Harish Meenashru

Harish Krishnaram Dave, better known by his pen name Harish Meenashru, is a Gujarati language poet and translator from Gujarat, India. He is best known as a postmodern poet in Gujarati literature. Some of his significant works include Dhribaangsundar Eni Pere Dolya, Suno Bhai Sadho (1999), Tandul (1999), Parjanyasukta (1999), and Banaras Diary (2016). His poems have been translated in Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, German, and English. He received a Kalapi Award (2010), Vali Gujarati Gazal Award (2012), and Narsinh Mehta Award (2014). He received the 2020 Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry collection Banaras Diary (2016).

Life Meenashru was born on 3 January 1953 in Anand, Gujarat, India. He studied at Dadabhai Navroji (DN) High School, Anand, from 1962 to 1969. He earned a B.Sc. in Chemistry from V. P. Science College, Vallabh Vidhyanagar (1969-1970), and an M.B. at Patel Science College, Anand (1970-1973). He received an M.Sc. from the Department of Chemistry of the Sardar Patel University in 1975.

Meenashru started his career with the Bank of Baroda in March 1977.

He married Geeta Dave on 30 May 1977. Their son, Tirath, was born in 1979. He lives in Bakrol village, Anand.

Dhribaangsundar Eni Pere Dolya, his first anthology of poems, was published in 1988, followed by Tambul (1999), Tandul (1999), Parjanyasukta (1999), Suno Bhai Sadho (1999), Pad Pranjali (2004), Pankhipadarath (2011), Shabadman Jinkun Khas Khabaran Padi, (2011), and Banaras Diary (2016).

Nakhasikh (1977), a compilation of selected modern Gujarati ghazals, and Shesh-Vishesh (1984) are two of his compilations.

He has also translated world poetry. He has translated into Gujarati the poems of eighth-century Chinese poet Wang Wei and Nicaraguan poet Pablo Antonio Cuadra. Some of the translated poems are published as Deshatan (Translations of World Poetry) and Hampinā Khadako (2014; translation of poetry of Kannada poet, Chandrashekhara Kambara).

Awards and recognitions