Balashankar Kantharia
Balashankar Ullasram Kantharia[1] was a Gujarati poet.
Life
Balashankar Kantharia was born on 17 May 1858 in Sathodar Nagar Brahmin family in Nadiad (now in Gujarat, India).[2][3] He had studied till the first year of his college. He was polyglot and knew Gujarati, Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Braj and Hindi languages as well as music and archeology.[2]
He briefly worked in government service. He managed Bharati Bhusan, Itihas Mala, Krishna Mahoday magazines. He served as an editor of Buddhiprakash magazine briefly.[2] He is considered as the founder of the modern Gujarati poetry and Ghazal. Manilal Dwivedi was his close friend. He considered himself as a follower of Dalpatram and was expert in poetry in Shikharini metre.[2] It is believed that Kalapi had learned Ghazal poetry from him and Manilal Dwivedi.[4]
He did on 1 April 1898 at Baroda (now Vadodara, Gujarat).[2]
Works
Kalant Kavi, Bal were his pen names. He is credited for bringing Persian style poetry such as Ghazal in Gujarati literature.[3] Kalant Kavi and Hariprem Panchdashi are his collections of poetry. He had translated Karpūramañjarī by Rajasekhara, Mṛcchakatika and Sufi Ghazals in Gujarati.[2]
"Gujare Je Shire Tare" is his popular 100 line poetry in Shikharini metre.[5]
References
- ↑ Sisir Kumar Das (2000). History of Indian Literature. 1. p. 245.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "બાલાશંકર કંથારીયા" (in Gujarati). 3 July 2006. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- 1 2 Jeṭhālāla Nārāyaṇa Trivedī (1987). Love Poems & Lyrics from Gujarati. p. 145.
- ↑ K. M. George (1992). Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Surveys and poems. p. 124.
- ↑ Smt. Hiralaxmi Navanitbhai Shah Dhanya Gurjari Kendra (2007). Gujarat. 2. Gujarat Vishvakosh Trust.