Musicalkd at 05:08, 3 August 2025

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{{Infobox writer
| name = Manishankar Ratnji Bhatt<br />Kant
| image = Manishankar Ratnji Bhatt.jpg
| caption = Kavi Kant
| pseudonym = Kant
| birth_name = Manishankar Ratnji Bhatt
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1867|11|20}}
| birth_place = [[Chavand, Gujarat|Chavand]], [[Baroda State]], British India (now [[Amreli district]], [[Gujarat]], India)
| death_date = {{death date and age|1923|6|16|1867|11|20}}
| death_place = Between [[Lahore]] and [[Rawalpindi]] on train, [[British India]]
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Poet
* essayist
* playwright
}}
| language = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
| nationality = [[India]]n
| education = [[Bachelor of Arts]]
| alma_mater = [[Bombay University]]
| period =
| genres = ''Khandkavya'', play, essay
| subjects =
| movement =
| notableworks =
* ''Siddhantsaarnu Avalokan'' (1920)
* ''[[Purvalap]]'' (1923)
| spouse = Narmada
| children =
| awards =
| signature =
| years_active =
}}
'''Manishankar Ratnji Bhatt''', popularly known as '''Kavi Kant''' was a [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] poet, playwright and essayist. He is an innovator of ''Khandkavya'', a typical Gujarati poetic form and narration of one episode. His book ''[[Purvalap]]'' (1923) is a landmark in Gujarati poetry.<ref name="Das1991">{{cite book|last=Das|first=Sisir Kumar|title=History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956, struggle for freedom : triumph and tragedy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqBjpV9OzcsC&pg=PA573|year=1991|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-7201-798-9|pages=573}}</ref>

==Life==
Kavi Kant was born in ''Prashnora Brahman Family'' on 20 November 1867 in [[Chavand, Gujarat|Chavand]], a village in [[Amreli district|Amreli Prant]] of [[Baroda state]], to Motibahen and Ratnaji Bhatt. His family's influence left him with a deep interest in both education and philosophy. He was a student of both Hindu and Biblical philosophy. He took his primary education at [[Mangrol State|Mangrol]], [[Morbi]] and [[Rajkot]]. He completed his [[Bachelor of Arts]] in 1888 from [[Bombay University]] with [[Logic]] and [[Moral philosophy]] subjects. He served as a teacher at [[Surat]] in 1889. From 1890 to 1898, he served as Professor and then Vice principal at Kalabhavan, [[Vadodara]].<ref name= "kk">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Kothari |first=Jayant |editor-last=Topiwala |editor-first=Chandrakant |editor-link= Chandrakant Topiwala|encyclopedia=Gujarati Sahityakosh (Encyclopedia of Gujarati Literature) |title=Bhatt Manishankar Ratnji |language= Gujarati |year=1990 |publisher=[[Gujarati Sahitya Parishad]] |volume=2 |location=Ahmedabad |pages=418}}</ref> He was on tour to [[Kashmir]] in 1923. While returning to [[Lahore]] from [[Rawalpindi]] in train, he died en route on 16 June 1923.<ref name="Manishankar Bhatt Kant, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad"/>

===Conversion===
[[File:CNI Church, Ghogha.jpg|thumb|CNI Church in Ghogha where Kant converted to Christianity]]
In 1891 his first wife Narmada died. The death of his wife affected Kant deeply, and he could not find solace in his own religion. His search for answers about life and death led him to the philosophy of [[Emanuel Swedenborg]]. His writings provided some relief for his grief and he converted to [[Christianity]] in 1898. His family and friends opposed his decision and due to public and political opposition, he had to give up his position as minister of education in the [[Bhavnagar State]]. The community shunned both him and his family. Kant took the decision to leave the community and his family, for the sake of his wife and children. Realizing the repercussions of Kant's decision, the King of Bhavnagar along with some of his friends formed an "intervention" of sorts to ask him to change his mind. He realized that he could not stand to see his family suffer because of this decision. He missed them dearly and did not want to be apart from them.<ref name="Manishankar Bhatt Kant, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad">{{cite web | title=સવિશેષ પરિચય: મણિશંકર ભટ્ટ 'કાન્ત', ગુજરાતી સાહિત્ય પરિષદ | website=Manishankar Bhatt Kant, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad | url=http://www.gujaratisahityaparishad.com/prakashan/sarjako/savishesh/Savishesh-Manishankar-Bhatt.html | language=gu | access-date=6 June 2015}}</ref>

==Literary work==
[[File:Plato's Phaedrus translated by Manishankar Bhatt Kant into Gujarati.jpg|thumb|[[Plato]]'s [[Phaedrus (dialogue)|Phaedrus]] translated by Kant into Gujarati]]
He wrote one poetry book called ''Purvalap'' (1923) that was released on the day he died. He invented a form of poetry called "Khand-Kavya", one type of [[Narrative poetry]], in Gujarati.<ref name="Das1991"/> He also wrote the plays ''Salimshah Athva Ashrumati'', ''Roman-Swarajya'', ''Dukhi Sansar'' and ''Guru Govindsinh'' between 1908 and 1914.<ref name="Manishankar Bhatt Kant, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{GujLit author}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kavi Kant}}
[[Category:Gujarati-language writers]]
[[Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language poets]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:Dramatists and playwrights from Gujarat]]
[[Category:People from Amreli district]]
[[Category:1867 births]]
[[Category:1923 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian essayists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian essayists]]
[[Category:Indian male essayists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Poets from Gujarat]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Dramatists and playwrights from British India]]
[[Category:Poets from British India]]
[[Category:Essayists from British India]]

Kavi Kant - Revision history

Musicalkd at 05:08, 3 August 2025