Eminent Gujarati litterateur Raghuveer Chaudhary was awarded the 51st Jnanpith Award on Tuesday. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Jnanpith Selection Board chaired by noted scholar, writer and critic Prof. Namwar Singh. Other eminent persons of the selection board are Prof. Shamim Hanfi, Harish Trivedi, Prof. Suranjan Das, Ramakant Rath, Chandrakant Patil, Prof. Alok Rai, Dinesh Misra and Leeladhar Mandloi. Born in 1938, Raghuveer Chaudhary occupies a unique place in Gujarati literature.
A novelist, poet, critic, a prominent figure on contemporary Gujarati literary scene and a Gandhian, his talent has been influenced by works of Govardhanram Tripathi, Kaka Kalelkar, Suresh Joshi, Prof. Ramdarash Mishra and Prof. G. N. Dickey. Raghuveer's poetry is particularly remarkable for its profundity of thought and the meaningful use of images and symbols. Though 'poetry' remains his first love, the form he has consistently explored, is 'novel'.
His faith in the functional aspect of human life has progressively strengthened. It is voiced through his novels Amrita, Venu Vatsala and Uparvas trilogy.
Rudra Mahalaya is a landmark in Gujarati historical novel writing. His essays contain a combination of microscopic observations concerning the art of creative writing and a vivid presentation of thought. His style of writing tinged with his unique sense of humour adds to the readability of his essays.
It has been a continuous search of Raghuveer's life and literature to attain a realistic ground for human dignity. His belief in democracy acknowledges not only the basic freedom of a human being but also in the development of a humanitarian society.
