Dattatreya Balkrishna Kalelkar (1 December 1885 – 21 August 1991), popularly known as Kaka Kalelkar, was an Indian independence activist, social reformer, journalist and an eminent follower of the
philosophy and methods of Mahatma Gandhi.
Biography
Kalelkar was born in
Satara on 1 December 1885. His family's ancestral village of Kaleli, near
Sawantwadi in
Maharashtra, gave him his surname Kalelkar. He matriculated in 1903 and completed B.A. in Philosophy from
Fergusson College, Pune in 1907. He appeared in the first year examination of LL.B. and joined Ganesh Vidyalaya in Belgaum in 1908. He worked for a while on the editorial staff of a nationalistic Marathi daily named Rashtramat, and then as a teacher at a school named Ganganath Vidyalaya in
Baroda in 1910. In 1912, the British government forcibly closed down the school because of its nationalistic spirit. He travelled to the Himalayas by foot and later joined
Acharya Kripalani on a visit to
Burma (
Myanmar) in 1913. He first met
Mahatma Gandhi in 1915.[1]
Influenced by Gandhi, he became member of
Sabarmati Ashram. He taught at Rashtriya Shala of Sabarmati Ashram. For some time, he served as the editor of Sarwodaya periodical which was run from the premises of the Ashram. He was imprisoned several times due to his participation in
Indian independence movement. With Gandhi's encouragement, he played an active role in establishing
Gujarat Vidyapith at
Ahmedabad, and served as its vice-chancellor from 1928 to 1935.[2] He retired from Gujarat Vidyapith in 1939.[1] Mahatma Gandhi called him Savai Gujarati, a quarter more than a Gujarati.[1]
In 1935, Kalelkar became member of Rashtabhasha Samiti, a committee whose objective was to popularize
Hindi-
Hindustani language as the national language of India. He was active with Gandhi Smarak Nidhi from 1948 to his death.[1]
Kalelkar wrote several books, including voluminous travelogues, in
Gujarati,
Marathi, and
Hindi. The following is a partial list of Kalelkar's books:
Quintessence of Gandhian Thought (English)
Profiles in Inspiration (English)
Stray Glimpses of Bapu (English)
Mahatma Gandhi's Gospel of Swadeshi (English)
Mahatma Gandhi Ka Swadeshi Dharma (Hindi)
Rashtriya Shiksha Ka Adarsha (Hindi)
Smaran Yatra (Marathi)
Uttarekadil Bhinti (Marathi) (also translated into English as Even behind the Bars)
Hindalgyacha Prasad (Marathi)
Lok-Mata (Marathi)
Latanche Tandav (Marathi)
Himalayatil Pravas (Marathi)
Himalayano Pravas (Gujarati)
Jeevan-Vyavastha (Gujarati)
Purva Africaman (Gujarati)
Jivavano Anand (Gujarati)
Jivata Tehvaro (Gujarati)
Mara Sansmarano (Gujarati)
Ugamano Desh (Gujarati)
Otterati Divaro (Gujarati) (also translated into English as Even behind the Bars)
Brahmadeshano Pravas (Gujarati)
Rakhadvano Anand (Gujarati)
Multi-Part Kaka Kalelkar Granthawali
Part 5: Atmacharitra
Part 6: Charitra Kirtan
Part 7: Geeta darshan
Part 8: Dharma
Part 9: Sahitya
Part 10: Diary
Part 11: Patra
Sahijan ka ped
Recognition
Kalelkar received a
Sahitya Akademi Award in 1965 for his Jeevan-Vyavastha, a collection of essays in Gujarati.[1] He was honored with
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1971 for his literary achievements.
The Government of India conferred on him
Padma Vibhushan (India's second-highest civilian award after the
Bharat Ratna) in 1964.[1][4] It also issued a commemorative stamp in his honor in 1985.
References
^
abcdefghBrahmabhatt, Prasad. અર્વાચીન ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યનો ઈતિહાસ : ગાંધીયુગ અને અનુગાંધીયુગ (History of Modern Gujarati Literature: Gandhi Era and Post-Gandhi Era) (in Gujarati). Parshwa Publication. pp. 38–51.