Shamal Bhatt was a
Gujarati narrative poet of the medieval
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 ...
. He is known for his "padya-vaarta" (narrative poetry).
Life
The dates of his birth differ according to sources. He was born either in 1694 or in 1766. His father's name was Vireshwar and mother's name was Anandibai. Nana Bhatt was his teacher. He was born in Veganpur (Now Gomtipur in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
). He had difficulty in earning due to competition of traditional story-teller ''Purani''s and Bhavaiyas who performed
Bhavai. Thus he has drawn stories from his predecessors and reinterpreted them in popular form to captivate his audience. He later moved to Sinhuj (near
Mahemdavad now) on request and help of Rakhidas, a landlord. He died either in 1769 or in 1765.
Works
Shamal has composed 26 works. His narrative poetry was based on many Sanskrit works of his predecessors and folk tales. He adapted them in narrative poetry and added his imagination. Some of those Sanskrit works are ''Simhasana Dvatrinshika'', ''Vetalpanchvinshanti'', ''Shukasaptati'', ''Bhojaprabandha''. His prominent works are ''Simhasana Battisi'', ''Vetal Pachchisi'', ''Suda Bahoteri''. All three of these works had format of tales within tales. They have many magical and imaginative things like transportation of souls, flying shoes and speaking animals. Vikram was the lead character in them. They also contained riddles and
aphorism
An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
s. His other works include ''Nand-Batrisi'', ''Shukadevakhyan'', ''Rakhidas Charitra'', ''Vanechar ni Varta'', ''Panch-danda'', ''Bhadra-Bhamini'', ''Rewa-Khand'', ''Chandra-Chandraawati'', ''Madan-Mohana'', ''Padmavati'', ''Baras Kasturi''. Chhappas (six stanza epigrams) are incorporated in these tales which describe wisdom and wit.
Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...
and epics. Other works are ''Patai Raval no Garbo'', ''Ranchhodji na Shloko'', ''Bodana-akhyan'', ''Udyam-Karma-Samvad''.Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
to adopt the philosophy of satyagraha
Satyāgraha (from ; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone who practises satyagraha is ...
, the resistance to authority through mass civil disobedience.
Further reading
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatt, Shamal
Gujarati-language writers
Gujarati-language poets
Year of death uncertain
Writers from Ahmedabad
Poets from Gujarat
18th-century Indian poets