The Poet Who Sang the Soul of Gujarat
In the heart of Gujarat, where tradition meets timeless emotion, emerged a poet whose verses stirred the soul of an entire nation — Zaverchand Meghani, the National Poet of India. Other authors write about a nation, and some provide a mouthpiece. Both were done by Zaverchand Kalidas Meghani. The son of a Jain family and born on 28 August 1896 in Chotila, the small town of the heart of Gujarat was to be one of the most popular cultural symbols of India.
When Mahatma Gandhi read his inspiring poems of heroism and humanity, he conferred upon him the title that defined his legacy forever — forever-Raashtreeya Shaayar (National Poet) of India. According to Gandhi himself, the poetry of Meghani did not consist of literature, it was a voice of the conscience of India.
One of his most stirring lines comes from the collection “Sindhudo,” written to inspire freedom fighters during India’s independence struggle:
“સ્વાતંત્ર્ય સંગ્રામના વીર સૈનિકો, (Brave soldiers of the freedom struggle,)
તમારા જવાન ગીનારા કોયલા જેવા હોવ.” (May your youthful hearts burn like coal.)
Early Life and Inspiration
Zaverchand Meghani did his B.A. in Sanskrit and worked as a school teacher and subsequently, joined the field of journalism. Being brought up in a family of Jains, he grew to be strongly attached to both the culture and the language of Gujarati at a tender age. His earliest great project was the Gujarati adaptation of a work by Rabindranath Tagore, Katha O Kahini, which titled Kurbani Ni Katha, (1922) and described the martyrdoms of Indians. During an active career, he created more than 100 books in form of novels, poetry books, short stories, biographies, plays, and historical essays.
Between 1922 and 1947, Meghani wrote over 100 publicationsconsisting of 14 novels, 9 poetry books, 10 biographies, and 16 historical essays. Notable titles include:
“Sorath Tara Vehta Pani” (novel)
Charankayana (poetic ballad on bravery)
Saurashtra Ni Rasdhar (Gujarati folks)
The Voice of Folk Gujarat
Meghani toured the Saurashtra villages over years and had collected more than 1,000 folk tales, songs and ballads. He came to Charan bards and folklab singers with horses, bullock cart and on narrow gauge trains to keep oral traditions which were under the threat of extinction. Saurashtra Ni Rasdhar, a 16-volume masterpiece, stands as Gujarat’s richest repository of folklore celebrating its people’s heroism, romance, and devotion.
Meghani editing the newspaper Phulchhab under Janmabhoomi group in Rajkot utilized his writing to become an instrument of social change and mobilization of the nation. His poetry was a theme of spirit of Shaurya Rasa (valor) that instilled courage and nationalism in the minds of young Indians under the freedom movement in India.
Honors and Enduring Legacy
Meghani also received several awards of great honor such as the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak (1928), the best literature award of Gujarat, and Mahida Paritoshik of Gujarati prose. His works are included in the Gujarat school syllabus and the Raashtreeya Shaayar Zaverchand Meghani College in Chotila is also a memorial to his contribution. He has had his genius made known to the world through the translation of some of his folk stories into the English language by his son, Vinod Meghani, published as A Noble Heritage, A Shade Crimson, and The Ruby Shattered.
Meghani was honored by the Government of India with a commemorative postage stamp in 1999, recognizing his outstanding contributions as a poet, writer, and preserver of Gujarat’s folklore and Indian nationalism.
The Immortality of a National Poet
Zaverchand Meghani died on 9 March 1947, a few few months before India gained its independence. Nevertheless, his words are floating around Gujarat and they have a meaning of hope, valor, and pride. Meghani made sure that the oral tradition of Gujarat became a treasure of the Indian literature as she put down in writing more than 100 volumes of creative genius and 1,000 preserved folk tales. Not only in Gujarat but in the whole of India, he is the pride of a person, and a timeless icon of cultural solidarity, moral courage, artistic freedom. His pen, as his soul, is a part of the masses–a light that still has a glow in India. His poems are floating today through the plains of Gujarat, like the everlasting songs of liberation, affection, and faith in the human race without giving up. A truth clangs as India narrates itself to the world and that is that Zaverchand Meghani did not simply write about the spirit of Gujarat he was it.
Keep following Gujpreneur for more inspiring stories that celebrate the spirit of Gujarat and its legends.
