Sharing my final college project, so my juniors can use it for inspiration. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT I hereby grant the National Institute of Design the right to archive and to make available my graduation project/thesis/dissertation in whole or in part in the Institute’s Knowledge Management Centre in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act. I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my document or I have obtained permission to use copyright material.
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copy of previously published material, or it does not even contain substantial proportions of
material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or final graduation of any
other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in this graduation
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I hereby grant the National Institute of Design the right to archive and to make available
my graduation project/thesis/dissertation in whole or in part in the Institute’s Knowledge
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of the Copyright Act. I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my
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6.
7. Outline
1. Acknowledgements
2. Abstract
3. Author’s note
4. Original project proposal
5. Research
5.1 Literature review
5.2 Artist review
6. Exploration-
When Literature Speaks
6.1 Photography
6.2 Documentary film
7. Scope
8. Learnings
9. Conclusion
10. References
11. Image index
9
10
11
12
18
22
26
28
40
42
46
47
49
52
8.
9. 9
1. Acknowledgements
NID has given me a big privilege
to work on this project which brought
me lots of opportunities to understand
the world surrounding me and made me
discover myself by traveling, exploring,
communicating, and meeting a number of
famous dignitaries in Gujarat.
I want to thank God, first of all, and then
my parents. I am so grateful for their love
and support which always helps me to scale
new heights every time.
A very special thanks to my project guide
Sathyanand Mohan for his valuable
guidance throughout this project. I would
also like to thank Mr. Rishi Singhal, who
was the coordinator until recently, for
organizing this course, which has imparted
life-changing skills and self-confidence in
me.
I am deeply indebted to many people and
would like to thank the following for their
support:Dr.MukulChoksi,Bhagwatikumar
Sharma and his daughter Rina Mehta,
Pragna Vashi, Ravindra Parekh, Dr. Vivek
Tailor, Nayan Desai, Daxesh Thakar, Raeesh
Maniar, Kiransinh Chauhan, Sharifa
Vijaliwala, Harikrishna Pathak, Dhwanil
Parekh, Rajendra Shukala, Rajendra
Patel, Mehboob Desai, Harish Mangalam,
Raghuveer Chaudhari, Arvind Vegda, Dr.
Pathik Parmar, Narhardan Gadhvi, Shivdan
Mahedu, Jayant Parmar, Shraddha Trivedi,
Dolat Bhatt, Harshda Dave, Jitubhai Gadhvi,
Saroop Dhruv, Yashwant Mehta, Bindu
Bhatt, Kumarpal Desai, Dhiruben Desai,
Pragnaben Patel, Rajesh Vyas ‘Miskin’,
Chandrakant Topiwala, Chandrakant
Sheth, Vashuben Bhatt, Shahbuddin
Rathod, Bhupendra Dave, Shirish Panchal,
Gunvant Shah, Ratilal Borisagar, Anilaben
Dalal, Niranjan Rajyaguru, Joravarsinh
Jadav, Vishnu Pandya, Darshna Dholakiya,
Harish Dholakiya, Jayant Joshi ‘Shabab’,
Dhanji Bhanushali, Kanti Gor ‘Karan’, and
Gulam Mohammed Sheikh.
I must, however, give special mention
to the ordinary people of Gujarat whose
professions are those of auto rikshaw and
bus driver, who always helped me to find
and reach my destination in the right time.
10. 10
Animals use their different voices
to express their feelings, but what sets
human beings apart is the gift of language.
Language and Literature throw light on our
lives; without it, our world would be just
dark.
Language and Literature allow us to
communicate the complexities of the
human condition to future generations.
And literature is the best medium for it.
Reading can give us the same pleasure as the
sole feels when it comes into the body, feel
through senses, and works through organs
to enjoy the beauty on this earth.
Indian culture is known for its welcoming
attitude to cultural difference. This culture
is evident in almost all the states; Gujarat
is not an exception. However, in today’s
time, when globalization is bringing about
a homogenization of cultures across the
world, Gujarati culture has also been
affected by it. Literature plays an important
role in nurturing any mother tongue. But
the new generation gets isolated from their
original culture as they are affected by new
languages, new habits, new belief systems
and new lifestyles as well.
This can directly affect their character and
their ways of expression. I believe that
human beings express themselves best
through their mother tongue. It is difficult
to find an alternative for the power of the
mother tongue. My project here is to explore
the situation of Gujarati literature as it exists
in the present moment, and to attempt to
spread the fragrance of this literature to the
younger generation and thereby take part in
it’s resurgence.
2. Abstract
11. 11
My attachment to my mother
tongue and the love for Gujarati literature
has inspired me to take up this project. The
journey of this project was definitely to find
some answers to questions that had been
troubling me. It was also to effect a change
in my inner consciousness, and to correct
outdated perceptions and wrong beliefs
about life in general.
Furthermore, it was an attempt to
communicate the importance of Gujarati
language and literature to a new generation.
I wanted to incite questions in the youth
about their relationship to the mother
tongue, and also of the importance of
reading and writing. I believe that our
thoughts radiate creative energy, so the
impact of this project was to play a role in
generating interest in Gujarati literature,
and to increase the faith of people in the
world of literature and language.
In the beginning, it was quite an adventure
to find the contacts of writers, as was the
way I reached out to them and catching
them on time. I was working with a tiny
mountain of information papers full of
addresses, contacts, names, and locations.
Getting an appointment was the same as
solving a puzzle.
