2401:4900:50A7:ADB:491F:114B:CB99:7B2F at 10:13, 18 June 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox writer
| name=Dalpatram Dahyabhai Travadi
| image= Dalpatram old photo.jpg
| caption=
| native_name = દલપતરામ ડાહ્યાભાઈ ત્રવાડી
| native_name_lang = gu
| birth_date={{birth date|df=y|1820|1|21}}
| birth_place= [[Wadhwan]], [[Surendranagar]], [[Gujarat]], [[Mughal empire]]
| death_date={{death date and age|df=y|1898|3|25|1820|1|21}}
| death_place=[[Ahmedabad]], [[Bombay presidency]], [[British India]]
| occupation= poet, editor
| period=
| nationality=Indian
| language = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
| notableworks = ''[[Mithyabhiman]]'' (1870)
| signature=
| awards=
| children= [[Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi]] (son)
}}
'''Dalpatram Dahyabhai Travadi''' (21 January 1820 – 25 March 1898) was a [[Gujarati language]] poet during 19th century in India. He was the father of [[Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi]], a poet.

He led a social reform movements in [[Ahmedabad]], and wrote articles against superstitions, caste restrictions and child marriage. He dealt with the problem of widow remarriage at length in his poem, ''Vencharitra''.<ref name="Kendra2007">{{cite book|editor1-last=Thaker|editor1-first=Dhirubhai|editor1-link=Dhirubhai Thaker|editor2-last=Desai|editor2-first=Kumarpal|editor2-link=Kumarpal Desai|title=Gujarat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g4oMAQAAMAAJ|year=2007|publisher=Smt. Hiralaxmi Navanitbhai Shah Dhanya Gurjari Kendra, Gujarat Vishvakosh Trust|location=Ahmedabad|page=80|chapter=Social Reforms in Gujarat|oclc=680480939}}</ref>

==Biography==
Dalpatram was born on 21 January 1820 at [[Wadhwan]] city of [[Surendranagar district]] in a [[Brahmin]] family.his father name is dahyabhai. Dalpatram grew up to the resonant chanting of 'mantras' and recitations of religious scriptures. He was a child prodigy and displayed his extraordinary literary skills by composing ''hondula''s at the age of 12. He mastered the structures of rhyme, [[Poesias|poesis]] and 'Vrajbhasha' as a [[Swaminarayan (spiritual tradition)|Swaminarayan]] devotee under [[Brahmanand Swami]], and later moved to [[Ahmedabad]] at the age of 24.<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad">{{cite web | title=સવિશેષ પરિચય: કવિ દલપતરામ , ગુજરાતી સાહિત્ય પરિષદ | website=Dalpatram Kavi, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad | url=http://www.gujaratisahityaparishad.com/prakashan/sarjako/savishesh/Savishesh-Dalpatram-Kavi.html | language=gu | access-date=2017-02-15}}</ref>

Dalpatram died on 25 March 1898 at [[Ahmedabad]].<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad"/>

==Career==
Dalpatram was a [[Sanskrit]] scholar and poet.<ref name="NatarajanNelson1996">{{cite book|author1=Nalini Natarajan|author2=Emmanuel Sampath Nelson|title=Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&pg=PA100|access-date=16 February 2017|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28778-7|page=100|chapter= Chapter-4}}</ref> Dalpatram taught Gujarati language to [[Alexander Kinloch Forbes]], a British colonial administrator to Ahmedabad. Gujarati was considered at the bottom of language hierarchy during those times, so he preferred to write his poems in Brajbhasha instead of Gujarati, his mothertongue. Forbes encouraged him to write in Gujarati. Forbes and Dalpatram became close friends, and he inspired Dalpatram to write ''Laxmi Natak'' published in 1849, the first modern play in Gujarati, based on Greek drama ''[[Plutus (play)|Plutus]]''.<ref name=toi>{{cite news|url=http://m.timesofindia.com/city/ahmedabad/Briton-inspired-Dalpatram-to-write-in-Gujarati-language/articleshow/30639604.cms|title =Briton inspired Dalpatram to write in Gujarati language|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=2014-02-22|access-date=2014-02-22|last=Unnithan|first =Chitra}}</ref><ref name="Mukherjee1998">{{cite book|author=Sujit Mukherjee|title=A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YCJrUfVtZxoC&pg=PA83|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-1453-9|page=83}}</ref>

Forbes, who wanted [[Gujarati literature]] to develop, had helped start the [[Gujarat Vernacular Society]]. He served as its first assistant secretary and started the ''[[Buddhiprakash]]'' periodical in 1850, editing it until 1878. When Forbes died in 1865, Dalpatram composed ''Farbesvirah'', a Gujarati elegy, and ''Farbesvilas'', his account of the gathering of bards, both dedicated to him.<ref name=toi/> At the end of the 19th century, he was entitled ''Mahakavi'' (Great Poet) by [[Swaminarayan|Sahajanand Swami]], the founder of [[Swaminarayan Sampraday]].<ref name="NatarajanNelson1996"/><ref name="Mukherjee1998"/>

