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Sundarji Gokaldas Betai

サンダルジー・ゴカルダス・ベタイ

Sundarji Gokaldas Betai

Pen Names: Dwaipayan（Pen name used in poetry）, Mitravarunau（Alternate pen name used in poetry）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1905-08-10 （Bet Dwarka, Baroda State, British India）
Died
1989-01-16 （Mumbai, Maharashtra, India） age 83
Nationality
India
Languages
Gujarati, English

Career

Occupations
poet, critic, translator, professor
Active Years
1928-1989
Affiliations
SNDT Women's College (faculty), Indian PEN (member)
Memberships
Indian PEN (PEN International, India Centre)
Influenced By
Narsinhrao Divetia, Gandhian philosophy, Sanskrit metres

Education

University of Bombay
English and Gujarati
Degree: BA
Period: 1920年代
Year of Graduation: 1928
Country: British India
Completed BA in English and Gujarati
University of Bombay
Law
Degree: LLB
Period: 1930年代初頭
Year of Graduation: 1932
Country: British India
Completed Bachelor of Laws
University of Bombay
Gujarati and Sanskrit
Degree: MA
Period: 1930年代中盤
Year of Graduation: 1936
Country: British India
Completed MA in Gujarati and Sanskrit

Awards

Narmad Suvarna Chandrak
1958
Work: Tulsidal
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Jyotirekha

1934 epic poems / poetry collection

A collection of five epic poems based on Puranic, mythological and historical events; later four more epic poems were added.

mythologyreligious historyepic poetry

Indradhanu

1939 poetry collection

A collection containing 111 poems divided into five sections.

natureemotional poetry

Visheshanjali

1952 poetry collection

Contains poems influenced by folk-song metres; many poems use the sea as a metaphor.

folk metressea as metaphorspirituality

Sadgat Chandrasheelane

1959 long elegy

A long elegy divided into nine sections, written in memory of his late wife and recounting his 36-year married life.

elegymemorymarried life

Tulsidal

1961 poetry collection (includes poetic translations)

Contains 54 poems including Sadgat Chandrasheelane, a poetic translation of the Dhammapada, and a popular song; awarded the Narmad Suvarna Chandrak in 1958.

religious translationssea and naturereminiscence

Vyanjana

1969 poetry collection (spiritual/philosophical)

Contains spiritual and philosophical poems.

spiritualityphilosophy

Anuvyanjana

1974 poetry collection

A continuation of spiritual and philosophical poems following Vyanjana.

spiritualityphilosophy

Shishire Vasant

1976 poetry collection

Contains 34 poems and 21 verses.

seasonsintrospection

Shravani Jharmar

1982 poetry collection

A late-career collection containing 72 poems.

late reflectionnature

Bibliography

  • Jyotirekha
  • Indradhanu
  • Visheshanjali
  • Sadgat Chandrasheelane
  • Tulsidal
  • Vyanjana
  • Anuvyanjana
  • Shishire Vasant
  • Shravani Jharmar
  • Suvarnamegh
  • Aamod
  • Narsinhrao

Translations by Author

  • Mahamanav Thoreau — Gujarati translation of William Moreton Condry's biography of Henry David Thoreau
  • Walden — Gujarati translation of Henry David Thoreau's Walden
  • Mahabharata — Translation of the last four cantos
  • Romharshini — Verse rendering of the Bhagavad Gita

Style & Themes

Literary Style
solemn and gentle toneformal poetic style influenced by Sanskrit metresepic and elegiac expression
Recurring Motifs
sea metaphorsreligion and spiritualitymythic/Puranic themesreminiscence and memory

Legacy

Sundarji Betai was a leading 20th-century Gujarati poet, critic and translator, known for fusing traditional Sanskrit metres with modern themes. He also contributed significantly as an educator to the promotion and teaching of Gujarati literature.

Academic Societies

  • Gujarati Sahitya Parishad

Trivia

  • Used the pen names 'Dwaipayan' and 'Mitravarunau'.
  • Taught Gujarati at SNDT Women's College for many years.
  • Translated works related to Henry David Thoreau (a biography and Walden) into Gujarati.
  • Awarded the Narmad Suvarna Chandrak in 1958 for Tulsidal.