After all this, I am proud of what I have
achieved. As an afterward, I hope that this
project will be taken up by agencies such
as the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi, and that
it will be an accurate representation of the
state of Literature in Gujarat today.
3. Author’s note
12. 12
4. Original project proposal
Introduction
I have been fascinated by Gujarati literature since my childhood. When I was in high school,
our textbooks had been published with English words in brackets due to transformations in
the education system. It was a time when I realized the importance of English. It was a time
when the English language had already become a trend for students of other mediums. It
seemed that people were going to admit their children in the English medium only. There
is one saying in Hindi: ‘जैसा संग वैसा रंग’. It means that we are strongly influenced by
the company we keep. We tend to do and think what people around us do and think. I was
also attracted towards English language and started dreaming that I would learn to speak it
fluently. It felt very strange to leave my mother tongue behind. A wonderful literature that
writers and poets left behind for me disappeared in just a few seconds. And I was not able to
fit in. Having come in National Institute of Design, my soul was seeking someone to talk to in
Gujarati. As a person who has accumulated love and feelings for her mother tongue, I started
looking to find my passion for the literature again.
When I learned about contemporary Gujarati Literature, my respect increased manifold for
the writers and poets of my mother tongue. I realized that they are my true story tellers. I felt
that this was the time to arouse my love for Gujarati literature and raise the same feeling in
the new generation. Gujarati literature has immense insights into our nature, religion, family,
society. According to me none of the other languages and media are able to express the same. I
am sharing some of my readings below which influenced me.
આજની યુવાપેઢી સામાજિક પ્રવુતિ અને સંસ્કારના કાર્યક્રમોથી દૂર જતી રહી છે. પરિણામે નવા કલાકારો,
લેખકો, સાહિત્યના જુદા જુદા પ્રકારના સર્જનકારો લોકો સુધી પહોંચતા નથી. - રજનીકાંત શેઠ (Today’s new
generation have gone away from social activities and cultural programs. Consequently new
artists, writers and poets are not reaching the people. – Rajnikant Sheth)
13. 13
આજનો માણસ શિક્ષિત તો છે જ પણ અને જરૂર છે સાહિત્ય તરફ વળવાની સાહિત્યજ માણસને પ્રતીતિ
કરાવી શકે છે કે તે વસ્તુ અથવા બજાર નથી પણ પરમ કૃપાળુ પરમાત્માનો અંશ છે. એનામાં પ્રેમ, કરુણા,
સંવેદના, માનવતા છે. અપને ગુજરાતીઓ હોટલમાં 500 રૂપિયાનું બિલ ભરી શકીયે છે પણ 50 રૂપિયાની
પુસ્તક ખરીદતા નથી. હું કોલેજમાં જઈને તમને પુસ્તકો વાંચવા પ્રેરિત કરવા માંગુ છું. - શ્રી ગૌરાંગ
દશરથભાઈ ઠાકર (Today human beings are educated, but the major thing which he really need
to do is to turn towards Gujarati literature, because literature is the only thing which makes
him realize about his self which is not a product of the market but is a part of the ultimate
divine, and who has love, compassion, sensitivity and humanity. We Gujaratis can spend 500
rupees in restaurant but we don’t spend 50 rupees to buy a book. Having visited colleges I
inspired students to read Gujarati literature, so, that we can create a society which flourishes
with true human beings who have a pure heart.- Shri Gaurang Dashrathbhai Thakar)
ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યમાં રહેલી કળાઓ જ માનવ ને સંવેદનશીલ બનાવે છે. અને તેમ થાય તો માનવી વધુ ને
વધુ સંસ્કૃત થાય એમ મને લાગે છે.- નયન હ. દેસાઈ (Art which remains within Gujarati Literature
is the only thing which makes us sensitive humans and therefore makes them become more
sophisticated. This is what I strongly feel.- Nayan H. Desai)
જીવનના રંગ મન્ચ પર આપણે સૌઉ નાટક ભજવીએ છે. ત્યારે જો પુસ્તકનું વાંચન કરતા હોઈયે તો જીવનની
અનેક સમશ્યા નો ઉકેલ પુસ્તકોમાંથિ મળી રહે. માટે દરરોજ અડધો કલાક પુસ્તક વાંચવાની આદત
પાડવી જોઈએ - યામિની વ્યાસ (Books can give us any solution for problems in our life. We must
create a habit to read books every day for half an hour.- Yamini Vyash)
જે દિવસે નવી પેઢી મારા સાહિત્ય માંથી કંઈક શીખશે તે દિવસ મારા માટે સાચું પુરસ્કાર હશે. - જય વસાવડા
(The day when new generation will learn something from my literature, that day will be the
true award for me.- Jay Vasavda)
14. 14
My observation
My mother tongue is the ‘Gujarati’ language. I believe it’s my first responsibility to teach our
society to read in the mother tongue. Today selling of Gujarati book has been decreasing in
terms of publishing. So many Gujarati medium schools also have been closed since many
years.
I can see the live example at my home where my brother is using his smart phone for long
hours which makes me remind my childhood when I was reading Gujarati books rather than
using a smart phone. Somewhere his generation is losing the power of knowledge which is
hidden in the Gujarati literature.
I got a very tragic answer on Quora (community) – “Now, in Gujarat, parents are now moving
towards English medium for their children. So it may be the case that in future Gujarati
people will not have the proud inheritance of Gujarati Language and literature. Or they will
know Gujarati in name only.” answered by Manshi Shah. I think Manshi’s answer is a bitter
truth.
