{{Short description|Gujarati author from India (1887-1955)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=September 2018}} {{Infobox writer | name = Ramnarayan Vishwanath Pathak | image =Ramnarayan Pathak.jpg | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = gu | pseudonym = Dwiref, Shesh, Swairvihari | birth_name = Ramnarayan Vishwanath Pathak | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1887|4|9}} | birth_place = Ganol, Dholka Taluka, Ahmedabad, Bombay presidency, British India | death_date= {{death date and age|df=y|1955|8|21|1887|4|9}} | death_place = Bombay (now Mumbai) | occupation = Writer, critic | language = Gujarati | nationality = Indian | education = Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law | alma_mater = Wilson College, Mumbai | period = Gandhian Era | genres = | subject = | movement = | notableworks = ''Brihat Pingal'' | spouse = Heera Pathak | children = | relatives = | awards = {{plainlist| * Narmad Suvarna Chandrak (1949) * Sahitya Akademi Award (1956) }} | years_active = | signature = Ramnarayan Pathak autograph.svg | module={{Infobox academic | child= yes | doctoral_students = Dhirubhai Thaker }} }}
'''Ramnarayan Vishwanath Pathak''' was an Indian Gujarati-language poet, short story writer, essayist and literary critic from India. Profoundly influenced by Gandhian thought, Pathak wrote criticism, poetry, drama, metrics and short stories. He edited and translated several literary works. He was appointed the president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad (Gujarati Literary Council) in 1946. He was awarded the Narmad Suvarna Chandrak for his book ''Prachin Gujarati Chhando'' in 1949 and Sahitya Akademi Award for ''Bruhat Pingal'' in 1956.
== Early life == [[File:Chunilal Madia and Ramnarayan Pathak.jpg|thumb|Ramnarayan Pathak and Chunilal Madia|left|upright=0.9]] Ramnarayan Vishwanath Pathak was born on 8 April 1887 in Ganol, a village in Gujarat (now in Dholka Taluka, Ahmedabad district). He completed primary and secondary education from Jetpur, Rajkot, Jamkhambhaliya and Bhavnagar. In 1904, he matriculated and enrolled at Samaldas College, Bhavnagar, receiving scholarship. Then he joined Wilson College, Mumbai (then Bombay), and in 1908 completed a Bachelor of Arts in logic and morale philosophy, for which he received a fellowship.
== Career and activism == Pathak taught Sanskrit at Wilson College. In 1911, he completed a Bachelor of Laws from Bombay University and worked as a legal advocate in Ahmedabad and Sadra for seven years. Later, when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, he left the legal practice and settled in Sadra in 1919. On invitation by Indulal Yagnik, he briefly worked as the principal of J. L. New English School of Gujarat Kelvani Mandal in 1920. During the non-cooperation movement in 1920, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi which led him to join Gujarat Vidyapith along with Rasiklal Parikh as a professor in 1921. He taught logic, epistemology and literature there until 1928. During this time, his articles on education and literature were published in magazines ''Sabarmati'', ''Puratatva'', ''Yugdharma'' and ''Gujarat''. He left Gujarat Vidyapith and served as an editor of ''Prasthan'', a Gujarati magazine founded in 1926. He participated in different movements led by Gandhi for which he was jailed.
