Jhaverchand Meghani

Jhaverchand Meghani was born in August 1896 to Kalidas and Dholima Meghani in chotila Gujarat. He has two siblings named Lalchand and Prabhashankar. At the age of 24, Jhaverchand got married to Damyanti, after she died, he got married to Chitra Devi. He has three girls and six boys from his marriage. Jhaverchand Meghani was an Indian poet, playwright, editor, and freedom fighter. He was famously known for Gujarati Literature, his success prompted Mahatma Gandhi to rename the Government College, where he was born to Raashtreeya Shaayar Zaverchand Meghani College Chotila. In 1928, he received notable awards like Ranjitram Suvarna, Chandra k, and Mahida Paaritoshik in literature. He has written over 100 books. His first book got published in 1922, which was a translation work of Rabindranath Tagore, titled Kurbani Ni Katha (stories of Martyrdom).

He received awards for his contributions to Gujarati folk literature. He went from one place to another in search of folklore and published them in various versions of Saurashtra Ni Rasdhar. Vinod Meghani, one of Jhaverchand’s sons, translated a sample of these collections of folk tales from Saurashtra that were recently published in English. These samples are published in three volumes, titled a noble heritage, a shade of crimson, and ruby shattered. Jhaverchand poems are currently part of the syllabus in Gujarat Boarding schools. He was known for his simplicity and was nicknamed Raja Janak by his schoolmates. He is known to dress in a long white coat, usually well covered down to his knees, and a turban tied around his head.

Likewise, he enrolled in school in 1912, and in1917, he completed his BA. After his graduation, he started working in Kolkata. In 1918. He worked at Jeevanlal and Co as a personal assistant and was then promoted to manager of a company’s factory at Belur crown Aluminum. In 1919, he went on a four-month tour in England. After his return to India, he went back to work for Kolkata for two and a half years. When he retired in 1922, he relocated back to Saurashtra and joined the weekly editorial board. He was given a two-year sentence in 1930 for writing a book titled Sindhudo. It is said that the book contained songs that inspired the Indian youth part taking in the fight for independence.