It proves that only those above the age of 50 are only interested in literature. Probably
Gujaratis are not taking interest in their literature compared to Marathi and Bengali.
Technology has done its magic on the people, therefore, interest in Gujarati literature is
lacking. There is a priceless heritage in our libraries and most of the Gujaratis don’t want to
read it. It shows the Gujarati is a great businessman but he is not successful in selling books.
If I will ask today’s generation about whether they like their mother tongue, probably they
would say yes but if we ask which was the last book they read, they don’t have any answer.
The major reality I am observing is when a middle class tries to reach into the upper class,
they first try to leave his own language.
Whenever I read even the only two-three words in Gujarati poem, It always touched my heart
and it evokes my internal feelings due to the power of words. If we acknowledge this power
to a new generation, every Gujarati will be proud to be a Gujarati. My eagerness to deliver my
thoughts has inspired me to work on this project.
15. 15
Objective
This movement of this project is not to compare other languages or to humiliate any other
languages, but to restitute the previous identity again for the Gujarati language. I want to
create an awareness about this dying literature. My main objective of this project is to spread
the fragrance of Gujarati literature in the new generation. It will also influence and provoke
the hidden poets and writers within today’s generation, which will certainly help to conserve
the Gujarati language.
According to me if today’s child welcomes Gujarati Literature it would not just make him
sensitive person but he would also start enjoying the moment of the flourishing of the first leaf
of a plant, with the same feeling as he enjoys during movies and parties.
Here as a documentary photographer is my privilege and responsibility to draw other’s
attention to those things that I want to influence. Here my photographs will be encouraging
them to see the identity and dignity of our Gujarati literature, in which they are losing their
interest today.
This project will not be the end but it will be a beginning. A start where I will satisfy my
love towards my mother tongue. This project is not an assignment but it is more about my
relationship with my mother tongue.
Research Area
• Why does Gujarati literature need to reach out to the twenty-first century?
• Is Gujarati literature dying?
• How has the Gujarati language evolved?
• How many types of Gujarati languages exist?
• History of Gujarati literature.
• How many poets and writers are associated with Gujarati literature?
• Types of Gujarati Literature.
16. 16
Methodology
My aim is to photographically capture as many Gujarati writers & poets during a fixed time
period. My focus is to capture their portraits with the environment which will help to reveal
their identity. I will also collect their own message in their own handwriting addressed to new
generations. After graduation probably this will be a continuous project as others writers will
evolve, too. And these digitally taken photographs of their emotions and words will remain as
a record in our history.
I will also be attending Gujarat Literature Festival during Feb 2018 in Ahmedabad and
‘Creative Gujarati Writing’ course by Vir Narmad South Gujarat University at Surat.
The List will be increased based on my accessibility and research.
• Dhirendra Mehta From Ahmedabad - Novelist, Storyteller, Poet & Critic (1944)
• Mehta Digish From Patan - Novelist, Critic, Easseist (1934)
• Gulammomad Sheikh from Vadhvan - Poet (1939)
• Harikrishna Pathk from Bhavnagar- Poet (1938)
• Chandrakant Mehta from Ahmedabad (1939)
• Chandrakant Sheth from Kalol (1938)
• Chinu Modi from Vijapur - Poet, Playwright, Novelist, Storyteller, Critic (1939)
• Gunvant Shah from Surat - Easseist, Biographer, Novelist (1937)
• Harindradave from Khambhara Village, Katch - Poet, Easseist, Novelist (1930)
• Himanshu Shetal from Surat - Storyteller (1947)
• Mekvan Josef from Trinoli - Novelist (1936)
• Dr. Kumarpal Desai from Ranpur- Author, Critic, Editor, Journalist, Columnist, and
Translator (1942)
• Labhsankar Thakar from Surendranagar- Poet, Novelist, Dramatist (1935)
• Madhusudan Parekh from Ahmedabad - Humorist, Critics, Editor, Translator
• Makrand Dave from Gandal - Poet, Biographer (1922)
• Narayan Desai from Valsad - Biographer, Translator (1924)
• Niranjan Bhagat from Ahmedabad - Poet, Commentator (1926)
17. 17
• Pravin Darji from Panchmahal - Poet, Commentator, Editor (1944)
• Rajendra Sukla from Junagadh - Poet (1942)
• Ratilal Borisagar from Savarkundla - Humorist, Easseist (1938)
• Shitanshu Mehta from Bhuj - Poet, Commentator, Dramatist (1941)
• Zinabhai Desai from Valsad - Poet, Storyteller, Novelist, Editor, Biographer (1903)
• Suresh Dalal from Thana - Poet, Easseist, Editor (1932)
• Varsha Adalaja Novelist from Bombay - Novelist, Playwright, Negotiator (1940)
• Bhagvatikumar Sharma from Surat - Translator, Biographer, Novelist, Poet, Easseist (1934)
• Pravin Mehta from Surat - Guzzle (1935)
• Dr. Gunvant Shah from Surat - Novelist, Easseist (1937)
• Nayan Desai from Surat - Guzzle (1946)
Output
The output will be portraits of poets and writers combined with their own hand writings about
their thoughts and messages they want to spread. Their handwriting will reflect their own per-
sonality. While capturing I will also consider other aspects of composition and subjects which
can define them, too.
