Radheshyam Sharma (5 January 1936 – 9 September 2021) was a

Gujarati language Gujarati ( ; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old Western Rājasthāni, Old Gujarati (). In India, it is one of the 22 Languages with ...

poet, novelist, short story writer, critic and compiler from the state of

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 India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He is known 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 ...

for his experimental novels '' Fero'' (1968) and '' Swapnatirtha'' (1979). His other significant works include ''Aansu Ane Chandaranu'' (1963), and ''Gujarati Navalkatha'' (with

Raghuvir Chaudhari Raghuveer ChaudhariSpelling of name is based on his signaturArchived herOther alternative spellings are Raghuvir Chaudhary and Raghuvir Chaudhari. is a novelist, poet and critic from Gujarat, India. He has also worked as a columnist for numerou ...

; 1974), a work of literary criticism on Gujarati novels. Sharma was awarded the Gujarati literary honours

Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, also known as the Ranjitram Gold Medal, was founded by Gujarat Sahitya Sabha and is considered the highest literary award in Gujarati literature. The award is named after renowned Gujarati writer Ranjitram Mehta. It is a ...

, in 2004, and Dhanji Kanji Gandhi Suvarna Chandrak, in 1995.

Life

Radheshyam Sharma was born on 5 January 1936 to Sitaram and Chanchal Bahen, also known as Padmavati, in Vavol, a village in

Gandhinagar district Gandhinagar district is an administrative division of Gujarat, India, whose headquarters are at Gandhinagar, the state capital. It was organized in 1964. It has an area of 2140 km2, and a population of 1,391,753 of which 43.16% lives in u ...

, Gujarat. His family came from Rupal village in north Gujarat. Sharma inherited his religious leanings from his father Sitaram, a priest. He completed a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in Gujarati and

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

at Gujarat College in 1957, and studied towards a Master of Arts at the

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 post graduate level. It is accredited A+ by NAAC ...

School of Languages but did not sit for examination due to writer's cramp. Like his father, a religious storyteller, he also delivered sermons from 1965 to 1983. Radheshyam Sharma was editor of the religious periodical ''Dharmalok'' from 1965 to 1983. He was editor of ''Akram Vigyan'', a religious monthly founded by Dada Bhagwan. He is also associated with the publishing house Akar Prakashan. Radheshyam Sharma married Sharda Vyas in 1952, and they had three sons. He lived in Ahmedabad. Sharma died on 9 September 2021.

Works

Radheshyam Sharma's works reflect the new sensitivity and characteristics of contemporary writers. His first publication was a short story called "Badsoorat". Sharma's short stories are characterized by brevity and unfamiliar subjects. ''Bichara'', his first short story collection, was published in 1969, followed by ''Pavanpavdi'' (1977), ''Radheshyam Sharma Ni Shrestha Vartao'' (1984), ''Vartavaran'' (1986), ''Pehla Patthar Kaun Marega'' (1981), and ''Ghatanalok'' (2006). The two novels '' Fero'' (1968) and '' Swapnatirtha'' (1979) established Radheshyam Sharma among the fiction writers of his generation. His first anthology of poetry was ''Aansu Ane Chandarnu'' (1969). It was followed by ''Negatives of Eternity'' (in English) (1974), ''Sanchetna'' (1983), ''Nishkaran'' (1991), ''Sanpreshan'' (2002) and ''Akashni Uddayan Lipi'' (2006). Sharma's critical works are ''Vaachana'' (1972), ''Gujarati Navalkatha'' (with

Raghuveer Chaudhari Raghuveer ChaudhariSpelling of name is based on his signaturArchived herOther alternative spellings are Raghuvir Chaudhary and Raghuvir Chaudhari. is a novelist, poet and critic from Gujarat, India. He has also worked as a columnist for numerou ...

) (1974), ''Samprat'' (1978), ''Kavitani Kala'' (1983), ''Aalokna'' (1989), ''Shabda Samaksha'' (1991), ''Karta Kruti Vimarsha'' (1992), ''Vivechan No Vidhi'' (1993), ''Ullekh'' (1993), ''Akshar'' (1995), ''Navalkatha Nirdesh'', ''Vartavichar'' (2000), and ''Sahitya Sanket'' (2006). The compilations he has published are ''Dalal Ni Pratinidhi Vartao'' (1971), ''Dhumketu Ni Bhavsrushti'' (with Mafat Ojha) (1973), ''Natak Vishe Dalal'' (1974), ''Navi Varta'' (1975), ''Samkaleen Gujarati Vartao'' (1986), ''Indradhanu 101'' (1995), ''Paramparaparak Vartao'' (2006), ''Bhupat Vadodaria ni 27 Vartao'', ''Shaksharo Shakshatkar'' Vol. I-XIII (1999-2008), ''Shrimad Bhagvat Mahima'', ''Vedtirth'' (2005). His translated works include ''Apano Manviy Varaso'' (1978) and ''Ramayan''.

Recognition

Radheshyam Sharma was awarded the literary honours

Kumar Suvarna Chandrak Kumar Suvarana Chandrak or the Kumar Gold Medal is a literary award given by Kumar Trust, Ahmedabad, India since 1944. The medal is annually conferred to a Gujarati language, Gujarati author for his contribution in ''Kumar magazine, Kumar'' magazin ...

(Kumar Gold Medal) in 2012,

(Ranjitram Gold Medal) in 2004, and Dhanji Kanji Gandhi Suvarna Chandrak (Dhanji Kanji Gandhi Gold Medal) in 1995, for his contributions to Gujarati literature. In 1987, he won the Critics Award for his short story collection ''Vartavaran''. Sharma is also the recipient of the Anantrai Raval Award (1998), the Ashok Harsh Award (1999), and the Chandulal Selarka Award (2000). He has won prizes from the

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 ...

(Gujarati Literary Council) and the

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 ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Radheshyam Modernist writers 1936 births 2021 deaths Indian male poets Gujarati-language writers Gujarati-language poets People from Gandhinagar district Poets from Gujarat 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian short story writers Indian literary critics Indian editors Gujarat University alumni Recipients of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak Novelists from Gujarat 20th-century Indian male writers

Life

Works

Recognition

See also

References

Further reading

External links