Himanshi Shelat

{{Short description|Indian Gujarati-language author (Born: 1947)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}} {{Infobox writer | name = Himanshi Shelat | image = Himanshi Shelat.jpg | caption = Shelat in April 2006 | birth_name = Himanshi Indulal Shelat | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1947|1|8}} | birth_place = Surat, Gujarat | occupation = Short story writer | language = Gujarati | nationality = Indian | education = M.A., Ph.D. | alma_mater = | genres = | subjects = | notableworks = ''Andhari Galima Safed Tapakan'' (1992) | spouse = Vinod Meghani (1995 - 2009) | relatives = Jhaverchand Meghani (father in law) | awards = Sahitya Akadami Award (1996) | signature = Himanshi Shelat autograph.jpg | years_active = }}

'''Himanshi Indulal Shelat''' (born 8 January 1947) is a Gujarati author from Gujarat, India. She received Sahitya Akademi Award for Gujarati in 1996 for her short stories collection ''Andhari Galima Safed Tapakan'' (1992).

== Life == She was born on 8 January 1947 in Surat, Gujarat. She completed Bachelor of Arts in 1966 and Master of Arts in 1968. She obtained her Ph.D. on "V.S. Naipaul's novel" in 1981–82. She taught English literature at M.T.B. Arts College, Surat from 1968 to her voluntary retirement in October 1994.<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=262–265|language=gu|isbn=978-93-5108-247-7}}</ref><ref name= hs>{{cite book|title= હિમાંશી શેલતની વાર્તાકલા (The Art Elements Revealed in the Short Stories of Himanshi Shelat)|first=Varsha|last=Patel |publisher=Flamingo Publications|location=Ahmedabad|year=2015|pages=19–24|language=gu|isbn=978-93-82352-87-7}}</ref> She served as an advisory board member in Sahitya Akademi for 2013–2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/aboutus/gujarati.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122222442/http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/aboutus/gujarati.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-11-22|title=Sahitya Akademi - Members of Advisory Boards (Gujarati)|website=sahitya-akademi.gov.in|access-date=2016-09-12}}</ref>

She married Vinod Meghani, son of renowned Gujarati writer Jhaverchand Meghani, on 4 October 1995. Vinod Meghani died on 15 February 2009.<ref name= hs/>

== Works == She wrote her first story ''Saat Pagathiya Andhara Koovama'' in 1978 and published in ''Navneet'', a Gujarati magazine. Later the story was published as the best short story in ''Milap'', a magazine published from Bhavnagar. She is influenced by Indian authors such as Mahasweta Devi, Ashapoorna Devi, Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' and Jaywant Dalvi as well as English authors such as Jane Austen and George Eliot.<ref name=AGSI/><ref name= hs/>

''Antaral'', her first anthology of short stories, published in 1987 was followed by, ''Andhari Galima Safed Tapaka'' (1992), ''Ae Loko'' (1997), ''Sanjno Samay'' (2002), ''Panchavayka'' (2002), ''Khandaniyama Mathu'' (2004) and ''Garbhagatha'' (2009). ''Aathamo Rang'' (2001), ''Kyarima Aakash Pushpa ane Kala Patangiya'' (2006) and ''Saptadhara'' (2012) are three of her novels while ''Ekadani Chaklio'' (2004) and ''Dabe Hathe'' (2012) are her collections of essays. Her reminiscent writings are published as ''Platform number 4'' (1998) and ''Victor'' (1999) while her literary criticism is published as ''Paravastavavad'' (Surrealism; 1987) and ''Gujarati Kathasahityama Narichetna'' (Women consciousness in Gujarati prose; 2000).<ref name=AGSI/><ref>{{cite book|title= હિમાંશી શેલતની પ્રકીર્ણ સાહિત્યસૃષ્ટિ (Literary work of Himanshi Shelat)|first=Bharati|last=Rahamana |publisher=Daminee Publications|location=Ahmedabad|year=2014|pages=19–20|language=gu|isbn=978-93-84324-09-4}}</ref>

''Swami Ane Sai'' (1993), ''Antar-Chhabi'' (1998) and ''Pehlo Akshar'' (2005) are edited by her. ''Nokha Mijajno Anokho Chitrakar (Mahendra Desai)'' (2004) is her work of translation.<ref name=AGSI/>

== Awards == She received Sahitya Akadami Award for Gujarati in 1996 for her short story collection ''Andhari Galima Safed Tapakan'' (1992).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/awards/akademi%20samman_suchi.jsp#GUJARATI|title=AKADEMI AWARDS (1955-2015)|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084937/http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/awards/akademi%20samman_suchi.jsp#GUJARATI|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The same book also received prize from Gujarati Sahitya Parishad.<ref name=AGSI/> She received the 2024 Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar (Kuvempu National Award).<ref name="The Hindu 2024">{{cite news |title=Gujarati writer Himanshi Indulal Shelat bags Kuvempu national award|newspaper=The Hindu|date=18 December 2024|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/gujarati-writer-himanshi-indulal-shelat-bags-kuvempu-national-award/article69000195.ece|access-date=16 January 2025}}</ref>

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

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [http://gujaratisahityaparishad.com/prakashan/sarjako/savishesh/Savishesh-Himanshi-Shelat.html Himanshi Shelat on Gujarati Sahitya Parishad] (Gujarati)

{{s-start}} {{s-ach|aw}} {{s-bef | before = Varsha Adalja}} {{s-ttl | title = Recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Gujarati | years = 1996}} {{s-aft | after = Ashokpuri Goswami}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelat, Himanshi}} Category:Gujarati-language Indian writers Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Gujarati Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:People from Surat Category:20th-century Indian novelists Category:20th-century Indian short story writers Category:Indian literary critics Category:Indian women short story writers Category:Women writers from Gujarat Category:Indian women literary critics Category:Novelists from Gujarat Category:20th-century Indian women novelists