Prahlad Parekh facts for kids

Prahlad Jethalal Parekh (born October 22, 1911 – died January 2, 1962) was an important Gujarati poet and translator from India. His writings played a big part in creating modern poetry in Gujarati literature.

Prahlad Parekh: A Poet for All Ages

Early Life and Education

Prahlad Parekh was born on October 22, 1911, in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. His father was Jethalal Parekh. He went to school at Dakshinamurti in Bhavnagar for his early education.

In 1930, Prahlad Parekh left high school to join the movement to free India from British rule. Because of this, he was put in jail. After he was released, he went back to Dakshinamurti to study more. He also studied at Gujarat Vidyapith and Santiniketan. While at Santiniketan, he was greatly inspired by the famous poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.

Later, in 1937, Parekh became a teacher at a Modern School in Vile Parle. The next year, he worked at a Gharshala (a type of homeschool) in Bhavnagar. From 1945 until his death on January 2, 1962, he taught at a high school in Mumbai.

His Poetic Style and Works

Prahlad Parekh was a poet who wrote after the time of Mahatma Gandhi. Unlike many poets of his time, his poetry was not mainly about Gandhi's ideas. Instead, he mostly wrote lyrical poetry. This type of poetry expresses strong feelings and emotions, often in a song-like way.

Parekh was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore's style of writing, especially his use of music in poetry and his deep, spiritual ideas. He also drew inspiration from the old Gujarati tradition of bhajans, which are devotional songs. Even though he didn't write a huge number of books, his works are considered very important. They helped modern poetry grow and become popular in Gujarati literature.

Some of his well-known works include:

• Gulab ane Sivali (1938): This is a story written in prose.
• Ruperi Sarovarne Kinare (1962): This is his translation of By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
• Bari Bahar (Out from the Window; 1940): This is one of his two collections of poems.
• Sarwani (The Spring; 1948): This is his second collection of poems.

Prahlad Parekh also wrote for children. His long stories for children include Rajkumarni Shodhma and Karunano Swayamvar. He also had an unpublished collection of children's poems called Tanmaniya. He translated a novel by Stefan Zweig into Gujarati, which he titled Ajaninu Antar. In 1962, he wrote an introductory book about discipline called Shistni Samasya.