Khalil Dhantejvi

Khalil Dhantejvi, born Ibrahim Makarani, was one of the best-loved writers of the ghazal in Gujarati. He was named for the Padma Shri posthumously in 2022 in the field of literature and education, from Gujarat ^[1].

A farmer’s son

Dhantejvi was born on 12 December 1938 in the village of Dhantej, near what was then Baroda State ^[2]. He was proud of his roots as a farmer, and much of his poetry drew on that life ^[2]. With only four years of village schooling, he moved to Vadodara and tried his hand at journalism, teaching himself as he went and moving quickly into film journalism ^[2].

Poet, novelist, film-maker

He went on to write stories, plays, scripts and films; his film Chhutaa Chhedaa, which he wrote and directed, won eight Gujarat government awards ^[2]. But his first love remained poetry in Gujarati and Urdu ^[2]. His recitals in a deep voice, in both languages, brought new listeners to the ghazal and connected him with four generations of Gujarati writers ^[2]. He wrote 25 novels, ten collections of ghazals, eight films and a biography, and recited at countless mushairas ^[2].

He received the Kalapi Award of the Indian National Theatre in Mumbai in 2004, and the Vali Gujarati Ghazal Award and the Narsinh Mehta Award in 2013 and 2019 ^[2]. He died on 4 April 2021 ^[2].