Daksha Pattani

Daksha Vijayshankar Pattani (4 November 1938 – 10 March 2019) was a Gujarati academic and author from India. She was noted as a scholar on Mahatma Gandhi; her 1976 doctoral thesis on Gandhi's philosophy was later published in six volumes.

Daksha Pattani
Born	(1938-11-04)4 November 1938 Bhavnagar, India
Died	10 March 2019(2019-03-10) (aged 80)
Academic background
Education	BA, Gujarati and Sanskrit, Gujarat University, 1962 MA, Gujarati and Sanskrit, Gujarat University, 1965 PhD, 1976
Thesis	Gandhijinu Jeevan Ane Temna Siddhanto (Life and Philosophy of Gandhi) (1975)
Doctoral advisor	Ishwarlal R. Dave
Academic work
Discipline	Gujarati language, Gandhian philosophy
Institutions	Valiya Arts and Mehta Commerce College
Main interests	Mahatma Gandhi
Notable works	Gandhijinu Chintan (1980), Gandhijina Vyaktitvanu Ghadtar (1981), Gandhiji: Dharmavicharna (1984), Gandhivichar – Satya Ane Ahimsa (2000), Gandhijina Vicharma Satyagraha (2001), Gandhijinu Chintan: Mulyankan (2003)

Early life and education

Daksha Pattani was born on 4 November 1938 in Bhavnagar in the Prashnora Nagar Brahmin family of Shantaben and Vijayshankar Kanji Pattani, a scholar and writer. She was a younger sister of writer Mukundrai Parasharya. She completed her primary and secondary education in Bhavnagar. She received a BA in Gujarati and Sanskrit in 1962, an MA in the same subjects in 1965, and a PhD under the guidance of Ishwarlal R. Dave in 1976. She received these degrees from Gujarat University.[1][2][3] Her doctoral thesis was titled Gandhijinu Jeevan Ane Temna Siddhanto (Life and Philosophy of Gandhi).[2]

Career

Pattani taught Gujarati at the Gharshala school in Bhavnagar from 1962 to 1965.[4] She taught at the Gurukul Mahila Arts College in Porbandar from 1969 to 1970 and later served as a professor at the Valiya Arts and Mehta Commerce College in Bhavnagar from 1970 until her retirement in 2001. She also served as a part-time professor of Gujarati and Gandhian Philosophy at the Bhavnagar University from 1977 to 1994. She served part-time with the Gujarat Vidyapith and Lokbharati in Sanosara.[1][5] From 1982 to 2013, she was a member of a committee propagating Gandhian philosophy formed by the Bhavnagar-based organisation, Gandhismriti.[5]

She died on 10 March 2019 after suffering from heart disease.[2][4][5]

Works

The chapters of Pattani's doctoral thesis were published in six volumes:[2] Gandhijinu Chintan (1980), Gandhijina Vyaktitvanu Ghadtar (1981), Gandhiji: Dharmavicharna (1984), Gandhivichar – Satya Ane Ahimsa (2000), Gandhijina Vicharma Satyagraha (2001), Gandhijinu Chintan: Mulyankan (2003).[1][4] The first two volumes in the series were awarded the Bhagini Nivedita Prize by the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad. These works examine images of Gandhi from various angles. According to Kirtida Shah, Pattani's perspective on Gandhi and his philosophy is unique.[1][2] Pattani's more than fifty essays, criticism and lectures are published in other edited works.[2][4]

See also

• List of Gujarati-language writers

References

1. Shah, Kirtida (November 2018). Desai, Parul Kandarp (ed.). ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યનો ઇતિહાસ (સ્વાતંત્રયોત્તર યુગ - 2) [History of Gujarati Literature (Post-independence Era - 2)]. 8 (in Gujarati). 2. Ahmedabad: K. L. Study Centre, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad. pp. 324–325. ISBN 9788193907412.
2. Pathak, Ajay (May 2019). Doshi, Deepak (ed.). "સ્વ. દક્ષાબહેન વિજયશંકર પટ્ટણી" [Late Dakshabahen Vijayshankar Pattani]. Navneet Samarpan (in Gujarati). Mumbai: P. V. Shankarankutti, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. 40 (1): 113–115. ISSN 2455-4162.
3. Rawal, Vinayak; Jani, Balwant; Modi, Manhar, eds. (1988). Gujaratna Adhyapakono Mahitikosh ગુજરાતના અધ્યાપકોનો માહિતીકોશ [An introduction of Professors teaching Gujarati in Various Universities of India] (in Gujarati). Ahmedabad: Gujaratino Adhyapak Sangh. p. 45. OCLC 20823629.
4. Parasharya, Piyush (May 2019). Parikh, Dhirubhai (ed.). "Dakshabahen Pattani" દક્ષાબહેન પટ્ટણી. Kumar (in Gujarati). 95 (5): 58–60.
5. Pathak, Ajay (1 April 2019). Shah, Prakash N. (ed.). "Smarananjali: Sva. Dakshabahen Vijayshankar Pattani" સ્મરણાંજલિ: સ્વ. દક્ષાબહેન વિજયશંકર પટ્ટણી [Obituary: Late Dakshabahen Vijayshankar Pattani] (PDF). Nirikshak (7): 13–14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.