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Pannalal Patel Biography, Early Life, Career, Wife, Novels, Awards
PannalalNanalal Patel is widely known for contributing to Gujarati literature. The talented author has written short stories and many social and mythological novels. Patel wrote in the native idioms of Sabarkantha which is situated in northern Gujarat. His contributions in the field cannot be neglected as he stands as one of the most famous authors in Gujarat. several works of his have been translated into other languages and adapted into movies and dramas. Check here Pannalal Patel Biography, Early Life, Career, Wife, Novels, Awards.
Pannalal Patel Biography
Pannalal Patel Early Life
The amazing person was born on May 7, 1912. His birthplace was at Mandi village in British India which is now named Dungarpur. The place, at present, is located in Rajasthan. His father Nanasha, mostly known as Nanalal Patel, was a farmer. His mother, Hiraba belonged to the Anjana Chaudhari family. Patel was the youngest child of his family. He had three siblings. Nanasha used to recite Ramayana and other mythological stories in the village. The villagers admired him for it and called the Patel house “abode of learning”.
After Nanasha passed away at a very early age, Hiraba raised the children. Patel’s family faced poverty badly and this affected his education also. He studied till 4th standard at Sir Pratap High School at Idar. During that period he became friends with Umashankar Joshi. Upon dropping out, Pannalal Patel worked at a liquor manufacturing factory at Dungarpur. While he was working as a domestic help in Ahmedabad, Patel wrote his first novel. But he did not think of publishing it.
Later in 1936, when he met his ling lost friend Umashankar Joshi, he encouraged him to write more. Patel penned his first story “Sheth Ni Sharda” in the same year. after this, he kept on writing and his write-ups were published in many magazines in Gujarat. later in 1940, he published his first novel Valamana.
Journey as an Author
Pannalal has always described the beauty of Gujarati villages, the villagers’ lives, their dreams, and lifestyles through his novels and stories. Time and again Patel made the readers fall in love with the rural simplicity and natural beauty of Gujarat. Most of his novels depicted love as the main theme. Patel’s MalelaJeev, published in 1941, remains one of his best creations. The story of unrequited love between two lovers that belonged to different castes touched hearts.
Later on, Patel carried on with writing numerous novels and short stories. Some of his well-known novels, that depicted rural Gujarat, are ManviniBhavai (1947), Na Chhutke (1955), GhammarValonu (1968), Manakhavatar (1961), MeenMatinaManvi (1966), Ajavali Rat Amasi (1971), and many more. However, all his novels described how entertaining and simpler rural Gujarat is rather than the urban side. The novels that described the turmoil of urban life are Padagha and Padchhaya (1960), AndhiAshadhni (1964), NathiParanyaNathiKunwara (1974), Yauvan (1944), EkAnokhi Preet (1972), etc.
The novel, Galalsing (1972), depicted love and valour that was set at a historical period. Angaro (1981) was a detective mystery. The novels, Eklo (1973), Pageru (1981), PachhaleBarane (1947), etc belonged to different genres though Patel’s stories explored love as the major theme.
In the 1970’s Patel wrote many novels surrounding the mythological characters of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and several other mythologies. Pannalal Patel is famous for his contribution to short stories. He has published over 450 stories throughout his writing career. Some of his popular short story collections are Parevada (1956), AjabManavi (1947), Dil Ni Vaat (1962), Anwar (1970), Binni (1973), Narato (1981), and many more. He has also published a collection of one-act plays called Jamiraj in 1952.
Patel has also adapted some of his creations from western plays and other regional authors. His Swapna (1978) was adapted from a story that was originally written by Aurobindo. Patel has also contributed to children’s literature. His books are Balkillol (1972), DevnoDidhel (1975) Vol 1 – 5, Satyayug Ni Kathao (1981) Vol 1 – 5, etc.
Patel described his life and struggles in his autobiography JindagiSanjjevani Vol 1 – 5 and Alapzalap (1973).
Honours
- Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak (1950)
- Jnanpith Award (1985) – Pannalal Patel is the 2nd author to receive the honour after Umashanka Joshi.
- Sahitya Gaurav Purashkar (1986)
Sum Up
Patel was married to Valiben. The brilliant author took his last breath on April 6, 1989. He passed away in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Pannalal Patel will forever remain one of the greatest names in Gujarat. His contributions are celebrated throughout the state. Patel’s love for his language and culture made shows how remarkable a soul he was.