Apart from the jury, my major purpose is to conduct an exhibition in my city’s art gallery and
invite especially all emerging poets and writers and certainly new generation to gain their
interest and attraction towards Gujarati literature. This project will also give popularity to
writers and poets. Apart from this, I wish to create a website which will be a hub for ‘Gujarati
Literature ’ to easily find all renowned and emerging writers, poets.
Reference Books
- Bhashaparichay Ane Gujarati Bhashanu Swaroop by Jayat Kothari
- Gujarati Bhasa Udgam Vikas Swarup by Kantilal Vyas
19. 19
This book titled Gujarati Bhasha - Udgam,
Vikas ane Swarup by Kantilal Vyas provides
a thorough introduction to the development
of Gujarati language and literature. It has
helped me immeasurably in this project.
Below, I provide a brief synopsis of the main
arguments in the book, insofar as it pertains
to my project.
After the 16th
century, the Gujarati language
was nurtured by the hands of famous poets
such as Narsinh Mehta, Bhala, Premanand,
and Akho. At the same time, and in parallel,
Marwadi and Mewadi language developed
in the area of what is now Rajasthan. Poet
Umashankar Joshi calls this dialect ‘Maru-
Gurjar’, as it has a quality of both languages,
Gujarati and Marwadi. Later on these both
these languages developed into separate,
individual languages.
The name Gujarat was born because this
was a land of people called ‘Gurjar’. Gujarati
language has different dialects, but in
literature, most of these dialects are folded
into the main language. These dialects had
been properly documented by Sir George
Greece who was the first person who is
mentioned in the ‘Smaraneya Maha Granth’
by Linguistic Survey of India.
There are the four main dialects in Modern
Gujarati language:
1. The Patni dialect of North Gujarat
(section of Patan, Sidhpur, Mehsana-
Territory of middle Gujarat section of
Kheda, Nadiad, and Anand)
2. The Charotari dialect of central Gujarat
(section of Kheda, Nadiad and Anand)
3. The Surti dialect of South Gujarat
(section of Bharuch, Surat to Valsad
and Daman)
4. The Saurashtra dialect of Kathiyawad,
which also have subtypes such as
Jalawadi, Kudalwadi, Halari.
20. 20
Narshihrav Devitya has divided the history
of the language into eras based on the
development of Gujarati language.
The development of Gujarati language is
divided into three major phases.
1. The time between Acharya Hem
Chandra Charya to Phmnabh - Bhalan
is the time period between 14-15 A.D,
and is called the ‘Old Gujarati Era’.
2. Then, the time of the ‘Middle Era’, when
a modern form started emerging, from
Dayaram from the beginning of the
16th
to the 19th
century.
3. In the middle of the 17th
century, or
during the time period of Premanad,
Gujarati language took a turn into
Modernity (Arvachin Yug) as it came to
be affected by the English Language.
The Old Gujarati which was used around
the time period of the poet Premanand
Bhatt, ended with the language of Dayaram.
The new idiom was started by Narmad.
This modern language has an impression
of the language used by people who were
connected with the Gujarati culture and
state of the day. Thus the time period of
Narmad to the present day is called the
‘Modern Era’.
The governance of Islamic regimes, which
had started in Gujarat from the 14th
century
has had a noticeable influence on language
and literature in the state. In this period,
Gujarati language gained some words like
insaf, adalat, kaydo, vakil, attr, galicho, etc.
21. 21
After the Islamic regime, the Marathas
arrived, since they did not settle down
like the Muslims, we do not see such a
strong influence of Marathi on the Gujarati
language. Nevertheless, Gujarati language
has borrowed Marathi words like aie, takau,
bhang, chadval, vatadhat, halkat etc. The
Gujarati language also came in contact
with the Portuguese during the colonial
period; they borrowed some words like
office, pathri, anansh, coffee, mmez, batata,
tamaku etc.
At the end of the Maratha regime and the
beginning of the 19th
century Gujarati came
into contact with English. The influence of
English is not just at the level of loan words
but also affected the grammar and
composition. From English, Gujarati
borrowed words like ticket, master, station,
railway, college, high school, company,
screw, table, sofa, party, film, bicycle etc.
Later, during the time of the Independence
struggle, in which a lot of Gujarati
luminaries including Gandhi were actively
involved, new words entered the language
like shid, azad, inkalab, jakhm, zindagi, ijan,
manzil, hadard, shayar.
Thus this book made me realize the
importance of language in human existence
and how culture develops through it. It
also taught me much about how Gujarati
evolved and about the linguistic diversity of
Gujarat.
22. 22
5.2 Artist review
Dileep Prakash
The Anglo-Indians, 2004-2006
Dileep Prakash (b. 1965) studied Ancient Indian history and has been photographing since
the 1980s. His interest in the Anglo-Indians grew out of his marriage to June Davy, an Anglo-
Indian. June and Dileep have been married since 1992 and he has become a part of her
community. Anglo-Indians are a people of mixed descent having an Indian mother and a
British or European father. A vast majority of Anglo-Indians left India for England, Australia,
and Canada after Independence in 1947, leaving behind a small population of about 80,000
people. This dichotomy became a point of inquiry that prompted him to travel to 41 cities
across India to make portraits. Between 2004 and 2006, He met about 5000 Anglo-Indians
and photographed more than 1000. His interest in making portraits in their personal spaces
required great collaboration and their trust. He lived with some of them and spent many
evenings sharing their stories and memories. The portraits try to explore the signs of cultural
integration as well as the distinct aspects of the Anglo-Indian identity. They are a record of
individuals, whose individuality becomes the point of entry into their lives.
