A noble heritage: Short stories based on Saurashtra's folklore

by Jhaverchand Meghani, Vinod Meghani (Translator)

The book is one of the three published by the Bhavan. The stories are based on chivalry, bravery and other values and are illustrated with sketches, truly representative of the folk art and the environment of the contemporary Saurashtra. Each story carries a map of Saurashtra showing the sites of these stories.

Thirteen stories titled 'Jatashankar, the village courier,', 'A gharasiya woman,' 'A deed', 'Hospitality' and others are included in this book. Jatashankar is a village courier who begins talking to a couple walking form one village to another at night. Dacoits attack them and he dies while protecting the woman. Her husband goes away but she commits sati on the pyre of Jatashankar, an acquaintance of just an hour or so because he fought for her honour. Stories like these which show the courage, the principles and the thinking of people of Saurashtra are told in this book.

113 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2003

About the author

Jhaverchand Meghani (Gujarati: ઝવેરચંદ મેઘાણી; August 28, 1896 – March 9, 1947) was a noted poet, litterateur, social reformer and freedom fighter from Gujarat. He is a well known name in the field of Gujarati literature. He was born in Chotila. Mahatma Gandhi spontaneously gave him the title of Raashtreeya Shaayar (National Poet).[1] Besides this he received many awards like Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak and Mahida Paaritoshik in literature. He authored more than 100 books. His first book was a translation work of Rabindranath Tagore's ballad Kathaa-u-Kaahinee titled Kurbani Ni Katha (Stories of martyrdom) which was first published in 1922. He contributed widely to Gujarati folk literature. He went from village to village in search of folk-lores and published them in various volumes of Saurashtra Ni Rasdhar.[2] He was also the Editor of Phoolchhab Newspaper of Janmabhoomi group (which is being published till date from Rajkot).
A sample of his collection of folk tales from Saurashtra has recently been published in an English, with the translation done by his son Vinod Meghani. The three volumes published so far are titled A Noble Heritage, A Shade Crimson and The Ruby Shattered.[3]