Bhoirake at 07:56, 31 December 2025

2025-12-31T07:56:56Z

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{{short description|Indian writer (Born: 1938)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Ila Arab Mehta
| image = Ila Arab Mehta.jpg
| caption = Ila Arab Mehta in 1995
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1938|6|16}}
| birth_place = [[Mumbai]]
| death_date = 
| death_place =
| occupation = Novelist and short story
| language = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
| nationality = Indian
| education =
| alma_mater =
| home_town =
| period =
| notable_works =
| spouse = 
| signature = Ila Arab Mehta autograph.svg
}}

'''Ila Arab Mehta''' (born 16 June 1938) is a [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] novelist and story writer from [[Gujarat]], India.

==Biography==
Mehta was born on 16 June 1938 at [[Bombay]] (now [[Mumbai]]) to Gujarati writer [[Gunvantrai Acharya]]. Her family belonged to [[Jamnagar]]. She completed her schooling from Jamnagar, Rajkot and Mumbai. She completed BA with Gujarati in 1958 from [[Ramnarain Ruia College]] and MA in 1960. She taught at Ruia College from 1960 to 1967 and later at [[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai]] from 1970 to her retirement in 2000.<ref name=AGSI>{{cite book|title=અર્વાચીન ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યનો ઈતિહાસ - આધુનિક અને અનુઆધુનિક યુગ (History of Modern Gujarati Literature – Modern and Postmodern Era)|first=Prasad|last=Brahmabhatt |publisher=Parshwa Publication|location=Ahmedabad|year=2010|pages=265–266|language=gu|isbn=978-93-5108-247-7}}</ref><ref name=sa>{{cite web|url=http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/library/meettheauthor/ila_arab_mehta.pdf|title=Meet The Author: Ila Arab Mehta|website=Sahitya Akademi, Delhi|date=26 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223130220/http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/library/meettheauthor/ila_arab_mehta.pdf|archive-date=23 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="George1992">{{cite book|author=K. M. George|title=Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Surveys and poems|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m1R2Pa3f7r0C&pg=PA143|year=1992|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-7201-324-0|page=143}}</ref><ref name="Dutt1999">{{cite book|author=Kartik Chandra Dutt|title=Who's who of Indian Writers, 1999: A-M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QA1V7sICaIwC&pg=PA743|year=1999|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-260-0873-5|pages=743–744}}</ref>

==Works==
In her early days, Mehta wrote in ''Akhand Anand'', ''Navneet'' and ''Stree Jeevan'' magazines. She has written several novels including ''Trikonni Tran Rekhao'' (1966), ''Thijelo Akar'' (1970), ''Radha'' (1972), ''Ek Hata Diwan Bahadur'' (1976), ''Batris Laksho'' (1976), ''Varasdar'' (1978), ''Avati Kalno Sooraj'' (1979), ''Batris Putalini Vedana'' (1982), ''Ane Mrityu'' (1982), ''Dariyano Manas'' (1985), ''Vasant Chhlake'' (1987), ''Nag Pariksha'', ''Panch Pagala Prithvi Par'' (1995), ''The New Life'' (2004), ''Parpotani Aankh'' (1988), ''Zili Me Kumpal Hathelima'' (2007). ''Jaherkhabarno MAnas'' (1985), ''Shabne Naam Hotu Nathi'' (1981) are novels with different subjects.<ref name=AGSI/><ref name=sa/><ref name="Dutt1999"/> Her novel ''Vaad'' (2011) is translated in English as ''Fence'' (2015) by [[Rita Kothari]].<ref name="Desai 2015">{{cite web | last=Desai | first=S. D. | title=Who is That Across the Fence? | website=The Indian Express | date=18 July 2015 | url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/who-is-that-across-the-fence/ | accessdate=23 December 2016}}</ref> Her novel ''Batris Putlini Vedna'' is a story of women's struggle against injustice done to them and their attempt to establish their own identity. It centred around Anuradha, a main protagonist of the novel, and presents her anger against male [[chauvinism]] in the same way as [[Kundanika Kapadia]]'s ''Saat Paglan Akashman'' (Seven Steps in the Sky; 1994).<ref name="DasguptaLal2007">{{cite book|author1=[[Sanjukta Dasgupta]]|author2=[[Malashri Lal]]|title=The Indian Family in Transition: Reading Literary and Cultural Texts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4r-GAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA181|accessdate=26 March 2017|date=13 November 2007|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-81-321-0163-5|page=181}}</ref>

''Ek Cigarette Ek Dhupsali'' (1981), ''Viena-Woods'' (1989), ''Bhagyarekha'' (1995), ''Balavo Balvi Balvu'' (1998), ''Yom Kippur'' (2006). ''Ila Arab Mehtano Varta Vaibhav'' (2009) are her collections of stories. She has edited ''Varsha Adaljani Shreshth Vartao'' (1991), selected stories of [[Varsha Adalja]].<ref name=AGSI/><ref name=sa/><ref name="Dutt1999"/>

''Mrityu Naam Parpota Mare'' (1984) is her compilation of literary works by various authors on death.<ref name=sa/>

Her writing is considered feminist.<ref name="Sathian 2016">{{cite web | last=Sathian | first=Sanjena | title=When a Respected Author Becomes an Accidental Feminist | website=OZY | date=2016-05-16 | url=http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/when-a-respected-author-becomes-an-accidental-feminist/67495 | accessdate=2016-12-23}}</ref><ref name="NatarajanNelson1996"/>

==Awards==
She has been awarded by [[Gujarat Sahitya Akademi]], Maharashtra Gujarati Sahitya Akademi, and [[Gujarati Sahitya Parishad]].<ref name=sa/>

==Personal life==
She married Arab Mehta, a doctor, in 1964 and has a son, Salil and a daughter, Sonali. She lives in Mumbai. Her father [[Gunvantrai Acharya]] and her younger sister [[Varsha Adalja]] are also Gujarati writers.<ref name=sa/><ref name="NatarajanNelson1996">{{cite book|author1=Nalini Natarajan|author2=Emmanuel Sampath Nelson|title=Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&pg=PA127|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28778-7|page=127}}</ref>

==References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commonscatinline}}
*{{Gbooks-author|Ilā Ārab Mahetā}}
* {{Gujarati Vishwakosh}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arab Mehta, Ila}}
[[Category:Women writers from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian short story writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language Indian writers]]
[[Category:University of Mumbai alumni]]
[[Category:Indian feminist writers]]
[[Category:Novelists from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Writers from Mumbai]]

Ila Arab Mehta - Revision history

Bhoirake at 07:56, 31 December 2025