Fig. 2 George and Prudence Paul, Jabalpur, 2004
23. 23
Fig. 2.2 Derek O’Brien, Kolkata, 2005
Fig. 2.1 Denna Davya and father, Otto, Bhusaval, 2005
24. 24
Milhaela Noroc
The Atlas of Beauty, 2013-17
Milhela Noroc is from Bucharest, Romania. Her project called The Atlas of Beauty is about
our planet’s diversity, shown through portraits of women. She attempts to capture their inner
and outer beauty and shows them how special they are. Traveling on a very low budget around
thirty-seven countries, she integrated herself into all kinds of cultural environments. Now
she says that beauty is everywhere, and it’s not a matter of cosmetics or sizes, but more about
being yourself.
Global trends make us look and behave the same, but we are all beautiful because we are
different. In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder is always somebody
else. Her goal is to continue and take photos of women from each country of the globe,
making The Atlas of Beauty a mirror of our diverse societies and an inspiration for people that
try to remain authentic.
Fig. 3.1 Baltic Sea, Finland
Fig. 3.2 New York, USAFig. 3 Riga, Latvia
25. 25
Angelica Dass
Humanae, since 2012
Angelica Dass is a Brazilian artist living and working in Madrid. She started her Humanae
project as a final work for her Masters degree, in 2012. The first images were taken in Brazil.
Humanae is a work in progress, who intends to deploy a chromatic range of the different
human skin colors. It is about equality and difference, it isn’t about Pantone ®, set out to be a
mirror and has become a family.
The inspiration for this project comes from her family roots. She is the granddaughter of
“black” and “native” Brazilians, and the daughter of a “black” father adopted by a “white”
family. So, she is a mixture of diverse “pigments”. Humanae is a pursuit of highlighting
our true colors rather than the untrue and clichéd Red and Yellow, Black and White. As a
photographer, she tries to talk about social or personal codes, through which our identity, and
all its elements are put together. What we have learned in social, linguistic or cultural contexts,
tend to distract us from everyday nuances that she would like to rethink.
Fig. 4 Humanae
26. 26
At the beginning of this project, my
approach was related to my desire to do
something about the state of Gujarati today;
this eventually turned into a photographic
project on literature and writers. I
discovered that within the umbrella term
called Gujarati literature, there were
different types of literature, like Charni
Sahitya, Katchi Sahitya, Dalit Sahitya, Lalit
Sahitya, and Urdu Sahitya.
I found about issues faced by contemporary
writers in Gujarati. With my guide
Sathyanand Mohan, I visited Professor
Emeritus E.V. Ramakrishnan of Central
University Gujarat, who alerted me to the
immense diversity of Gujarati literature. My
conversations with writers further opened
up the magnificent history of this literature.
I also became aware about the activities
being done by the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi
for the conservation and promotion of
Gujarati literature.
In order to have a fair representation of the
state of literature in Gujarat, I decided to
photograph writers from all over the state,
with specific emphasis been paid to Surat,
Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Ahmedabad and
Bhuj.
My approach was to create photographs
which provide a glimpse of their social
identity. Additionally, I also worked on a
documentary film in which they describe
their journey as writers, and how literature
helped them. I hope that the photographs
and the video will prove to be a snapshot of
Gujarati literature at a particular historical
moment, and furthermore be a resource for
future generations.
As part of my process, I also created a blog
in which I described my experiences of
interacting with these writers. I took their
messages in their handwriting, and have
displayed it in my blog. I have also expressed
my own experiences in the form of poems.
My blog can be found here: snehasarang.
blogspot.in
I must say that every writer was as generous
as they were dedicated to their profession.
In spite of their busy schedule, they made
time for me and spent many productive
hours in discussing the present state of
Gujarati literature and its history.
Initially I was walking blindly in the hope
that a further stage will open new branches.
Simultaneously I came across one book,
which was gifted to me by Harikrishna
Pathak.Thisbook‘GujaratSahityaKosh’was
holding lots of names and profession which
informed me about different fields exists in
literature and how every writers has their
particular writing skills in their own field
like Charni Sahitya, Katchi Sahitya, Dalit
Sahitya, Lalit Sahitya, and Urdu Sahitya.
I approached seventy nine writers but
I couldn’t meet twenty seven of them
including Vinod Bhatt, Kajal Oza,
Sitanshu Yashaschandra, Vinod Joshi,
Usha Upadhyay, Baldevbhai Desai, Esha
Dadawala, Gaurangbhai Thakar, Girish
Khatri, Pravin Gadhvi, Ankit Trivedi, Isvar
Parmar, Vidhut Joshi, Dalpat Chohan,
Kapildev Shukla, Piyush Thakkar, Yazdi
Kanjiya, Tushar Shukla, Narayan Joshi,
Mahendrashingh Parmar, Labhshankar
Purohit, Manoj Raval, Lakshman Gadhvi,
Himanshi Shelat, Yamini Vyash, Indukumar
Jani and Harendra Bhatt.
