Carlos G. Vallés

Carlos González Vallés S.J., popularly known as Father Vallés (4 November 19258 November 2020), was a Spanish-Indian Jesuit priest and author. He lived in India for five decades and wrote extensively in Gujarati and on mathematics. He also wrote in English and Spanish. He was a recipient of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, the highest award in Gujarati literature, in 1978. He was awarded the Padma Shri posthumously in 2021.

Biography

Early life Vallés was born 4 November 1925 in Logroño, Spain, to an engineer. When he was ten, his father died of Vincent's angina. Six months later, when the Spanish Civil War broke out, he fled his home, along with his mother and brother, and went to live with his mother's aunt, leaving everything behind. He attended a Jesuit school there along with his brother. He became a Jesuit novitiate when he was fifteen and was sent to India in 1949 as a missionary.

Years in India In India, Vallés attended Madras University and completed an MA in mathematics with first class honours in 1953. There, he learned English to complete his studies. He later started learning the Gujarati language, as he was asked to teach mathematics at the newly opened St. Xavier's College in Ahmedabad, which had Gujarati students. He learned Gujarati for two years, and later practised writing it during his four-year theological studies at Pune. He was ordained to the priesthood on 24 April 1958.

Works His works include 75 books in Gujarati, 24 in English and 42 in Spanish. His works are also translated in Chinese and other European languages. His autobiography, Atmakathana Tukda in Gujarati was translated by Amit Joharapurkar into Marathi as Atmakathecha Ansh, in 2020.

Recognition Vallés won the literary prize for essays from the Government of Gujarat five times. He received the Kumar Chandrak in 1966. He was awarded the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, the highest award in Gujarati literature, in 1978. He was the first foreign recipient of the prize. His domestic wandering to understand culture and people won him the Acharya Kakasaheb Kalelkar Award for Universal Harmony in 1995 and the Ramakrishna Jaidalal Harmony Award in 1997. He was also named an Honorary Jain for his friendship with Jain community in Mumbai.

In 2021, Vallés was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, by the Government of India for his contribution in literature and education.