Gaurishankar Govardhandas Joshi

Background

Gaurishankar Goverdhandas Joshi was the third son of Goverdhanram Joshi. He was born on 12 December 1892 at Virpur, a place near Rajkot and Gondal in Gujarat State.

Career

He published twenty-four collections of short stories, as well as thirty-two novels on social and historical subjects, and plays and travelogues. Gaurishankar served at Virpur School drawing a salary of four per month. During this period he was asked to read biographies, historical novels et cetera before Khatijabibi, who was the wife of Ishan.

This habit made Guarishankar to take deep interest in literature.

In 1908, he went to Bilkha a place close to Junagadh. There was Nathuram Sharma"s Ashram in Bilkha.

lieutenant had a library with a large collection of books He took full advantage of it and graduated with Sanskrit and English in 1920.

He served as a clerk at Gondal in railway for a year.

In 1923, he left the government job and went to Ahmedabad and started teaching at the private school run by Ambalal Sarabhai (Father of Vikram Sarabhai). During this period his literary activities blossomed. His pen name "DHUMKETU" (Nome – de – plume) became well known in Gujarati literature.

He wrote 492 short stories.

A collection of his short stories with the title "TANKHA" was published in 1926. These four volumes of "TANKHA" were a mile-stone in Gujarati literature.

Dhumketu was a pioneer in short stories. His literary work inspired a new generation of writers.

Achievements

• In 1935, he was awarded Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, the highest award in Gujarati literature, which he refused to accept. He received Narmad Suvarna Chandrak for literary activities. He served as an adviser to the Sahitya Academy, Delhi for Gujarati in 1957. He won the rare honour to represent India in a book published in the United States of America with the title "Stories From Many Lands". This was a collection of the best stories from sixty countries. His story "The Letter" (Post Office) found a place in lieutenant Sahitya Academy, Delhi published this story in "Contemporary Indian Short Stories" and Penguin Books published in "The Best Loved Indian Stories of The Century" (volume II).

Views

His writing is characterized by a dramatic style, romanticism and powerful depiction of human emotions. His writing is characterized by a poetic style, romanticism and powerful depiction of human emotions.