6. Exploration-
When Literature Speaks
41. 41
Fig. 8 Documentary film screenshots
Every medium of communication
has its own strengths and weaknesses. While
photography is largely a visual medium,
video (or the moving image) allows us
to play with sound as well. I believe that
while my photographs can communicate, a
movie is perhaps a more popular medium
among the general public, and will therefore
allow me to reach a wider audience. Due
to the ability to capture voice and sound,
it can powerfully express the beauty and
the ineffable qualities of our literature and
mother tongue. It also provides a chance
for my audience to get a feeling of closeness
with the great writers that I have attempted
to portray in my project. This movie is a
collective articulation of various writers,
who, in my opinion, represent the current
and future scenario of Gujarati culture.
This movie attempts to portray the diversity
and richness of contemporary Gujarati
literature through a dialogue with the most
important figures in the field right now,
who have graciously shared their personal
stories with me. I have shared it with the
world at large in the hope that younger and
newer generations will be inspired by it.
42. 42
I wish to take this project out to
the wider public so that I can help to build
awareness about the magnificent literary
heritage of Gujarat. Thus I do not wish to
see the project entering only private spaces
like galleries; instead, I would like to exhibit
the photographs and the documentary in
public spaces like literary festivals, or in the
Lalit Kala or Sahitya Akademies.
For example, Gujarat Literature Festival or
GLF is the first and most popular literary
festival of Gujarat. The free annual festival,
focused on young readers and creators is
now five seasons old and includes all forms
and mediums, used to express literary
creativity. Gujarat Literature Festival is an
event that brings together, under one roof
and on a single platform, ideas and written
work. All the seasons of Gujarat Literature
Festival, which is a free festival, have been
held in Ahmedabad and other cities in
Gujarat.
An exhibition or installation done as part
of such a festival of Gujarati Literature, for
example, would have a far greater impact
on ordinary people than if I display the
photographs in a gallery, or even if bring
out a book of the same.
I am also hopeful that my project will be
helpful for those organizations that serve
Gujarati language and literature. Dalit,
KachchiandAdivasiliteraturearestillfacing
some issues. I hope that with my project, I
will be able to make a real difference at the
level of policy-making in order to bring
about some positive change.
I am also working on a database wherein
readers can easily find information about
their favorite writers. With a proper budget,
I wish to create an online platform where
information about these writers can easily
be found. Through this, I also hope to spread
their dignity to every corner in of the world.
7. Scope
43. 43
Fig. 9 Diagram for a possible installation at Gujarat Literature Festival
Fig. 9.1 Diagram for a possible installation at Gujarat Literature Festival
45. 45
Fig. 10.3 ‘Gallery’ page
Fig. 10.4 ‘Contact’ page
Fig. 10.5 Sub page for ‘Project story’ page
Fig. 10.6 Sub page for ‘Gallery’ page
46. 46
This project helped me not only to
come out of my comfort zone, but it also
gave me a new vision for my future. It gave
me a new impetus to value what I have
at present. It also gave me the insight to
consider all human beings like my family
members. It surely built a burning desire to
see my mother tongue take the proper path
forward for its development.
Almost every writer I met treated me like
a daughter, and won my heart. Their love
and respect for their fellow human being
reminded me of the richness and magnitude
of our culture. Encountering these writers
also gave me an insight into the diversity of
cultures that coexist together here. I believe
this is only because of the generosity of
spirit intrinsic to human beings.
This project just didn’t make me stronger
from outside but it also made me stronger
from inside. I started understanding the
creative processes of writers, and how
it is informed by their knowledge of the
past and the image of their history. I also
discovered how even minor incidents could
inspire them to write a book or affect the
story they wanted to tell. When I stepped
into writer’s homes, I felt that I had entered
another world.
My wrong beliefs of the situation of
Gujarati literature, and of that world were
completely shattered during the course of
this project. I was meeting people who were
famous dignitaries in the world of Gujarati
Literature. They are very optimistic about
the development of the mother tongue.
Having heard their great thoughts, it has
erased my false belief that Gujarati can die
after a time. Having met these writers, I
discovered that literature may not make you
financially successful, but it can definitely
give you a chance to express your own
personal thoughts. Thus ordinary people
start knowing you and they learn from your
perceptions and experiences. Their great
thoughts and hopeful attitudes have indeed
given a positive direction to my further
dreams.
My project research also provided me with
insight into the chronological development
of the Gujarati language. As time changed,
diverse peoples of diverse cultures also
entered Gujarat, and the language and
literature were influenced by these cultures
and languages, and were enriched by them.
Thus a new variation in any mother tongue
shows the development of the culture
through the reinvigorated language, rather
than showing a fear of the death of language
or culture.
8. Learning
47. 47
It is said that Napoleon, on his
campaigns, instructed his soldiers not to
kill poets and writers because they are the
foundation of culture and the only ones who
can save the mother-tongue. I believe that a
person can express himself in any language
but not better than in his mother tongue.
MostofthewritersImetwereveryoptimistic
about the younger generation but on the
other hand, they also harbored some doubts
that while the newer generation is close to
certain aspects of their native culture such
as food, festivals, dance etc. they were not as
close to the mother-tongue. In my personal
experience I have found that there is a huge
number of the new generation who are in
the Gujarati writing field, using English
when they write on Facebook and other
social media sites.
There are so many famous writers in
Gujarat. From the data that I gathered from
my research, I can surely say that every
house has at least one potential writer. So
many people are connected with literature
in so many cities and they all used to write
passionately. Gujarati women writers of the
21st century have also been writing and
discussing their personal questions in the
society.
Intheearlierera,duetothefactthatthemass
media was not so developed, books were the
only medium which people enjoyed. Today
mobile phones have increased the speed of
life, but no one has the peace to even sit and
read.
My project was not limited to the topic of
the relationship between mother-tongue
and literature but also discusses the beauty
of Lok Sahitya - Folk literature and Charni
Sahitya, as well as issues of Dalit Sahitya,
Adivasi Sahitya, and Kachchi Sahitya.
Every social class has its own culture and
literature, through which their struggles
and aspirations are reflected. Dalit literature
talks about the injustices and political
issues they have been facing. Whereas Lalit
Literature has its own beauty where reality
has to be modified in an exaggerated form.
If we talk about Adivashi Literature, it has a
magnificent history. But today it is largely
limited to dance performances. It also
contains fewer writers compared to other
literature. So many folk artists have done a
great performance at international level. In
CharniSahitya’s‘dohas’arestillalive,andthe
grammar and structure of Charni literature
is still being taught in some universities in
Kutch.
9. Conclusion
48. 48
Kutchi language has a Gujarati script but
the dialects are different. So that Kutchi
has a constitutional recognition. Even
though this dialect is difficult to understand
without learning.
If I see Literature from the business point
of view, unfortunately it is not a profitable
career. Nevertheless, there are so many
writers I met during the project who left
their other profession just because they
were in love with their language and
literature. And there are also some writers
who straddled two different professions.
Those on the teaching professions have
had a remarkable impact on preserving the
mother-tongue and fostering a continuing
interest in it.
My documentary of this project attempts to
give an overall view of Gujarati Literature.
It shows that how life can become so
meaningful when you include literature and
reading in your life. In my documentary I
did not attempt to only show the lifestyle of
the authors, but their views on the younger
generation.
A series of portraits of writers across a cross
sectionofGujaratwasthecentralcomponent
of my project. Rather than focusing on
their close-ups, I was more interested in
including the environment where they were
living so that viewers and audience can get
a complex picture of the sitter. When you
closely observe these photographs, you find
that the background elements contribute to
the information about the main subject or
sitter. It is like creating one semiotic event.
Everyone’s personal individual element is
creating their own individual identity. Most
of the locations were very private spaces
where they normally worked in, in order to
express their consciousness on paper. This
location depicts their social class too. Their
clothes and the objects around them also
create their social and cultural identity. In
short, their action, pose and the particular
sitting style shows their psychology and
personality.
I must say that every writer I encountered
enjoyed their life without compromising
their peace, happiness, bliss, knowledge,
power, love, and purity. The main thing
that I learned was that we do not need to
find these properties outside us, but that
God has already given these properties to
us. We should not let any situation steal
our potentialities from us. Thus, I can say
that this project gave me an opportunity to
discover these qualities in myself, so that I
can express it to others and serve them to
the best of my abilities.
49. 49
Kantilal Vyas. “Gujarati Bhasa Udgam Vikas Swarup.” Http://Www.vasudevbookstore.com,
University Granthnirman Board, www.vasudevbookstore.com/product/gujarati-bhasha-
udgam-vikas-ane-savarup/.
Kirit Desai. “Gujarati Sahityakar Kosh.” published by gujarat sahitya academy
PRAKASH, DILEEP. “THE ANGLO-INDIANS.” dileepprakash.blogspot.com/p/anglo-
indians.html.
Dileep Prakash. George and Prudence Paul. Jabalpur, 2004. http://www.photoink.net/artist/
artistdetail/70/114#2
Dileep Prakash. Denna Davya and father, otto, Bhusaval, 2005. http://www.photoink.net/
artist/artistdetail/70/114#26
Dileep Prakash.Derek O’Brien, Kolkata, 2005.http://www.photoink.net/artist artistdetail/
70/114#22
“About Mihaela Noroc.” theatlasofbeauty.com/about.
“Angélica Dass.” www.angelicadass.com/about/.
Gujarat Map, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat
“Dr. Niranjan Vallabhabhai Rajyaguru.” Anand-Ashram, Spiritual Center for folklore study,
www.anand-ashram.com/about/dr-niranjan-rajyaguru/.
“Shahabuddin Rathod.” From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 11 Nov. 2017, en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Shahabuddin_Rathod.
“Webgurjari.” Darshana Dholakia, Vicharmanch, webgurjari.in/tag/dr-darshana-dholakia/.
Puri, Deepak. “Kavi Shree Kanti Gor ‘Karan.’” 12 Aug. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUl-
8C1BTxOA.
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad. “Shirish-Panchal.” gujaratisahityaparishad.com/prakashan/sarjako/
savishesh/Savishesh-Shirish-Panchal.html.
10. References
50. 50
“Gunvant Shah.” From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 20 May. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Gunvant_Shah
“Gulam Sheikh,” From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 16 March. 2018,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulam_Mohammed_Sheikh
Mukul Choksi, http://www.mukulchoksi.com
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad. “Bhagwatikumar Sharma.” http://www.gujaratisahityaparishad.
com/prakashan/photo-gallery/sahitya-sarjako/Bhagwatikumar-Sharma.html
“Ravindra Parekh,” From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 6 July. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Ravindra_Parekh
“Vivek Tailor at Kavilok.” A meeting place for Gujarati poets . www.kavilok.com/kavi_poet_
vivek_tailor.htm.
