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{{short description|1935 Gujarati humorous novel by Dhansukhlal Mehta and Jyotindra Dave}}
{{Infobox book
| italic title = yes
| name = {{Lang|gu-latn|Ame Badha}}
| image = File:Ame Badha.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Cover Page
| author = {{plainlist|
* [[Dhansukhlal Mehta]]
* [[Jyotindra Dave]]
}}
| title_orig =
| orig_lang_code =
| title_working =
| translator =
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = India
| language = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
| release_number =
| subject =
| genre = [[Comic novel|humorous novel]]
| set_in = [[Surat]]
| publisher =
| publisher2 =
| pub_date =
| published = 1935
| media_type = Print
| pages =
| awards =
| isbn =
| isbn_note =
| oclc = 20524493
| dewey = 891.477
| congress =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}

'''{{Lang|gu-latn|Ame Badha}}''' ({{IPA|gu|əme bə.dʰã|pron|}}; {{translation|We All}}) is a [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] [[Comic novel|humorous novel]] co-authored by [[Dhansukhlal Mehta]] and [[Jyotindra Dave]], published in 1935. It is widely considered to be the second humorous novel in [[Gujarati literature]], after ''[[Bhadrambhadra]]'' (1900) by [[Ramanbhai Neelkanth]]. The novel presents the story of protagonist Vipin from his birth to marriage.

==Origin==
Gujarati writer [[K. M. Munshi]] suggested that the authors, Dhansukhlal Mehta and Jyotindra Dave, write a humorous novel for his publication ''Gujarati''. They agreed, and used to frequent Munshi's office and sometimes a restaurant to discuss the novel. Initially, the five chapters of the novel were serialized in ''[[Gujarati (magazine)|Gujarati]]''. When ''Gujarati'' was cancelled for unknown reasons, the novel was re-serialized in another magazine, ''[[Kaumudi (magazine)|Kaumudi]]''. It was later published as a book in 1935.<ref name=Lavaria2006>{{cite thesis|last=Lavaria|first=Labhubhai P|title=સ્વાતંત્ર્યોત્તર ગુજરાતી હાસ્ય સાહિત્ય: એક અભ્યાસ|trans-title=Post Independence Gujarati Humorous Literature: A Study|date=31 December 2006|type=Ph. D.|chapter-url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/47202|chapter=Chapter 4|publisher=Department of Gujarati, [[Gujarat University]]|location=Ahmedabad|pages=95|hdl=10603/47202 }}</ref>

The intent of both writers was to depict a picture of contemporary social life in [[Surat]].<ref name=Choudhuri2011>{{cite book|editor-last=Choudhuri|editor-first=Indra Nath|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: D-H|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hURlAQAACAAJ|volume=II|year=2011|edition=Revised|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delh|isbn=978-81-260-3080-4|page=1287}}</ref>

==Content==
Twenty-seven chapters long, the novel is narrated in [[First-person narrative|first person]]. It does not contain a continuous story, but presents events centered in [[Surat]], the native home of both authors.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Vala |first=Hari |title=ગુજરાતી હાસ્યનવલકથાઓ: એક સમિક્ષાત્મક અધ્યયન |trans-title=Gujarati Humorous Novels: A Critical Study |chapter-url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/36621 |type=Ph.D |language=gu |year=2011 |chapter=Chapter 2 |publisher=Department of Gujarati, [[Sardar Patel University]] |location=Vallabh Vidyanagar |pages=68|hdl=10603/36621 }}</ref> It offers a humorous account of social life in Surat. The plot follows the life of the protagonist, Vipin, from his birth until after his marriage.<ref name=Choudhuri2011/>

The authors expressed humor through the everyday lives of [[Surat]]i people. The content depicts typical first-hand knowledge of a 'Surat-born and bred' child, with the brush of a caricaturist. The Surati love for kite-flying, the barber's daily visits, the tailor's adventures in cutting and sewing, the washerman's duties, a hundred other rounds of visits of artisans and others are included in the novel. Some of the chapters from novel include the mode of teaching by the orthodox schoolmaster, the confusion at the time of a Surati wedding, the search for the proper bride, etc.<ref name="Jhaveri1956">{{cite book|last=Jhaveri|first=Krishnalal Mohanlal |author-link=Krishnalal Jhaveri |title=Further milestones in Gujarāti literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rqxHAAAAMAAJ|year=1956|edition=2nd|publisher=Forbes Gujarati Sabha|location=Mumbai|pages=322}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

==Reception==
The ''[[Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature]]'' mentions that the novel remains an unparalleled classic in the field of Gujarati humorous literature.<ref name=Choudhuri2011/>

==Adaptation==
A telefilm directed by Hridaynath Gharekhan, based on {{Lang|gu-latn|Ame Badha}}, was broadcast on [[DD Girnar]] as an episode on the TV series ''Indian Classics''.{{when|date=May 2018}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ddgirnar.com/uploadvideo/indian_classics%20July%202014.pdf#5 |title=INDIAN CLASSIC ARCHIVAL MASTER PROGRAMME DETAILS |publisher=DD Girnar |format=PDF |access-date=24 April 2018}}</ref> Dhansukhlal Mehta adapted the novel into a [[one-act play]], ''Sari Jatu Surat'' (1942).<ref name="Thaker2008">{{Cite book|script-title=gu:અભિનેય નાટકો (૩૬૦ ગુજરાતી નાટકોની રંગસૂચિ)|last=Thaker|first=Dhirubhai|publisher=[[Gujarati Vishwakosh]] Trust|year=2008|isbn=|edition=2nd|location=Ahmedabad|pages=170–171|language=gu|title=Abhiney Natako (360 Gujarati Natakoni Rangsuchi)|trans-title=Staged Plays (List of 360 Gujarati Plays)|author-link=Dhirubhai Thaker|oclc=945585883}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Google books|id=PqcRAQAAIAAJ}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1935 novels]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language novels]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian novels]]
[[Category:Novels set in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Indian humour]]
[[Category:Indian novels adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Indian autobiographical novels]]
[[Category:Novels set in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Novels first published in serial form]]
[[Category:Indian novels adapted into plays]]
[[Category:First-person narrative novels]]
[[Category:Collaborative novels]]
[[Category:Works originally published in Indian magazines]]

Ame Badha - Revision history

2fa at 05:38, 24 January 2026