Dhirubhai Thaker
| Dhirubhai Thaker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
27 June 1918 Kodinar, Gujarat, India |
| Died |
22 January 2014 (aged 95) Ahmedabad, Gujarat |
| Occupation | author |
| Language | Gujarati |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Notable awards | Padma Bhushan, Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak |
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| Signature |
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Dhirubhai Thaker (27 June 1918 – 22 January 2014) was an Indian Gujarati writer, who was best known for creating the Gujarati Vishwakosh, a 25-volume encyclopedia of the Gujarati language.[1]
Life
He was born on 27 June 1918 in Kodinar near Junagadh, Gujarat, India to Premshankar Thaker. His native town was Viramgam, Ahmedabad. He had completed his primary education from Kodinar and Chanasma while secondary education from Chanasma and Siddhpur. He completed matriculation in 1934. He completed BA in 1939. He completed MA from Mumbai University in 1941. He was a professor at Gujarat College until 1960. He completed his PhD in 1956 and joined Modasa College in 1960. He retired from there later. He also served as a president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad from 1999 to 2001. He died on January 22, 2014 at Ahmedabad.[1][2]
Works
He was a lecturer by profession. He wrote criticism, essays, research and plays.[1]
He had written ten works on criticism, seven collections of essays, two research works, three biographies including his autobiography. He had also written on biographical play, two children's plays, one travelogue and two translations.[2] He had edited four study works, sixteen literary works, nine collections (with others) and history of Gujarati literature.[2]
He assembled 1700 subject experts to work on Gujarati Vishwakosh, a 25-volume encyclopedia of the Gujarati language which contains 25,000 pages and 23,000 entries.[1]
Awards
He was the recipient of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, the highest literary award in Gujarati language, in 1994 and the Narmad Award in 2012.[1][3] He had received Sahitya Gaurav Puraskar in 1998.[2]
He was awarded Padma Bhushan on January 25, 2014 for his contribution in field of literature and education.[4][5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Pioneer behind Gujarati Vishwakosh passes away at 96". The Times of India. January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 "મુખ્ય સંશોધક : ડૉ. ધીરુભાઈ ઠાકર". Gujarat Vishvakosh Trust (in Gujarati). Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ↑ "Narmad award for nonagenarian Dhirubhai Thakar". dnaindia.com. September 9, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ↑ "List of Padma awardees". The Hindu. January 26, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ↑ "7 Gujaratis in Padma awards list". The Times of India. January 26, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.