Ila Arab Mehta (born 16 June 1938) 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- ...

novelist and story writer from

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, India.

Biography

Mehta was born on 16 June 1938 at

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

(now

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

) to Gujarati writer

Gunvantrai Acharya Gunvantrai Popatbhai Acharya (9 September 1900 – 25 November 1965) was a Gujarati language novelist and journalist from India. His experience with seafarers impacted his adventure and novel writings. His works include several historical fict ...

. Her family belonged to

Jamnagar Jamnagar () is a city and the headquarters of Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch, some west of the state capital, Gandhinagar. The city was the capital of Nawanagar State, Na ...

. She completed her schooling from Jamnagar, Rajkot and Mumbai. She completed BA with Gujarati in 1958 from

Ramnarain Ruia College Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College is a college affiliated to the University of Mumbai, in Matunga, Mumbai, India. It was established in June 1937. The University of Mumbai granted autonomous status to the college in 2017. It comprises the Ram ...

and MA in 1960. She taught at Ruia College from 1960 to 1967 and later at

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic Church, Catholic, institution of higher education run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on 2 January 1869. The college is ...

from 1970 to her retirement in 2000.

Works

In her early days, Mehta wrote in ''Akhand Anand'', ''Navneet'' and ''Stree Jeevan'' magazines. She has written several novels including ''Trikonni Tran Rekhao'' (1966), ''Thijelo Akar'' (1970), ''Radha'' (1972), ''Ek Hata Diwan Bahadur'' (1976), ''Batris Laksho'' (1976), ''Varasdar'' (1978), ''Avati Kalno Sooraj'' (1979), ''Batris Putalini Vedana'' (1982), ''Ane Mrityu'' (1982), ''Dariyano Manas'' (1985), ''Vasant Chhlake'' (1987), ''Nag Pariksha'', ''Panch Pagala Prithvi Par'' (1995), ''The New Life'' (2004), ''Parpotani Aankh'' (1988), ''Zili Me Kumpal Hathelima'' (2007). ''Jaherkhabarno MAnas'' (1985), ''Shabne Naam Hotu Nathi'' (1981) are novels with different subjects. Her novel ''Vaad'' (2011) is translated in English as ''Fence'' (2015) by Rita Kothari. Her novel ''Batris Putlini Vedna'' is a story of women's struggle against injustice done to them and their attempt to establish their own identity. It centred around Anuradha, a main protagonist of the novel, and presents her anger against male

chauvinism Chauvinism ( ) is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. The ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' describes it ...

in the same way as Kundanika Kapadia's ''Saat Paglan Akashman'' (Seven Steps in the Sky; 1994). ''Ek Cigarette Ek Dhupsali'' (1981), ''Viena-Woods'' (1989), ''Bhagyarekha'' (1995), ''Balavo Balvi Balvu'' (1998), ''Yom Kippur'' (2006). ''Ila Arab Mehtano Varta Vaibhav'' (2009) are her collections of stories. She has edited ''Varsha Adaljani Shreshth Vartao'' (1991), selected stories of Varsha Adalja. ''Mrityu Naam Parpota Mare'' (1984) is her compilation of literary works by various authors on death. Her writing is considered feminist.

Awards

She has been awarded by

Gujarat Sahitya Akademi The Gujarat Sahitya Akademi () or Gujarat Sahitya Academy, established in 1981, is a government institution dedicated to the development of the languages spoken in Gujarat, India and their literature. Gujarati, an official language of Gujarat, i ...

, Maharashtra Gujarati Sahitya Akademi, and

Gujarati Sahitya Parishad Gujarati Sahitya Parishad () is a literary organisation for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Mehta with the aim of creating literature appealing to all classes of society and ...

Personal life

She married Arab Mehta, a doctor, in 1964 and has a son, Salil and a daughter, Sonali. She lives in Mumbai. Her father

and her younger sister Varsha Adalja are also Gujarati writers.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arab Mehta, Ila Women writers from Maharashtra 20th-century Indian novelists Living people 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian women writers 1938 births Gujarati-language writers University of Mumbai alumni Indian feminist writers Novelists from Gujarat Writers from Mumbai