Pravin Pandya (born 16 February 1957,

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- ...

: પ્રવીણ પંડ્યા) is a

Gujarati language Gujarati (; gu, ગુજરાતી, Gujarātī, translit-std=ISO, label=Gujarati script, ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old Guj ...

poet, writer, playwright and dramatist from

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the 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 fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. His significant works include '' Ajavasnan Matsya'' (1994), ''India Lodge'' (2003), ''Hathiraja Ane Bija Natako'' (2004) and '' Barda Na Dungar'' (2009). He is noted in

Gujarati literature The history of Gujarati literature ( gu, ગુજરાતી સાહિત્ય) 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, oth ...

for his theatre activism and his dramatized adaptations of Hindi poet Shamser Bahadur Singh's works. He won

Uma-Snehrashmi Prize Uma-Snehrashmi Prize, also known as Uma-Snehrashmi Paritoshik ( gu, ઉમા-સ્નેહરશ્મિ પારિતોષિક) is a literary award in Gujarat, India founded by Snehrashmi Jhinabhai Ratanji Desai (16 April 1903 – 6 ...

(2008–09) for his book '' Barda Na Dungar''.

Early life

Pandya was born in

Dhrangadhra Dhrangadhra () is a town, taluka headquarters and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. During the period of the British Raj, the city was the capital of Dhrangadhra State, one of the eight first-class princely ...

Surendranagar district Surendranagar is an administrative district in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state in India. It has a population of approximately 1.7 million people. Surendranagar city, along with the twin city of Wadhwan, has a total of 400,000 inhabitant ...

to Jagjivandas and Mangalabahen. He completed his schooling from K. M. Boys High School, Dhrangadhra. He got his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

(Dramatics) from

Gujarat University The Gujarat University is a public state university located at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The university is an affiliating university at the under-graduate level and a teaching university at the postgraduate level. It is accredited B++ by N ...

in 1989. He completed Diploma in Journalism in 1991. He lives in Ahmedabad.

Career

He is a member of Advisory Board for Gujarati at

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...

since 2014.

Works

'' Ajavasnan Matsya'', his first anthology of poems, was published in 1994, followed by '' Barda Na Dungar'' (2009) and ''Aa Kaurav Pandavna Samayma'' (2014). His poems reflect social images and political thoughts. ''Hathiraja Ane Bija Natako'' (2004) and ''India Lodge'' (2004) are his collections of plays. He adapted ''Sudamacharitra'' of

Premanand Bhatt Premanand Krushanram Bhatt (Gujarati: પ્રેમાનંદ કૃષ્ણંરામ ભટ્ટ) (1636–1714), also known as Premanand, was a medieval Gujarati poet and ''Maanbhatt'' (professional story teller) known for his Akhyana ...

in Gujarati play as ''Pachhi Sudamoji Boliya'' which was published in ''

Kumar A coin, around 200 Yaudheyas.html" ;"title="BCE, of the Yaudheyas">BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya Kumar (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: wikt:कुमार, कुमार ''kumārá'') is a title, given name, m ...

'' (April 2016), a Gujarati magazine. He also adapted Hindi poet Shamser Bahadur Singh's works in Gujarati plays.

Recognition

His poem ''Vyatha Chakra Kavita'', published in ''

Kavilok ''Kavilok'' (Gujarati: કવિલોક), a publication of Kavilok Trust, is a Gujarati language bimonthly poetry journal published in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The current editor is Dhiru Parikh and co-editor is Praful Raval. History The Kav ...

'' (1992), won the 1992 Balvantray Thakor Prize. He won the

Ushnas Prize Ushnas Prize, also known as the Shri Ushnas Paritoshik ( Gujarati: શ્રી ઉશનસ્ પારિતોષિક), is a literary award presented in Gujarat, India, by the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad (Gujarati Literary Council). The award ...

(1994–95) for his poetry collection '' Ajavasnan Matsya'' (1994) and the

(2008-09) for his poetry collection '' Barda Na Dungar'' (2009). His play ''Begum Hajarat'' has been translated into 22 languages of India and telecast by

Prasar Bharati Prasar Bharati (abbreviated as PB; Hindi: ''Praśar Bharati'', lit. Indian Broadcaster) is India's state-owned public broadcaster, headquartered in New Delhi. It is a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament and comprises the ...

in 2013. In 2008, he won Best Book Prize (2004) of

Gujarat Sahitya Academy The Gujarat Sahitya Akademi ( gu, ગુજરાત સાહિત્ય અકાદમી) or Gujarat Sahitya Academy, established in 1981, is a government institution dedicated to the development of the languages spoken in Gujarat, India an ...

for his collection of plays ''India Lodge''. In November 2015, he declared that he would return the award and money.

References

External links