From 1935, he joined SNDT University, Bombay as a professor. He also taught at L. D. Arts College, Ahmedabad; at Bhavan's College and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay; and at the post-graduate department of Gujarat Vidhya Sabha until 1952. He was engaged with teaching and research activities at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, until his death. In 1953, he served as an adviser to Gujarati department of Bombay Radio Station. He served as the president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad (Gujarati Literary Council) in 1946.<ref name=rp>{{cite thesis |last=Borisagar |first=Bhavesh |date=2016 |title=Translation Of Selected Short Stories Of Ramnarayan Pathak From Gujarati Into English With A Critical Introduction |type= Ph.D|chapter=Chapter 1 |publisher=Saurashtra University |chapter-url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/126479/6/06_chapter%201.pdf |access-date=8 March 2017|hdl=10603/126479}}</ref><ref name="Gujaratilexicon.com">{{cite web | title=Beyond The Beaten Track - Ramnarayan Pathak | website=Gujaratilexicon.com | url=http://www.gujaratilexicon.com/poems/view/6 | language=gu | accessdate=2017-03-09}}</ref><ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad" />
He died on 21 August 1955 in Mumbai following a cardiac arrest.<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad" />
=== Personal life === Pathak married twice. His second marriage was to Heera Pathak, who was also poet and literary critic. The couple had no children.<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=PA124|accessdate=8 March 2017|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28778-7|page=124}}</ref><ref name="Gujaratilexicon.com"/>
== Works == [[File:Brihatpingal title page.png|thumb|Title page of ''Brihatpingal'', published in Devanagari script, 1955]] Pathak was a prolific writer of criticism, poetry, drama, metrics and short stories, and also edited and translated works of others.<ref name=rp/> Pathak was profoundly influenced by Gandhian thought but retained his originality and literary exuberance.<ref name="Gujaratilexicon.com"/>{{according to whom|date=January 2019}} He wrote short stories under the pen name "Dwiref", poems under "Shesh" and essays under "Swairvihari".<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad" /> His literary career began with a critical article, "The poems of poet Balashankar Ullasram Kantharia", published in the first issue of ''Sabarmati'' in 1922. He also wrote literary observations for ''Yugdharm''.<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad">{{cite web | title=સવિશેષ પરિચય: રામનારાયણ વિ. પાઠક| website=Gujarati Sahitya Parishad | url=https://gujaratisahityaparishad.com/prakashan/sarjako/savishesh/Savishesh-Ra-Vi-Pathak.html | language=gu | accessdate=2017-04-27}}</ref>
Pathak is well known for his Gujarati short stories.<ref name=rp/> He published three volumes of short stories entitled ''Dwirefni Vato'' (1928, 1935, 1942). His most acclaimed stories are ''Mukundrai'', ''Khemi'' and ''Jakshani''. The first of these suggests that modern education degenerates human values; the second is of love between two members of the lower castes considered to be his most memorable characters; the third reflects his subtle sense of humor.<ref name="Lal1992">{{cite book|author=Mohan Lal|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C&pg=PA4041|accessdate=8 March 2017|year=1992|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-260-1221-3|page=4041}}</ref><ref name="Awasthy2004">{{cite book|author=Rajendra Awasthy|title=Selected Gujarati Short Stories|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1cbGW2UAqwgC&pg=PA8|accessdate=8 March 2017|year=2004|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-89182-01-4|page=8}}</ref> His stories are emotionally linked with life.<ref name="NatarajanNelson">{{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=PA113|accessdate=15 April 2017|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=London|isbn=978-0-313-28778-7|page=113}}</ref>{{according to whom|date=January 2019}}
He published a collection of 68 poems, ''Sheshna Kavyo'' (1938), expanded to 73 in a second edition (1951). ''Visheshna Kavyo'', his other collection of poems, was published posthumously in 1959.<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad" /><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=PA132|accessdate=8 March 2017|year=1992|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-7201-324-0|page=132}}</ref>
