Harish Krishnaram Dave (Gujarati: હરીશ કૃષ્ણારામ દવે), better known by his pen name Harish Meenashru (Gujarati: હરીશ મીનાશ્રુ), is a Gujarati language poet and translator from Gujarat, India.[1] He is best known as a postmodern poet in Gujarati literature. Some of his significant works include Dhribaangsundar Eni Pere Dolya (1988), Suno Bhai Sadho (1999), Tandul (1999), Parjanyasukta (1999), and Banaras Diary (2016). His poems have been translated in Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, German, and English. He received a Kalapi Award (2010), Vali Gujarati Gazal Award (2012), and Narsinh Mehta Award (2014).[2] He received the 2020 Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry collection Banaras Diary (2016).[3]

Harish Meenashru
at Dakor, February 2017
at Dakor, February 2017
Native name
દવે હરીશ કૃષ્ણારામ
BornDave Harish Krishnaram
(1953-01-03) 3 January 1953 (age 71)
Anand, Gujarat, India
Pen nameHarish Meenashru
OccupationPoet, translator, bank manager
LanguageGujarati
EducationMaster of Science
Alma materSardar Patel University
PeriodModern Gujarati literature
GenresGhazal, geet, free verse
Notable works
  • Dhribaangsundar Eni Pere Dolya (1988)
  • Suno Bhai Sadho (1999)
  • Tandul (1999)
  • Banaras Diary (2016)
Notable awards
SpouseGeeta
ChildrenTirath,Amita,Saakhi,Ananya
Signature

Life edit

Meenashru was born on 3 January 1953 in Anand, Gujarat, India. He studied at Dadabhai Navroji (DN) High School, Anand, from 1962 to 1969. He earned a B. Sc. in Chemistry from V. P. Science College, Vallabh Vidhyanagar from 1969 to 1970, and M. B.[clarification needed] at Patel Science College, Anand, from 1970 to 1973. He received a M. Sc. from the Department of Chemistry of the Sardar Patel University in 1975.[4]

Meenashru started his career recruited by the Bank of Baroda in March 1977.[4] He headed a few branches of this bank and retired voluntarily in March 2001 as a senior manager of Amul Dairy Road branch, Anand.[5]

He married Geeta Dave on 30 May 1977. Their son, Tirath, was born in 1979.[citation needed] He lives in Bakrol village, Anand.[2]

Works edit

Meenashru wrote his first poem in fifth standard. In 1974, his poem, Chadiyanu Dukaalgeet, was first published in Nootan Shikshan, a magazine edited by Gunvant Shah.[6]

Dhribaangsundar Eni Pere Dolya, his first anthology of poems, was published in 1988, followed by Tambul (1999), Tandul (1999), Parjanyasukta (1999), Suno Bhai Sadho (1999), Pad Pranjali (2004), Pankhipadarath (2011), Shabadman Jinkun Khas Khabaran Padi, (2011), and Banaras Diary (2016).

Nakhasikh (1977), a compilation of selected modern Gujarati ghazals, and Shesh-Vishesh (1984) are two of his compilations.[4] Some of his poems have been edited and translated into English by Piyush Joshi as A Tree with a Thousand Wings (2008).[7]

He has also translated world poetry. He has translated into Gujarati the poems of eighth-century Chinese poet Wang Wei and Nicaraguan poet Pablo Antonio Cuadra. Some of the translated poems are published as Deshatan (Translations of World Poetry) and Hampinā Khadako (2014; translation of poetry of Kannada poet, Chandrashekhara Kambara).[5]

Criticism edit

Dileep Jhaveri praised him in Muse India (Issue 68: Jul–Aug 2016):

Harish Minashru is an important name because of his constant preoccupation in exploring several possibilities of language by way of musicality, associations and multiple combinations of words or their fragments uniting into surprisingly new words. This creates new challenges for the meanings and poetic intentions. His basic support is minute observations of objects and phenomena along with mastery over Sanskrit, medieval and modern verse forms. He does not hesitate to take risk of anarchy while ascertaining individuality. This is the fundamental function of poetry.[8]

Awards and recognitions edit

Year Award Conferred by
2020 Sahitya Akademi Award Sahitya Akademi
2017 Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize[9] Sahitya Akademi
2014 Narsinh Mehta Award[10]
2012 Vali Gujarati Gazal Award[10][11] Gujarat Sahitya Akademi
2010 Kalapi Award Indian National Theatre
1988–89 Takhtasinh Parmar Prize Gujarati Sahitya Parishad

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Dutt, Kartik Chandra (18 July 2016). Who's who of Indian Writers, 1999: A-M. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 9788126008735. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Poets translating Poets". Poets - Goethe-Institut (in Latin). Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  3. ^ Parmar, Manoj, ed. (April 2021). કવિ શ્રી હરીશ મિનાશ્રુને કાવ્યસંગ્રહ 'બનારસ ડાયરી' માટે કેન્દ્રીય સાહિત્ય અકાદમી એવોર્ડ [Sahitya Akademi Award to Harish Meenashru for His Poetry Collection 'Banaras Diary']. Dalitchetna (in Gujarati). Vol. 15, no. 6. pp. 36, 21. ISSN 2319-7862.
  4. ^ a b c Brahmabhatt, Prasad (2010). અર્વાચીન ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યનો ઈતિહાસ - આધુનિક અને અનુઆધુનિક યુગ (History of Modern Gujarati Literature – Modern and Postmodern Era) (in Gujarati). Ahmedabad: Parshwa Publication. pp. 130–131. ISBN 978-93-5108-247-7.
  5. ^ a b Shukla, Kirit (2008). Gujarati Sahityakosh. Gandhinagar: Gujarat Sahitya Akadami. ISBN 9789383317028.
  6. ^ Meenashru, Harish (December 2011). Trivedi, Harshad (ed.). "An article about his creative journey by poet". Shabdasrishti. Gandhinagar: Gujarat Sahitya Akademi. ISSN 2319-3220.
  7. ^ "Welcome to Muse India". Ambika Ananth – ‘A Tree with a Thousand Wings’. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Muse India". Muse India. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  9. ^ https://www.indiaculture.nic.in/sites/default/files/press_release/Press%20ReleaseTP_21.12.2017.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  10. ^ a b "Poets translating Poets - Poets - Goethe-Institut". www.goethe.de. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Poet Harish Minashru gets Vali award". The Indian Express. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2018.

External links edit

Harish Meenashru on GujLit

Awards
Preceded by Recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Gujarati
2020
Succeeded by