Unlike [[Narmad]], another prominent Gujarati poet of the same period, Dalpatram supported British rule for the benefits it gave India. Dalpatram also supported social reforms such as opposition to child marriage and allowing widows to remarry. Both Dalpatram and Narmad were the first Gujarati poets to address subjects connected to common life in their verses. Dalpatram's poems had subjects like English law, how to write an essay, and even "trees in a college compound". His verse often reflected his sense of humour.<ref name="NatarajanNelson1996"/>

Dalpatram was an authority on meters and wrote a treatise, ''Pingal'' ("Prosody"), which was used by scholars as a source book for many decades.<ref name="NatarajanNelson1996"/>

==Statue and Memorial==
[[File:Dalpatram Memorial - 2.JPG|thumb|Statue of Dalpatram at Lambeshwar ni Pol, [[Ahmedabad]]|left]]
In tribute to Dalpatram's work, AMC and citizens of Ahmedabad proposed a memorial at the site of his house, which was destroyed in 1985. With very few references or photographs available, it was very difficult to recreate the house. References were taken from the memories of residents and the architectural design of surrounding houses to create a memorial in the form of facade of the house and statue of Kavi Dalpatram in 2001.

In 2001, the memorial became a part of Heritage walk of Ahmedabad. The design of statue was debated before they came up with the idea of Kavi in sitting posture with a book in his lap.

The statue is made of bronze and weighs 120 kg.

The platform behind the statue displays the plan of the original house. The yellow stone on the floor indicates the walls, grey stone indicates the rooms and the black stone represents the open courtyard. The staircase is also marked with yellow stone.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd6CkE7dMUc |title=Kavi Dalpatram Memorial |date=7 February 2015}}</ref>

The memorial also serves as a platform for community gatherings. His plays and recitations are also enthusiastically performed on various occasions including his birthday. The Heritage department has taken the responsibility of maintenance of the Dalpatram Memorial.<ref name="Offensive 2013">{{cite web | title=Heritage walk revamp: Kavi Dalpatram Chowk gets facelift | website=The Times of India | date=2013-09-23 | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Heritage-walk-revamp-Kavi-Dalpatram-Chowk-gets-facelift/articleshow/22905740.cms | access-date=2017-02-15}}</ref>

==Contest with Narmad==
Just at the time when [[Narmad]] was emerging into celebrity (1859), Dalpatram who had already won his laurels, happened to visit Bombay for treatment of his eyes. Lovers of Gujarati poetry, they met together, and in the poetical contest that took place, naturally they warmed up and their audience took sides as to who was the better poet. The result was a lifelong estrangement between the two. The contest was continued in the public papers and a humorous paper. The ''Parsi Punch'', a weekly, published a cartoon, in which they were represented as fighting each other with the top-knot of the hair of their heads in their hands.<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=54–55}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

==Legacy==
He was a progressive thinker and advocated the upliftment of oppressed classes and women's empowerment. He used his literary skills to bring about changes in society.

The [[Kavishwar Dalpatram Award]] is named after him.

==Works==
His career spanned 6 books and 25 awards including drama, poems, songs, essays and articles. ''Hari Lila Amrut'', ''Ven Charitra'', ''[[Mithyabhiman]]'' and ''Laxmi'' are his major contributions.<ref name="Blackburn2004">{{cite book|author=Stuart H. Blackburn|title=India's Literary History: Essays on the Nineteenth Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2N046vzK824C&pg=PA357|access-date=16 February 2017|year=2004|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-7824-056-5|page=357}}</ref><ref name="Dwyer2001">{{cite book|author=Rachel Dwyer|title=The Poetics of Devotion: The Gujarati Lyrics of Dayaram|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u7XyeTFxY3wC&pg=PA54|access-date=16 February 2017|year=2001|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-7007-1233-5|page=54}}</ref>

* ''Laxmi'' (play)
* ''Shrey'' (play)
* ''Bapani Pinpar'' (poetry)
* ''[[Mithyabhiman]]'' (play)
* ''Farbesvirah'' (elegy)
* ''Farbesvilas'' (poetry)

==See also==
* [[Gujarati literature]]
* [[List of Gujarati-language writers]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{GujLit author}}
{{commons category}}
{{wikisource|gu:દલપત સાહિત્ય|દલપતરામ}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1820 births]]
[[Category:1898 deaths]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language writers]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language poets]]
[[Category:Gujarati theatre]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Poets from Gujarat]]
[[Category:19th-century male writers]]
[[Category:Dramatists and playwrights from Gujarat]]

Dalpatram - Revision history

2401:4900:50A7:ADB:491F:114B:CB99:7B2F at 10:13, 18 June 2021