Swami Anand: Difference between revisions

| birth_date    = 1887

| death_date    =25 January 1976 (aged 88–89)

| occupation    = Writer, monk, activist

| years_active  =

'''Swami Anand''' (1887 – 25 January 1976) was a monk, a [[Gandhian]] activist and a [[Gujarati language|Gujarati writer]] from India. He is remembered as the manager of [[M.K. Gandhi|Gandhi's]] publications such as ''Navajivan'' and ''[[Young India]]'' and for having inspired Gandhi to pen his autobiography, ''[[The Story of My Experiments with Truth]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Autobiography|url=http://www.mkgandhi.org/intro_autobio.htm|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref> He wrote sketches, memoir, biographies, philosophy, travelogues and translated some works.

Swami Anand was born Himmatlal on 8 September 1887 at Shiyani village near [[Wadhwan]] to Ramchandra Dave (Dwivedi) and Parvati in Audichya Brahmin family. His father was a teacher. He was among seven siblings.<ref name=":0" /> He was brought up and educated in [[Bombay]]. At the age of ten, he left home in opposition to marriage and due to an offer by monk to show him god. He wondered for three years with several different monks. He took a vow of renunciation while still in his teens, took on the name Swami Anandnand and became a monk with the [[Ramakrishna Mission]]. He also lived at the [[Advaita Ashrama|Advaita Ashram]] where he studied.<ref name="books.google">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=KnPoYxrRfc0C&pg=PA4253|title=The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature (Volume Five (Sasay To Zorgot), Volume 5|last=Lal|first=Mohan|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|year=1992|isbn=9788126012213|location=New Delhi|pages=4253, 4254}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Venkatraman|first=T.|title=Discovery of Spiritual India|year=2007|publisher=lulu.com|location=Jersey City|pages=139|url=https://books.google.com/?id=Xd_rc7vWaEQC&pg=PA139&lpg=PA139&dq=%22Swami+Anand%22+gandhi#v=onepage&q=%22Swami%20Anand%22%20gandhi&f=false|isbn=9781435704725}}</ref><ref name="AGSI2">{{cite book|title=અર્વાચીન ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યનો ઈતિહાસ (ગાંધીયુગ અને અનુગાંધી યુગ)|last=Brahmabhatt|first=Prasad|publisher=Parshwa Publication|year=2007|isbn=|location=Ahmedabad|pages=60–63|language=gu|script-title=gu:Arvachin Gujarati Sahityano Itihas (Gandhiyug Ane Anugandhi Yug)|trans-title=History of Modern Gujarati Literature (Gandhi Era & Post-Gandhi Era)|url-status=live}}</ref>  

Anand's entry into the [[Indian independence movement]] was through his association with the [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|revolutionaries of Bengal in 1905]]. Later, he worked in the ''[[Kesari (newspaper)|Kesari]]'', the Marathi newspaper founded by [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]], in 1907.<ref name="AGSI2" /><ref name="gandhi-manibhavan">{{cite web|url=http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/gandhicomesalive/comesalive_associates_india.htm#Swami%20Anand|title=Gandhiji's Associates in India|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref> He was also involved in independence activities in rural regions. He also edited Gujarati edition of Marathi daily ''Rashtramat'' during the same period. When it was closed down, he travelled Himalayas in 1909. In 1912, he taught at the Hill Boys School in [[Almoda]] which was founded by [[Annie Besant]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="AGSI2" />

[[Mahatma Gandhi]] first met Anand in Bombay on 10 January 1915, the day after he had returned from South Africa.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chronological Sketch of Gandhi in Bombay|url=http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/aboutgandhi/chrono_gandhiinbombay.htm|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref> Gandhi launched his weekly, the ''[[Navjivan (newspaper)|Navjeevan]]'' from [[Ahmedabad]] four years later. Its inaugural issue came out in September 1919 and soon the workload increased. It was at this juncture that Gandhi sent for Anand to become the manager of the publication. Swami Anand took over its management in late 1919. He proved to be a good editor and manager and when the ''[[Young India]]'' was launched, he moved the publication to larger premises and with printing equipment donated by [[Mohammad Ali Jouhar|Mohammed Ali Jouhar]], its publication began. In 18 March 1922, he was jailed for one and half years as a publisher for an article published in ''Young India''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="AGSI2" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Meghani|first=Mahendra|title=Gandhi – Ganga|publisher=Mumbai Sarvodaya Mandal|location=Mumbai|pages=21|url=http://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/gganga.pdf}}</ref>

Gandhi's autobiography was serialised in the ''Navjeevan'' from 1925 – 1928. It was written by Gandhi at Swami Anand's insistence and an English translation of these chapters appeared in installments in the ''Young India'' as well.<ref>{{cite web|title=THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH by Mohandas K. Gandhi|url=http://www.seminarpaper.com/2012/07/story-of-my-experiments-with-truth-by.html|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Autobiography|url=http://www.gandhibapu.com/templet.jsp?sno=39|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref> Later, ''[[Anasakti Yoga|The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi]]'' was published based on the talks Gandhi gave at the Satyagraha Ashram in Ahmedabad in 1926.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi|isbn = 9781556439780|url=https://books.google.com/?id=5C551tVjunAC|last1 = Gandhi|first1 = Mahatma|date = 15 June 2010}}</ref>  Swami Anand played a role in inspiring Gandhi to write this work as well.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bhagavad–Gita introduction by Gandhi|url=http://www.teosofia.com/gita/gita-intro-gandhi.html|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref>