He considered criticism as an act of social responsibility.<ref name="NatarajanNelson"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Selected Stories from Gujarat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5ghkJaKIVTsC&pg=PT12|accessdate=25 April 2017|date=1 January 2002|publisher=Jaico Publishing House|location=Mumbai|isbn=978-81-7224-955-7|page=12}}</ref> His critical works include ''Arvachin Kavya Sahityana Vaheno'' (1935) and ''Sahityavimarsha'' (1939). His other critical works include ''Arvachin Gujarati Kavyasahitya'' (1933), ''Kavya Ni Shakti'' (1939), ''Aalochana'' (1944), ''Narmadashankar Kavi'' (1936), ''Narmad: Arvachin Gadya Padya No Aadya Praneta'' (1945), ''Sahityalok'' (1954), ''Nabhovihar'' (1961) and ''Aakalan'' (1964). He wrote a critical introduction for ''Sharadsamiksha'' (1980), and translated stories of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Some of his critical articles are also published in ''Kavyaparishilan'' (1965).<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad"/>
''Kulangar ane Biji Krutio'' (1959, posthumous) is a collection of dramas while ''Swairvihar part 1-2-3'' (1931, 1937), ''Nitya no Aachar'' (1945) and ''Manovihar'' (1956) are collections of his essays.<ref name=rp/><ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad" />
Pathak did extensive research in metres of poetry published as ''Brihat Pingal'', for which he was recognized with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1956. It is a scientific presentation of structure and history of Gujarati prosody.<ref name="Laal1992">{{cite book|author=Mohan Lal|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C&pg=PA4148|year=1992|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-260-1221-3|pages=4148}}</ref><ref name="Das1991">{{cite book|author=Sisir Kumar Das|title=History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956, struggle for freedom : triumph and tragedy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqBjpV9OzcsC&pg=PA850|accessdate=17 March 2017|year=1991|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-7201-798-9|page=850}}</ref> He co-edited several works with Umashankar Joshi; ''Kavyatatvavichar'' (1939), ''Sahityavichar'' (1942), ''Digdarshan'' (1942), ''Vicharmadhuri: Part 1'' (1946). He also edited annotated edition of ''Purvalap'', ''Apno Dharma'' (3rd edition, 1942), ''Ras Ane Garba'' (with Govardhan Panchal, 1954), ''Govindgaman'' (with Narhari Parikh, for textbook, 1923). He also edited ''Kavyasammuchchay'' Part 1-2 (1924) and ''Kavyaparichay'' (with Nagindas Parekh, 1928).<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad" />
He co-translated several works including Mammata Bhatta's ''Kavyaprakash 1-6'' (with Rasiklal Parikh, 1924), ''Dhammapad'' (with Dharmanand Kosambi, 1924) and ''Chumban ane Biji Vartao'' (as ''Vama'' in second edition, with Nagindas Parekh, 1928).<ref name=rp/> His other works include ''Pramanpraveshika'' (1922) and ''Nityano Achar'' (1945).<ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad" />
== Recognition == [[File:Ra.Vi Pathak Hall at Gujarat Sahitya Parishad.jpg|thumb|R. V. Pathak Hall of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad is named after him.]]
Umashankar Joshi honoured him as ''Sahitya Guru'' of the Gandhian era and Yashvant Shukla considers him "the highest peak of Gujarati short stories".<ref name=rp/>
He was awarded Motisinhji Mahida Gold Medal in 1943 for his short story ''Uttar Marg no Lop'' (1940), Hargovinddas Kantawala Award and Narmad Suvarna Chandrak for ''Prachin Gujarati Chhando'' in 1949 and Sahitya Akademi Award for ''Bruhat Pingal'' in 1956.<ref name=rp/><ref name="Gujarati Sahitya Parishad" />
== See also == * List of Gujarati-language writers
== References == {{reflist}}
== Further reading == * {{cite book |title=Ramnarayan V. Pathak (Sarjak ane Vivechak) |last=Pathak |first=Jayant |author-link=Jayant Pathak |series=Sahitya Sarjak Shreni |language=gu |publisher=Adarsha Prakashan |location=Ahmedabad |date=2007 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-81-904605-5-2}}
== External links == * {{Gbooks-author|Ramnarayan Vishvanath Pathak}} * {{Internet Archive author|sname=ramnarayan pathak}} * {{Gujarati Vishwakosh}} * [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9AjDttzSzzQ&feature=youtu.be/ Speech on Ramnarayan Pathak] by Raghuveer Chaudhari {{Sahitya Akademi Award for Gujarati}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pathak, Ramnarayan V.}} Category:1887 births Category:1955 deaths Category:20th-century Indian essayists Category:Gujarati-language poets Category:20th-century Indian short story writers Category:20th-century Indian poets Category:20th-century Indian translators Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Gujarati Category:Gujarati-language Indian writers Category:Indian literary critics Category:People from Ahmedabad district Category:Presidents of the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad