ErlindaLamson9 at 15:48, 16 March 2026

2026-03-16T15:48:09Z

New page

{{Short description|Gujarati social reformer, essayist, diarist and teacher (1809-1876)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Durgaram Mehta
| image = Durgaram Manchharam Mehta.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Durgaram Mehta
| birth_name = Durgaram Manchharam Dave
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1809|12|25}}
| birth_place = [[Surat]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_date = {{Death year and age|1876|1809}}
| death_place =
| occupation = Social reformer, essayist, diarist, school-teacher
| known_for = foundation of [[Manav Dharma Sabha]]
| notable_works =
}}
'''Durgaram Manchharam Dave''' (1809–1876), popularly known as '''Durgaram Mehta''' or '''Durgaram Mehtaji''', was a [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] social reformer, essayist, [[diarist]] and teacher from [[British Raj|British India]]. Along with his companions, he founded the [[Manav Dharma Sabha]], the first reform association in Gujarat, at [[Surat]] in 1844, and pioneered social reform activities in the region. He was the first to use autobiographical writing in [[Gujarati literature]] by keeping minutes of the transactions of the Manav Dharma Sabha with his comments and views.

==Early life==
Durgaram was born in Vadnagara [[Nagar Brahmin]] family on 25 December 1809 in [[Surat]].<ref name="Shastri1977">{{Cite book|title=ગુજરાતના સારસ્વતો|last=Shastri|first=Keshavram Kashiram|publisher=[[Gujarat Sahitya Sabha]]|year=1977|edition=1st|location=Ahmedabad|language=gu|script-title=gu:Gujaratna Saraswato|trans-title=Who's Who in Gujarati Literature|page=51|oclc=900401455|author-link=Keshavram Kashiram Shastri}}</ref><ref name="Raval1986">{{cite journal|last=Raval|first=R. L.|title=Social Environs and Refom Movement in 19th Century Gujarat : The Case of Durgaram Mehtaji|year=1986|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=47 (VOLUME I)|pages=591–598|jstor=44141608}}{{Subscription required}}</ref> His mother, Nanigauri, died when he was eleven, and thereafter he was brought up by his aunt.<ref name="Chavda1982">{{cite book|first=Vijay Singh |last=Chavda|title=Modern Gujarat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jIluAAAAMAAJ|year=1982|publisher=New Order Book Company|location=Ahmedabad|chapter=Durgaram 'Mehtaji' and the Manav Dharma Sabha in 1844|page=167–|oclc=9477811}}</ref>

At the age of twelve, he was employed by a firm on a very low salary. Though he was fond of reading books, there were not many easily available. He accompanied his aunt to Bombay in 1825 and studied for six months in a government Gujarati School free of charge and was found capable to handle a school. Hence In 1826, he returned to Surat and opened a Gujarati school on behalf of government, at [[Haripura]] on 13 September, on a monthly salary of 20 rupees. In 1827, he was sent to [[Olpad]] near Surat to open a new school.<ref name="Chavda1982"/>

== Personal life ==
In 1831, he married, at the age of 22, a 10 years old girl, who died in 1838, and thereafter he married for the second time (in 1853<ref name="Raval1986"/>) when he was 44 with a girl of 11 years.<ref name="Chavda1982"/> Since Durgaram himself was a strong supporter of widow-remarriage, the event of his second marriage has been criticised by [[Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth]], biographer of Durgaram.<ref name="Shukla2002">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Shukla|first=Jaykumar R.|title=મહેતાજી, દુર્ગારામ|trans-title=Mehtaji, Durgaram|editor-last=Thaker|editor-first=Dhirubhai|editor-link=Dhirubhai Thaker|encyclopedia=ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ [Gujarati Encyclopedia]|date=January 2002|edition=1st |volume=15|publisher=[[Gujarati Vishwakosh|Gujarati Vishwakosh Trust]]|location=Ahmedabad|pages=500–501|oclc=248968453}}</ref> Durgaram died in 1876.<ref name="Shastri1977"/>

==Social reform==
Durgaram is considered to be pioneer of social reform activities in Gujarat. He concentrated his attention on the problem of widows, and led a movement supporting widow remarriages. Despite strong opposition of the orthodox section of society, he continued to support such reform activity, but later he gave up this activity when he married a teenager girl after he became a widower.<ref name="Gujarat2007">{{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=78|chapter=Social Reforms in Gujarat|oclc=680480939}}</ref>

===Manav Dharma Sabha===
{{main|Manav Dharma Sabha}}

Durgaram believed that among the Hindus there are many sects and ''[[sampradaya]]s'' and this state prevented them from believing in one God. He therefore desired that some effort must be made to make people see the truth and with this in mind, he thought of founding an association in his native town of Surat.<ref name="Chavda1982"/> Around 1842, Durgaram came in contact with [[Dadoba Pandurang]], who transferred from the [[Elphinstone High School|Elphinstone Institute]] of Bombay to the Government English School, Surat. Dadoba, closely associated with the social reformers group of Bombay, encouraged Durgaram to start a reform association. Henry Green, the headmaster of Surat English School, also supported Durgaram. On 22 June 1844, Durgaram, along with Dadoba, Dalpatram Master, Damodardas and Dinmanishankar, founded the Manav Dharma Sabha, which became a main center for the social reform activities. It is regarded as the first reform association of Gujarat.<ref name="Raval1986"/>

On 10 February 1843, with the suggestion of Dadobha, Durgaram already had prepared the seven basic principles of the Manav Dharma Sabha. They were:<ref name="Raval1986"/>

# There is One God, the Creator of all this Universe.
# All human beings belong to one fraternity.
# Religion is one for all men : yet, if they follow several faiths each one believing in one's own, one is only following the bent of one's mind.
# Men should be judged by the qualities they have; and not by their lineage (or caste).
# Men should act with discrimination.
# The object of all the action should be to win the grace of God.
# All should be taught the importance of the path of Righteousness.

In 1846, Dadoba transferred to Bombay, and, in 1850, Durgaram left Surat permanently and then the Manav Dharma Sabha was disbanded.<ref name="Raval1986"/><ref name="Gujarat2007"/>

==Writings==
Durgaram is noted for his diary which records his public activities and minutes of the Manav Dharma Sabha from 1843 to 1845. He used to jot down all his ideas and experience in connection with the field of education and such activities in diary regularly. This diary served as the first autobiographical notes in Gujarati. Later on the basis of this diary Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth wrote biography of Durgaram under the title ''Mehtaji Durgaram Manchharamnu Jivancharitra''.<ref name="Datta1989">{{cite book|editor-last=Datta|editor-first=Amaresh|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: k to navalram|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Ur27mKvc_kC|year=1989|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-260-1804-8|page=2653}}</ref><ref name="Jhaveri1978">{{cite book|last=Jhaveri|first=Mansukhlal Maganlal|author-link=Mansukhlal Jhaveri|title=History of Gujarati Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DA0RAAAAMAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|page=142|oclc=462837743}}</ref>

He also wrote a book on science named ''Vijnan Nu Pustak''.<ref name="Chavda1982"/>

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Durgaram}}
[[Category:1809 births]]
[[Category:1876 deaths]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language writers]]
[[Category:People from Surat]]
[[Category:Indian social reformers]]
[[Category:Indian diarists]]
[[Category:Indian male essayists]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian essayists]]
[[Category:Mehta family|Durgaram]]
[[Category:19th-century diarists]]
[[Category:Essayists from British India]]

Durgaram Mehta - Revision history

ErlindaLamson9 at 15:48, 16 March 2026