Chandrakant Sheth

Chandrakant Sheth (3 February 1938 – 2 August 2024) was an Indian Gujarati poet, essayist, critic, translator and editor from Gujarat. His pen names include Aryaputra, Nand Samavedi, Balchadra and Daksh Prajapati. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Gujarati in 1986 for his book Dhoolmani Paglio.

In January 2025, Sheth was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of India.

Biography

at Vallabh Vidyanagar, 1992

Sheth was born on 3 February 1938 in Kalol, a village in Panchmahal district to Trikamlal. His family is native to Thasra village of Kheda. He matriculated in 1954, completed BA in 1958, and MA in 1961 from Gujarat University with Gujarati and Sanskrit as his core subjects. He completed his Ph.D. in 1979 from Gujarat Vidyapith with a research thesis on Umashankar Joshi.

He served as a part-time lecturer at St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad in 1961–62. He served as a professor at different colleges in Gujarat including Kapadvanj College (1962–63), Gujarat Vidyapith (1963–1966), Bhakta Vallabh Dhola College (1966–1972) and again Gujarat Vidyapith (1972–1979). From 1979 to 1984, he served as the manager of K. L. Swadhyay Mandir, run by Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, and also worked as a co-editor of Gujarati Sahityakosh. He again joined Gujarat Vidyapith and retired as the head of Gujarati Department. He served as an honorary at Gujarati Vishwkosh Trust, Ahmedabad.

Works Sheth published several poetry collections, Pavan Rooperi (1972) and Ughadati Diwalo (1974) are his early collections of poetry. Padagha ni Pele Par (1948) and Gagan Kholati Bari (1990) are his collections of songs, Ek Tahuko Pandma (1986) is collection of ghazals while Chandaliya ni Gadi (1980) and Hu To Chalu Mari Jem! (2001) are his collections of children's poetry. His other collections are Shaksharata Geeto (1990), Shage Ek Zalhalie (1999), Undanmathi Ave, Unchanma Lai Jay (2004) and Jal Vadal Ane Veej (2005). Ramesh M. Trivedi has edited selected poems as Chandrakant Sheth na Kavyo (2001).

Sheth was a prolific essayist. His Nand Samvedi (1980, 2001) is a collection of modernist essays; Chehra Bhitar Chehra (1986) is a collection of 21 biographical essays; Het ane Halvash (1980) and Vahal ane Vinod (1995) have 33 and 24 essays respectively with light humour; Vaninu Sat, Vanini Shakti (1997) is a collection of short essays on words of Veda and Upnishad while Gun ane Garima (1997) is a collection of 31 essays. Labhshankar Thakar edited and published selected essays as Aa-nand Parva (2002). His other collections of humorous essays are Halavi Kalamna Ful (2005) and Chandrakant Shethni Pratinidhi Hasyarachnao (2007). In 2018, the Sahitya Akademi awarded him Bal Sahitya Puraskar for his contribution in Gujarati children's literature.