Govardhanram Tripathi
Encyclopedia
Govardhanram Tripathi (Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

: ગોવર્ધનરામ માધવરામ ત્રિપાઠી) was a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 writer of Gujarati literature
Gujarati literature
The history of 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...

.

Life

Govardhanram Tripathi was born in Nadiad
Nadiad
Nadiad is a city and an administrative center of the Kheda district in the Indian state of Gujarat.The city is famous for its socio-educational-religious humanitarian services led by Santram Mandir and supported by institutions of higher learning such as Dharamsinh Desai University, Muljibhai...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 on 20 October 1855 on the day of the Dasara
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in various forms, across India, Nepal and Bangladesh...

 festival.

In 1875, he completed his BA degree and decided to pursue an LLB as well, however, he vowed never to work under anyone else and started his own practice in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. In 1883, he completed his LLB and began working at his practice in 1884.
At the age of 43, he retired early and settled in his hometown to contribute to the world of Gujarati literature and also to take part in selfless service
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...

, working and offering this work to God, in keeping with the traditions of many Indian religions.

Shri. Govardhanram Tripathi died in Mumbai on the evening of 4 January 1907.

Literary Work

Tripathi wrote the novel "Saraswatichandra
Saraswatichandra
Saraswatichandra is a black-and-white Hindi film released in 1968 . It starred Nutan and Manish among others and was directed by Govind Saraiya. It was also the last Bollywood movie to be made in black and white....

 (1-4)", which is not only considered to be the best Gujarati novel, but is also seen as one of the best novels ever written. He was the first president of the "Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad is a literary institution for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Mehta with an aim of creating literature appealing to all classes of the society and cultivate a literary sense among the people...

" in 1905.

During his lifetime, he wrote constantly, and soon became known as Gujarat's most popular writer, thinker, poet and philosopher. He wrote in varied styles, but became one of the greatest Indian experts, and marked an important milestone in the history of Gujarati literature with his magnum opus, 'Saraswatichandra'. He was also fluent in English, and wrote his very famous 'Scrap Book' in the language.

In 1887, "Saraswatichandra (1)" was published, and was followed by volumes 2, 3 and 4 in 1892, 1898, and 1901, respectively.

He also took an active role in the Indian congress during 1902; and in 1905, he was elected head of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad is a literary institution for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in the city of Ahmedabad, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Mehta with an aim of creating literature appealing to all classes of the society and cultivate a literary sense among the people...

. He also wrote various articles and essays in the papers 'Vasant' and 'Samalochak', which were later published as books.

Indicative list of books by Govardhanram Tripathi:

1) SnehMudra
2) Saraswatichandra: 1-2-3-4
3) Leelavati Jeevankala
4) Navalram Nu Kavi Jeevan
5) Dayaram No Akshardeh
6) Samalochak
7) Sadavastu Vichar
8) Classical Poets of Gujarat
9) Scrap Book

Legacy

The period from year 1885 to 1915 is called "Govardhan-Yug" or "Govardhan-Era" in Gujarati literature.

External links

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