Jhaverchand Meghani

Jhaverchand Meghani (Gujarati: ઝવેરચંદ મેઘાની; August 28, 1896(1896-08-28)-March 9, 1947) was noted poet, litterateur, social reformer and freedom fighter from Gujarat.He is well known name in the field of Gujarati literature. He was born in Chotila. Mahatma Gandhi spontaneously gave him the title of Raashtreeya Shaayar (National Poet). Besides this he received many awards like Ranjitram Suvaranachandrak and Mahida Paaritoshik in literature. He authored more than 100 books. His first book was a translation work of Rabindranath Tagore's ballad Kathaa-u-Kaahinee titled Kurbani Ni Katha (Stories of martyrdom) which was first published in 1922. He was attached to Gujarati folk literature. He went village-to-village in search of folk-lores and published them in various volumes of Saurashtra Ni Rasdhar. Other Gujarati authors like Harilal Upadhyay have also shown respect to the writing skills of Shri Meghani. He was also the Editor of Phoolchhab Newspaper of Janmabhoomi group (which is being published till date from Rajkot).
A sample of his collection of folk tales from Saurashtra has recently been published in an English, with the translation done by his son Vinod Meghani. The three volumes published so far are titled A Noble Heritage, A Shade Crimson and The Ruby Shattered.

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ઝવેરચંદ મેઘાણી

About Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad was founded in 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah to serve as the capital of the Gujarat Sultanate, and was named after him. Under the British rule, a military cantonment was established and the city infrastructure was modernized and expanded.

Tourist Places of Ahmedabad:
The Walled City
On your tour to Ahmedabad you will at once notice that the walled city is one of the must visits. Leading into the city of Ahmedabad, it allows a glimpse of the affluence of the ancient buildings of the 18th century.

Gandhi Ashram
Another of the tourist attractions in Ahmedabad is the Satyagraha Ashram, set-up in AD 1920 on the lull western banks of the Sabarmati River.

Mosque of Sidi Sayid
The Mosque of Sidi Sayid with its stone tracery and the patterns of the banyan tree on its windows is another of the tourist attractions in Ahmedabad.

Hathee Singh Jain Temple
Built by Sheth Hathee Singh in 1848, the Hathee Singh Temple, located outside the Delhi Gate, is worked in pure white marble. It houses 52 shrines, each with an idol of a Jain Tirthankar.

Sidi Bashir Mosque
The Sidi Bashir Mosque situated outside the Sarangpur Gate, has minarets, one of which when shaken, leads to the vibration in another.

Kankaria Lake
A circular lake constructed in AD 1451 by Sultan Qutub-ud-din, the Kankaria Lake offers tourist places of interest like the island garden known as Nagina Wadi, parks, an aquarium, a boat club, a natural historical museum, and a zoo.

Bhadra Fort and Teen Darwaza
A venue for Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations in Ahmedabad, the Bhadra Fort of Ahmedabad has a temple devoted to the Mother Goddess, Bhadrakal.

Teen Darwaza
Used as a royal entrance to the Royal Square of the Bhadra Fort, the massive Teen Darwaza is another place of interest in Ahmedabad.

Calico Museum
The Calico museum of fabric, yarn and textiles was established in 1949 consequent to the meticulous efforts of Ms Gira Sarabhai.

The other sites worth visiting in Ahmedabad are the Rani Sipri's Mosque, Rani Rupmati's Mosque, Raj Babri Mosque, Shreyas Museum of Folk Art, the Kite Museum, and Utensil Museum.

Excursions
Excursions to places like Sarkhej, Adlaj Vav, Lothal, Modhera, Patan, Gandhinagar, Mahudi and Nalsarovar Wildlife Sanctuary can be entertaining and exciting at the same time.

Events and Festivals
Navratri and Rath Yatra are the main festivals celebrated in Ahmedabad and the city also hosts the contemporary International Kite Festival too.

Gujarat History

The history of Gujarat is an illustrious one. The history of Gujarat state comprises an
important part of Indian historical texts.

Gujarat finds mention in ancient historical artifacts. The history of Gujarat encompasses the Indus Valley civilization. The history of Gujarat is replete with the mementos and associated artifacts of the ancient civilization. About 50 Harappan settlement ruins were discovered in Gujarat.

The Dravidian tribes were the original inhabitants of the region. The ancient history of Gujarat was enriched by their commercial activities. There is a clear historical evidence of trade and commerce ties with Sumer in the Persian Gulf during the time period of 1000 to 750 BC.

The history of Gujarat saw an Aryan invasion followed by a brief period of Greek rule. There were a succession of Hindu kingdoms including the era of the Guptas and culminating in the reign of the Solankis.

The 9th century history of Gujarat saw the emergence of the Muslims in the political arena of the state. The first Muslim conqueror was Mohammad of Ghazni whose conquer of Somnath effectively ended the rule of the Solankis. The Mughals established and consolidated their rule from Delhi The rule of the Mughals lasted for two centuries before it was ended by the Marathas in the 18th century.

The Muslim reign comprised the medieval period in the history of Gujarat.

The British Raj got a toehold in the region in the year 1803. The Union Jack consolidated its rule by 1827. The East India Company resurrected the principal trading post of Surat before transferring the administrative seat to Bombay (now Mumbai).