Chunilal Shah

{{Infobox writer

| name = Chunilal Vardhman Shah

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1887|5|2}}

| birth_place = Wadhwan, Saurastra, British India

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1966|5|12|1887|5|2}}

| death_place =

| occupation = Novelist, journalist

}}

Chunilal Vardhman Shah (1887–1966) was a Gujarati novelist and journalist from Gujarat, India.{{Cite book|last=Lal|first=Mohan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C&dq=chunilal+vardhman+shah+birth+date&pg=PA3940|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot|date=1992|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-260-1221-3}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u1joAAAAMAAJ&dq=chunilal+shah+gujarati+Author&pg=RA1-PA136|title=Janata|date=1959}} He was awarded the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 1937.

Biography

Shah was born in 1887 in Wadhwan, Saurastra, British India. After passing his matriculation exams in 1903, he worked as a school teacher before becoming a journalist in Sanj Vartaman. He subsequently worked for Rajasthan and Jainoday as sub-editor and editor, respectively. In 1909, he joined Prajabandhu and continued working there till it became defunct in 1953. Through his articles in Prajabandhu, he gave a new direction to Gujarati journalism by providing more serious and thought provoking editorials.{{Cite book|last=Kachot|first=Dr Sanjay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9UhDQAAQBAJ&dq=%E0%AA%9A%E0%AB%81%E0%AA%A8%E0%AB%80%E0%AA%B2%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%B2+%E0%AA%B5%E0%AA%B0%E0%AB%8D%E0%AA%A7%E0%AA%AE%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%A8+%E0%AA%B6%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%B9&pg=PA67|title=Madhyamo: Sansodhan ane Vishleshan|date=2015-01-02|publisher=RED'SHINE Publication. Inc|isbn=978-93-84190-13-2|language=gu}}

Shah wrote book reviews under the pseudonym Sahityapriya in Prajabandhu. He was awarded the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 1937. He was appointed a chairman of the journalism section of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad in 1941. Along with Gujarati he had command over Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, and English. He was deeply involved in Gandhi's political activities.{{Cite book|last1=Lieberman|first1=Karl|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ9z_P1-lXEC&dq=chunilal+shah+gujarati+Author&pg=PA114|title=Politics and the Novel in India|last2=Malik|first2=Yogendra K.|date=1975|publisher=E.J. Brill|language=en}} He wrote for the Gujarati magazine Gujarati Panch, started in 1901 by Mangaldas Shah.{{Cite book|last=Kachot|first=Dr Sanjay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mkwjDQAAQBAJ&dq=%E0%AA%9A%E0%AB%81%E0%AA%A8%E0%AB%80%E0%AA%B2%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%B2+%E0%AA%B5%E0%AA%B0%E0%AB%8D%E0%AA%A7%E0%AA%AE%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%A8+%E0%AA%B6%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%B9&pg=PT92|title=19 Mi Sadinu Gujarati Patrakaratva Pravaho ane Prabhav|date=2014-05-14|publisher=RED'SHINE Publication. Inc|isbn=978-93-84190-11-8|language=gu}} He was the vice president of Gujarat Sahitya Sabha from 1956 to 1964.{{cite book |first=Keshavram Kashiram |last=Shastri |author-link=Keshavram Kashiram Shastri |title=Gujarat Na Saraswato (Who's Who in Gujarati Literature) |year=1977 |publisher=Gujarat Sahitya Sabha |location=Ahmedabad |pages=14–15 |oclc=900401455}}

Works

Though he is popular as a novelist, he started his literary career writing poems. His historical novels were inspired by Narayan Visanji Thakkur. Avantinath translated his poems into Sanskrit. Tapovan deals with the issue of the joint family system, Vishchakra exposes evils in the society. Kantakchhayo Panth, his last major project, extended over three volumes. The novel traces political thinkers from 1857 to 1961, the entire freedom struggle, and depicts the difficulty through the word kantak (thorn). Some of the characters in these novels are historical, while some are fictitious.{{cite book|last=Jhaveri|first=Mansukhlal Maganlal|authorlink=Mansukhlal Jhaveri|title=History of Gujarati Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DA0RAAAAMAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|page=157|oclc=639128528}}

Jigar ane Ami is a romantic novel based on a true story. It was first serialised in Prajabandhu.{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Rozman|first=Ksenija|entry=Stroj [Stroy], Mihael|date=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|encyclopedia=Oxford Art Online|doi=10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t081856}} The Gujarati film Jigar ane Ami (1970) was based on this novel. The Hindi film actor Sanjeev Kumar and Kanan Kaushal played lead roles in the film.{{Cite book|last1=Gokulsing|first1=K. Moti|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=djUFmlFbzFkC&dq=Gujarati+Film+Jigar+ane+ami+was+based&pg=PA95|title=Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas|last2=Dissanayake|first2=Wimal|date=2013-04-17|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-77284-9|language=en}}

He wrote about books and authors in Grandh ane Grandhkar with Bachubhai Ravat and K K Shastri.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VB0lAQAAIAAJ&dq=chunilal+shah+gujarati+Author&pg=PA68|title=The Modern Review|date=1947|publisher=Prabasi Press Private, Limited|language=en}}

;Novels