World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Bholabhai Patel

ボーラバイ・パテル

Bholabhai Patel

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-08-07 （Soja village, Mehsana district, Gujarat, India）
Died
2012-05-20 （Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India） age 77
Nationality
Indian
Languages
Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, German, French, Marathi, Sanskrit
Residence History
Soja village (birthplace) → Ahmedabad (long-term residence and workplace) → Santiniketan (fellowship period)

Career

Occupations
Author, Translator, Academic, Critic, Editor, Teacher
Active Years
1952-2012
Affiliations
Gujarat University (former professor and head of Hindi Department), Sardar Vallabhbhai Arts College (faculty), Visva-Bharati University (fellow), Gujarati Sahitya Parishad (president), Parab (editor)
Memberships
Gujarati Sahitya Parishad
Influenced By
Umashankar Joshi, Agyeya (Sachchidananda Vatsyayan)
Influenced
Bindu Bhatt (doctoral student)

Education

Banaras Hindu University
Sanskrit, Hindi and Indian culture
Degree: Bachelor's degree
Period: 1953-1957
Year of Graduation: 1957
Country: India
Gujarat University
Hindi (MA)
Degree: Master's degree
Period: 1958-1960
Year of Graduation: 1960
Country: India
Later obtained additional degrees in English and linguistics
Gujarat University
English (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's degree
Period: 1966-1968
Year of Graduation: 1968
Country: India
Gujarat University
English and Science of Language (MA)
Degree: Master's degree
Period: 1968-1970
Year of Graduation: 1970
Country: India
Studied linguistics and comparative literature
Gujarat University (PhD thesis)
Hindi literature (study on Agyeya)
Degree: PhD
Period: 1974-1977
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: India
PhD thesis later published as 'Agney: Ek Adhyayan' (1983)
Visva-Bharati University (fellowship)
Comparative literature (fellowship)
Period: 1983-1984
Year of Graduation: 1984
Country: India
Served as a fellow in comparative literature
Gujarat University
German / Linguistics (Diploma)
Degree: Diploma
Period: 1970-1974
Year of Graduation: 1974
Country: India
Diplomas in German (1971) and linguistics (1974)

Awards

Padma Shri
2008
Organization: Government of India
Result: 受賞
Sahitya Akademi Award (Gujarati)
1992
Work: Devoni Ghati
Organization: Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters, India)
Result: 受賞
Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak
1995
Organization: Ranjitram award body
Result: 受賞
KK Birla Foundation fellowship
Organization: KK Birla Foundation
Result: フェローシップ

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Vidisha

1980 Travel essays

A collection of travel essays based on his journeys across Europe and the United States.

travelcross-cultural exchangeobservation and memory

Purvottar

1971 Travelogue

A travelogue describing journeys in Northeast India, including West Bengal and Odisha.

regional culturelandscape and literature

Kanchanjangha

1985 Travel essays

A collection of essays incorporating observations and poetic descriptions from his travels.

naturespiritual journeys

Devoni Ghati

1989 Travelogue

A travelogue depicting landscapes and cultures encountered during his travels in India and abroad. Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award.

comparative culturetravel

Agney: Ek Adhyayan

1983 Scholarly study (PhD thesis)

A doctoral study on the modern Hindi writer Agyeya (Sachchidananda Vatsyayan).

criticismmodernism

Europe-Anubhav

2004 Travelogue

A travelogue compiling experiences and observations from his stay in Europe.

European culturecomparative literary perspective

Bibliography

  • Vidisha (1980)
  • Purvottar (1971)
  • Kanchanjangha (1985)
  • Devoni Ghati (1989)
  • Agney: Ek Adhyayan (1983)
  • Europe-Anubhav (2004)
  • Bole Zina Mor (1992)
  • Shalbhanjika (1992)
  • Radhe Tara Dungariya Par (1987)
  • Devatma Himalaya (1990)

Translations by Author

  • Anganani Par Dwar (Gujarati translation of Agyeya's work, 2002)
  • Translations of Rabindranath Tagore into Gujarati (e.g., Char Adhyay)
  • Gujarati translation of Sukumar Sen's history of Bengali literature (1982)
  • Gujarati translation of R. M. Lala's 'The Creation of Wealth' (Sampattinu Sarjan, 1984)

Translations of Works

  • Some works have been translated into English and other Indian languages; details not fully known

Style & Themes

Literary Style
comparative literary perspectivescholarly yet essayistic proseprecise translation technique grounded in multilingualism
Recurring Motifs
travel and geographycultural comparisonlanguage and translationmodernist literary theory

Health

  • Heart attack (cause of death)
    2012
    Died of a heart attack in 2012. This ended his active career.

Legacy

Bholabhai Patel is regarded as a scholar, translator and essayist who bridged Gujarati literature with other Indian literatures. His comparative literary work and extensive translations contributed to broader understanding of regional literatures.

Academic Societies

  • Gujarati Sahitya Parishad

Archives

  • Gujarat University archives
  • Materials held by Gujarati Vishwakosh

In Popular Culture

  • Bholabhai Patel Chowk, a crossroads near Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, named after him

Trivia

  • Authored more than 50 books (reported as 52+).
  • Polyglot speaker of Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, English, German, French, Marathi and Sanskrit.
  • Edited the monthly 'Parab' for about three decades starting in 1974.
  • Served as president of the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad from 2011 until his death in 2012.