Shrikant Vallabhdas Shah (29 December 1936 – 22 January 2020) was 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- ...

poet, novelist, short story writer and playwright 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, mainly known for his experimental novel ''Asti'' (1966).

Biography

He was born on 29 December 1936 in

Bantva Bantva or Bantwa, is a small town in Saurashtra region of the state of Gujarat in India. Geography Bantva is located at an altitude of 20 meters. Nearby towns are Nanadiya, Limbuda, Nakara Manavadar, Vanthali, Junagadh, Keshod, Visavada ...

, a town in

Junagadh district Junagadh district is a district of the Indian state of Gujarat. Its administrative headquarters is the city of Junagadh. Geography The district is located on the Kathiawar peninsula in western Gujarat. It is surrounded by Rajkot District (North) ...

, to Vallabhdas and Vasantbahen. He completed schooling in his village Bantva. He completed Bachelor of Arts in 1959 and Master of Arts in 1961 from Bahauddin College, Junagadh with

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

Subject. He started his career as lecturer at H. K. Arts College, Ahmedabad in 1962-63. Thereafter, he served as an employment officer at Jamnagar, a manager of ''Jansatta'' daily at Rajkot and general manager of ''Jansatta'' at Ahmedabad. He retired as lecturer from Vivekanand College, Ahmedabad. He married Ruta Shah on 9 November 1963, and they had a daughter and a son. He resided in Ahmedabad. He died on 22 January 2020.

Work

He started writing under pseudonym ''Niranjan Sarkar''. In 1962, he published his first collection of poems ''Ek'' and wrote his

existentialist Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...

novel ''Asti'' which was published in 1966, followed by mystery novel ''Trijo Manas''. ''Tirad ane Bija Natako'', ''Negative'', ''Canvas Par Na Chahera'', ''...Ane Hu'' and ''Aekant Number 80'' are his plays. In 2003, his poetry collection ''Ek Manasnu Nagar'' was published with the preface written by Gujarati author

Niranjan Bhagat Niranjan Narhari Bhagat (18 May 1926 – 1 February 2018) was an Indian Gujarati language poet and commentator who won the 1999 Sahitya Akademi Award for Gujarati language for his critical work ''Gujarati Sahiyta – Purvardha Uttarardha''. He ...

. Some of his books are awarded by

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

Gujarat Sahitya Akademi 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 ...

. ''Asti'' is his experimental novel which is considered as his attempt of modern novel. The novel does not have any plot and is centred around an unnamed individual addressed as “Te” (''lit''. He) who passes through ugly experience of existence and desires death.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Shrikant 1936 births 2020 deaths Gujarati-language writers Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers 20th-century Indian novelists Poets from Gujarat People from Junagadh district Indian male poets 20th-century Indian poets Novelists from Gujarat 20th-century Indian male writers Dramatists and playwrights from Gujarat Indian male dramatists and playwrights