialized in ''

''. When ''Gujarati'' was cancelled for unknown reasons, the novel was re-serialized in another magazine, '' Kaumudi''. It was later published as a book in 1935. The intent of both writers was to depict a picture of contemporary social life in

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

Content

Twenty-seven chapters long, the novel is narrated in first person. It does not contain a continuous story, but presents events centered in

, the native home of both authors. It offers a humorous account of social life in Surat. The plot follows the life of the protagonist, Vipin, from his birth until after his marriage. The authors expressed humor through the everyday lives of

i people. The content depicts typical first-hand knowledge of a 'Surat-born and bred' child, with the brush of a caricaturist. The Surati love for kite-flying, the barber's daily visits, the tailor's adventures in cutting and sewing, the washerman's duties, a hundred other rounds of visits of artisans and others are included in the novel. Some of the chapters from novel include the mode of teaching by the orthodox schoolmaster, the confusion at the time of a Surati wedding, the search for the proper bride, etc.

Reception

The ''

Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature is a multi-volume English language encyclopedia of Indian literature published by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters. The idea for the project emerged in the mid-1970s, and three volumes w ...

'' mentions that the novel remains an unparalleled classic in the field of Gujarati humorous literature.

Adaptation

A telefilm directed by Hridaynath Gharekhan, based on , was broadcast on

DD Girnar DD-Girnar previously known as DD-10 GUJARATI is the Gujarati language channel of India's national broadcaster, Doordarshan. It is broadcast out of studios at Doordarshan Kendra (Center) in Ahmedabad in Gujarat State. History Doordarshan Kendr ...

as an episode on the TV series ''Indian Classics''. Dhansukhlal Mehta adapted the novel into a

one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...

, ''Sari Jatu Surat'' (1942).

References

External links

* {{Google books, id=PqcRAQAAIAAJ 1935 novels Gujarati-language novels 20th-century Indian novels Novels set in the 20th century Indian humour Indian novels adapted into television shows Indian autobiographical novels Novels set in Gujarat Novels first published in serial form Indian novels adapted into plays First-person narrative novels Collaborative novels Works originally published in Indian magazines