Sahitya Akademi, 1954-2014 : celebrating 60 years

Language: English
Pages: 305

About The Book

Considered a classic of Gujarati Literature, Himalayan° Prawas is more than a mere chronicle of a Himalayan pilgrimage. The author has used it as a vehicle to roam the vast landscape of Indian history and culture. The physical journey described here happened in a two-month stretch in 1912. This chronicle was published in a series of articles starting in 1919 and continuing for several years. Published in the book form, it has seen six editions and continues to sell even today. It has been used as a textbook in many University curricula for students of Gujarati.

About The Author

Dattatreya Balkrishna `Kaka' Kalelkar (1885-1981) was a Gandhian nationalist, a scholar, a social reformer and an educationalist. Born a Marathi, he soared to such heights as a writer in Gujarati that Gujarat took pride in calling him 'Savai Gujarati' — a better Gujarati than the native Gujaratis. He was among the founder members of the Gujarat Vidyapith and later became its vice chancellor. Sahitya Akademi honored Kakasaheb's extraordinary literary achievements by making him a Fellow in 1971.

Ashok Meghani, an engineer by profession, took early retirement and has been devoting his leisure time to literary activity. He has translated three other Gujarati books into English with The Himalaya : A Cultural Pilgrimage being his first foray into the non-fiction world.

Translator’s Note

This work is an English translation of the original travelogue Himalayan° Prawas by Kakasaheb Kalelkar, considered a classic of Gujarati literature.

I had several reservations in undertaking this translation project. The principal cause of concern was a comment I had heard, "Kakasahe