He was [[Sardar Vallabhai Patel|Vallabhai Patel]]'s secretary during the [[Bardoli Satyagraha]] of 1928. In 1930, he was again jailed for three years for participating in Salt Satyagraha at [[Vile Parle]] in Bombay. When he was released in 1933, he focused on the upliftment of the tribals and the unprivileged. He also founded the [[Ashram]]s in Bordi in Gujarat in 1931 followed by in Thane, [[Kausani]] and [[Kosbad]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="AGSI2" /> He had also participated in relief work of the [[1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake|1934 earthquake in north India]] and in the 1942 [[Quit India Movement|Quit India movement]].<ref name=":0" /> Following [[Partition of India|Partition in 1947]], he worked amongst the refugees from [[Sialkot]] and [[Haridwar district|Hardwar]].<ref name="gandhi-manibhavan" />

After [[Independence of India|Independence]], Swami Anand took an interest in agriculture and agrarian issues. He was concerned about agricultural productivity and livelihoods but had deep respect for the practical wisdom of small farmers. He was inspired by [[George Washington Carver]] and [[Robert Oppenheimer]], whose biography he wrote. From 1957 to 1976, he made the Kosbad Agricultural Institute at [[Dahanu]], near Bombay his home.<ref name="gandhi-manibhavan" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Patil|first=Jayant|title=Agricultural and Rural Reconstruction: A Sustainable Approach|year=1996|publisher=Concept Publishing|location=Ahmedabad|pages=146–153|url=https://books.google.com/?id=JW3N-JtJuaYC&pg=PA146&lpg=PA146&dq=%22Swami+Anand%22+gandhi#v=onepage&q=%22Swami%20Anand%22%20&f=false|isbn=9788170225898}}</ref> He died on 25 January 1976 at 2:15 am in [[Mumbai|Bombay]] following heart attack.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="AGSI2" />

He has written several character sketches, biographical reflections and biographies of his friends and associates including ''Gandhijina Sansmarano'' (1963), ''Bhagwan Buddha'' (1964, co-written), ''Kulkathao'' (1966), ''Dharatinu Lun'' (1969), ''Motne Hamfavnara'' (1969), ''Santona Anuj'' (1971), ''Naghrol'' (1975), ''Santono Falo'' (1978).<ref name="books.google" /><ref name="AGSI2" /> ''Kulkathao'', a series of pen portraits of people from the [[Bhatia caste]], won him the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1969, but, he refused to accept the award due to his vow not to accept any monetary benefits for his writings.<ref name="AGSI2" /><ref name="books.google_a">{{cite book|last=Nagendra|first=Dr.|url=https://books.google.com/?id=dqGojPpe8DIC&pg=PA333|title=Indian Literature|publisher=Prabhat Prakashan|year=1988|location=Delhi|pages=333}}</ref><ref name="Datta1987">{{cite book|author=Amaresh Datta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObFCT5_taSgC&pg=PA298|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|year=1987|isbn=978-81-260-1803-1|location=New Delhi|page=298|accessdate=20 October 2017}}</ref> Gujarati writer and translator [[Mulshankar Bhatt]] has collected his best of the character sketches and published as ''Dharati Ni Arati'' (1977). In it, he has sketched the character of those people who had created a deep impression in his life. Some of the popular characters from it are Dhanima, [[Mahadev Desai]], Vamandada and Dr. Mayadas.<ref name="solanki">{{cite thesis|last=Solanki|first=Vipul|title=A Translation of Joseph Macwan's Vyathana Vitak from Gujarati Into English with a Critical Study|date=2016|publisher=[[Saurashtra University]]|place=Rajkot|type=PhD|chapter=Chapter 2:Critical Appreciation of Vyathana Vitak (The Afflicted)|hdl=10603/130572|pages=12}}</ref>

Some of his other works include ''Ambavadiyun'' , ''Amaratvel'' and a compilation of correspondence between him and Gandhi's colleagues are contained in the ''Ugamani Dishano Ujas'' and ''Dhodhamar'', all edited by [[Dinkar Joshi]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Dinkar Joshi|url=http://dinkarjoshi.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=37|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref>  

A biography of Swami Anand was written by [[Chandrakant Sheth]]<ref name=":0">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=YWWZ0GjoWIEC|title=Swami Anand: Monograph|last=Sheth|first=Chandrakant|publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]]|year=1999|isbn=8126003790|location=New Delhi|pages=|author-link=Chandrakant Sheth}}</ref> and he is the central character in [[Sujata Bhatt]]'s poem, "Point No Point".<ref>{{cite web|last=Bhatt|first=Sujata|title=Point No Point|url=http://www.xtremepapers.com/papers/CIE/Cambridge%20International%20A%20and%20AS%20Level/Language%20and%20Literature%20in%20English%20(8695)/8695_w09_qp_92.pdf}}</ref>

* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=YWWZ0GjoWIEC|title=Swami Anand: Monograph|last=Sheth|first=Chandrakant|publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]]|year=1999|isbn=8126003790|location=New Delhi|pages=|author-link=Chandrakant Sheth}}

{{Source|I|E}}