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Kalapi

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Life of Kalapi

Kalapi was born into the royal family of Lathi, a princely state in present-day Gujarat, on 26 January 1874. As a prince, he had access to formal education and exposure to literature, music, and the arts. He studied at the prestigious Rajkumar College in Rajkot, which was established for the education of royal children from various princely states.

Despite studying in an English-medium environment, Kalapi’s literary expression flourished in his native Gujarati language. His deep emotional sensitivity and introspective nature found their best outlet in poetry. He began writing poetry at the age of 20 and produced more than 250 poems and 15 prose pieces before his untimely death at 26.

Kalapi was married to two princesses—Rajba (Ramaba) and Kesharba (Anandiba)—at the age of 15, as was customary in royal families. However, he later fell in love with a maid named Monghi (Shobhana), which led to tensions in his household and is believed to have played a role in the controversies surrounding his early death.


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Themes in Kalapi’s Poetry

Kalapi's poetry is known for its lyricism, emotional depth, and vivid imagery of nature. His major themes include:

Love – romantic and spiritual, often expressing longing and separation.

Nature – used as a metaphor for inner emotions.

Spirituality – reflecting on the soul and the divine.

Pathos – pain and sorrow, sometimes mirroring his own personal struggles.


His style was elegant, simple, and accessible, which helped his poetry reach common readers as well as literary circles.


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Notable Works

1. Kalapino Kekarav (1903) – A collection of his poems, published posthumously. The title means “The Cuckoo’s Call”, symbolizing beauty and sorrow.


2. Kashmirno Pravas (1912) – A travelogue detailing his visit to Kashmir, reflecting his deep appreciation for natural beauty.



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Death and Mystery

Kalapi died on 10 June 1900, under mysterious circumstances at the young age of 26. Rumors suggested he might have been poisoned, possibly due to his controversial relationship with Monghi, though no conclusive evidence was ever found.


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Legacy

Kalapi is remembered as a romantic icon in Gujarati literature. He influenced generations of poets and remains a beloved figure for his heartfelt poetry and tragic life story.

His royal residence in Lathi has now been turned into a memorial and museum, preserving his manuscripts, letters, and personal belongings.

He is often compared to John Keats—another young poet whose brief life left a lasting impact.


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Life

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Kalapi was born on 26 January 1874 to his father Maharaja Takhtasinhji, the ruler of Lathi, a small state situated in a far away corner of Saurashtra region, and mother Ramaba. Takhtasinhji died when Kalapi was 5, and Ramaba died when Kalapi was 14. These deaths left a permanent impact on Kalapi's mind.[1]

At the age of 8, Kalapi entered into Rajkumar College, Rajkot for school education, and spent next 9 years (1882 – 1891) there, but didn't complete his schooling and dropped out of school. During these times, he studied extensively English, Sanskrit and contemporary Gujarati literature.[1]

Kalapi's date of death is uncertain. It is formally noted down as 10 June 1900. There is also some controversy over his death. It was declared as death due to Cholera but some believed that it was not a natural death.[1]

Personal life

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Kalapi was married—at the age of 15—to two princesses. These were Rajba-Ramaba (born 1868), the princess of Kutch–Roha; and Kesharba-Anandiba (born 1872), the princess of Saurashtra–Kotada.[citation needed] When Kalapi was 20 years old, he fell in love with a family maid, Shobhana, who served his royal family.[2]

It is believed that Kalapi's love for Shobhana became a source of conflict with Rajba-Ramaba and the reason for his subsequent death due to poisoning by her.[3][4]

Works

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Handwriting of Kalapi (A letter written to Monghi (a.k.a. Shobhana)

In spite of his short life, Kalapi's body of work was large. The poet penned about 250 poems, including about 15,000 verses. He also authored a number of prose writings and over 900 letters to his friends and wives. He not only used the Gujarati language as his medium to elaborate on his thoughts, but also translated four English novels to Gujarati.

Kalapi mentored a number of budding poets who carried on his style of writing, many of whom become famous in their own right. The most prominent among these was Kavi Lalitji, who was about the same age as Kalapi, and was already an established poet when he was invited to the Lathi Darbar as a tutor for the royal children. He came under Kalapi's influence and the two became great friends. Lalitji went on to become the Rajya Kavi (Royal Bard) of Lathi.

Kavi Kalapi had written poems in various Chhand (metres) of the Gujarati language. Like Mandakranta, Shardulvikridit, Shikharini and others, to write poems in Chhand, one has to follow the structure of that chhand and the rules of chhandas poetry. Aapni Yadi is one of his best known ghazals in the Gujarati literature.[5]

Legacy

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In his remembrance, the Indian National Theater at Mumbai, since 1997, gives the Kalapi Award to an accomplished Gujarati ghazal poet annually.

Museum

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Kalpi Tirtha Museum

The Kalpi Tirtha Museum[6] holds objects related to the life of the Gujarati poet Kalpi. The museum was inaugurated in 2005.[7] It is located at Lathi on the birthplace of Kalpi in the Amreli district of Gujarat. There is a huge collection of articles written by the artists themselves, letters, the rare items they used, and the history of the monarchy. The memorials were also associated with the Kalpi Tirtha, where the Kalpati lived, the palace, which was sitting on the banks of the lake. This place is a center of attraction for Gujarat's literature makers.[8] There is a small auditorium on the upper floors of Kalpitirth Bhawan. Apart from Wednesdays, this museum gives free entry. Videography and photography are permitted.

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The 1966 Gujarati film, Kalapi, is based on his life. Sanjeev Kumar plays the titular role, and Padmarani plays the role of his wife, Rama. The film was directed by Manhar Raskapur.[9]

First wife, Rajba a.k.a. Ramaba
Second wife, Kesharba a.k.a. Anandiba
Third wife, Monghi a.k.a. Shobhana

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Desai, Hemant G. (1990). Kalapi. Makers of Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 3–9. OCLC 24489625.
  2. ^ Joseph T. Shipley, ed. (1946). Encyclopedia of Literature. New York: Philosophical Library. p. 514.[ISBN missing]
  3. ^ Amaresh Datta (1988). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Vol. 2. Sahitya Akademi. p. 1436. ISBN 978-81-260-1194-0.
  4. ^ "Kavi Kalapi's birth anniversary celebrated". The Times of India. Jan 27, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  5. ^ K. M. George (1992). Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Surveys and poems. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 557. ISBN 978-81-7201-324-0.
  6. ^ "Kalapi Tirth – Lathi | District Amreli, Government of Gujarat". amreli.nic.in. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  7. ^ "Kalapi Tirth Museum Lathi". gt.intentlabs.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  8. ^ "Verse comes to worst in parched Amreli - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  9. ^ K. Moti Gokulsing; Wimal Dissanayake (17 April 2013). Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas. Routledge. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-136-77284-9. Retrieved 21 April 2017.

Further reading

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