“Nayan Desai,” From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 6 July. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Nayan_Desai
“Dr. Sharifa K. Vijaliwala”, http://www.vnsgu.ac.in/dept/guj/SKV.pdf
“Daxesh Thakar “S9 NEWS - GUJARATI, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1qfZ9Tk6Xg
“Kiransinh Chauhan”, From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 22 June. 2018, https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiransinh_Chauhan
“Raeesh Maniar”, From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 28 June. 2018,
“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raeesh_Maniar”
“Pragna Vashi”, Sur ane sabd no subhag smanvay, 4 June. 2009, “http://tahuko.com/?p=4932
“Dhwanil Parekh”, 4 July. From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Dhwanil_Parekh
“Harish Mangalam”, http://gujaratidalitsahitya.blogspot.com/2009/08/poems-by-harish-
mangalam.html
“Pathik Parmar”, http://gujaratidalitsahitya.blogspot.com/2009/08/poems-by-pathik-parmar.
html
“Bindu Bhatt”, From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 25 June. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Bindu_Bhatt
51. 51
“Rajendra-Shukla”, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, http://www.gujaratisahityaparishad.com/
prakashan/photo-gallery/sahitya-sarjako/Rajendra-Shukla.html
“Rajendra Patel”, From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 22 June. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Rajendra_Patel
“Mehboob Desai”, https://mehboobudesai.wordpress.com/about/
“Raghubir chaudhry”, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, http://www.gujaratisahityaparishad.com/
prakashan/photo-gallery/sahitya-sarjako/Raghuvir-Chaudhary.html
About Yashwant Mehta, Posted by Suresh 30 June, 2007, https://sureshbjani.wordpress.
com/2007/06/30/yashwant_mehta/
About Saroop Dhruv, https://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poet/item/9982/27/
Saroop-Dhruv
“Jayant Parmar”, https://www.rekhta.org/poets/jayant-parmar
Kumarpal Desai, Posted by Jugalkishor on 25, Jan. 2007, https://sureshbjani.wordpress.
com/2007/01/25/kumarpal_desai/
“Chandrakant Topiwala”, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad , http://gujaratisahityaparishad.com/
prakashan/sarjako/savishesh/Savishesh-Chandrakant-Topiwala.html
“RajeshVyas Miskin”, https://gujaratigazal.wordpress.com/tag/rajesh-vyas-miskin/
“Chandrakant Sheth”, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, http://www.gujaratisahityaparishad.com/
prakashan/photo-gallery/sahitya-sarjako/Chandrakant-Sheth.html
“Anila Dalal”, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, http://gujaratisahityaparishad.com/prakashan/sarja-
ko/savishesh/Savishesh-Anila-Dalal.html
Ratilal Borisagar, Maulik Bhuptani, Published on Aug 18, 2011 https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HFAKkTpNVvU
Padmashree Vishnu Pandya Appointed as chairman of Gujarat Sahitya Akademi, News18 Gu-
jarati, Published on May 12, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coAx2F-wWg4
Shri Joravarsinh Jadav - Famous Folklorist on Journalist & Columnist Sudhir S. Raval, sud-
hirsravallive, Published on May 2, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuBhfvwnXy0
About Gujarat Literature Festival, http://gujlitfest.com/about-us/
52. 52
11. Image index
Fig. 1 Gujarati Bhasa Udgam Vikas ane Swarup by Kantilal Vyas, page 18
Fig. 2 George and Prudence Paul, Jabalpur, 2004, page 22
Fig. 2.1 Denna Davya and father, Otto, Bhusaval, 2005, page 23
Fig. 2.2 Derek O’Brien, Kolkata, 2005, page 23
Fig. 3 Riga, Latvia, page 24
Fig. 3.1 Baltic Sea, Finland, page 24
Fig. 3.2 New York, USA, page 24
Fig. 4 Humanae, page 25
Fig. 5 Planning Map, page 27
Fig. 6 Gujarat, India, page 28
Fig. 6a Gondal, page 28
Fig. 7 Niranjan Rajyaguru, Photographed on 23rd
March, 2018, page 28
Fig. 6b Surendranagar, page 29
Fig. 7.1 Shahbuddin Rathod, Photographed on 19th
March, page 29
Fig. 7.2 Bhupendra Dave, Photographed on 19th
March, page 29
Fig. 6c Bhuj, page 30
Fig. 7.4 Harish Dholakiya, Photographed on 31th
March, 2018, page 30
Fig. 7.3 Darshna Dholakiya, Photographed on 31th
March, 2018, page 30
Fig. 7.6 Dhanji Bhanushali, Photographed on 31th
March, 2018, page 30
Fig. 7.5 Jayant Joshi ‘Shabab’, Photographed on 31th
March, 2018, page 30
Fig. 7.7 Kanti Gor ‘Karan’, Photographed on 31th
March, 2018, page 30
Fig. 6d Vadodara, page 31
Fig. 7.8 Shirish Panchal, Photographed on 20th
March, 2018, page 31
Fig. 7.9 Gunvant Shah, Photographed on 20th
March, 2018, page 31
Fig. 7.10 Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Photographed on 1st
April, 2018, page 31
Fig. 6e Surat, page 32
Fig. 7.11 Dr. Mukul Choksi, Photographed on 13th
Nov, 2017, page 32
Fig. 7.12 Rina Mehta, Photographed on 16th
Nov, 2017, page 32
Fig. 7.13 Bhagwatikumar Sharma, Photographed on 16th
Nov, 2017, page 32