Jethmal Parsram Gulrajani

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Jethmal Parstram Gulrajani
ڄيٺمل پرسرام گلراجاڻي
BornJethmal
1885 or 1886
Hyderabad, Bombay Presidency, British India
(present-day Sindh, Pakistan)
Died6 July 1948
Mumbai, India
OccupationJournalist, Publisher, Writer
NationalityIndia
Alma materNavelrai Hiranand Academy Hyderabad Sindh
GenreProse
Notable works60 books

Jethmal Parsram Gulrajani (Sindhi: ڄيٺمل پرسرام گلراجاڻي; 1885 or 1886 – 6 July 1948) was a journalist, publisher, and writer from Sindh, British India (now Pakistan). He authored 60 books, launched several newspapers and literary magazines, and co-founded the Sindhi Sahtya Society.

Jethmal was known for his fearless journalism and activism. He was arrested and imprisoned for writing editorials against the British Government of India. He also founded the New Sindhi Library and Sasti Saahat series under which he published more than a hundred books of standard merit, original and translated.

Early life, education, and career[edit]

Jethmal Parsram was born in Hyderabad, Sindh, British India (now Pakistan). The exact date of his birth is unknown. According to G.M. Syed, he was born in 1885.[1] however, Jotwani,[2] states that his year of birth is 1886. Jethmal studied at the Nevalrai Hiranand Academy, Hyderabad and graduated from the Bambay University (now Mumbai University) in 1902. In the same year, he was appointed as a teacher at his alma mater, Nevalrai Hiranand Academy, and later at Sindh Madersatul Islam High School in Karachi in 1910. Lalchand Amerdinomal, a renowned writer, was his colleague at Sindh Madersatul Islam High School. Jethmal also briefly served as the Headmaster of New High School Karachi but resigned in 1911. In 1916, he joined the Home Rule League led by Annie Besant and actively participated in the movement.[3] Jethmal's presence became essential at literary, social, and political gatherings in Hyderabad from 1916 onwards. He was also known for his powerful public speaking abilities.[4] In 1922, he became a professor of Sindhi at Sindh National College (now Government College University) Hyderabad and served there until 1941.[5]

Contributions as a journalist[edit]

Jethmal Parsram was one of the most celebrated Sindhi literary journalists. Together with his friend Lalchand Amardinomal, he founded the Sindhi Sahtya Society (Sindhi Literary Society) in 1914. Under the society's auspices, they launched the monthly Risalo, a literary magazine.[6] After some time, Lalchand Amerdinomal assumed the role of editor for this magazine. In 1917, Jethmal launched the daily Hindvasi. As a fearless journalist, he penned an editorial titled "Kalalki Hut, Kusan jo Kopu Vahay" (Sindhi: ڪلالڪي ھٽ، ڪسڻ جو ڪوپ وھي), which translates to "people throne to the tavern to sever their heads in return for a draught." This title was a quote from the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. The editorial strongly criticized the killing of innocent individuals who had peacefully protested against the Rowlatt Act (1919) and condemned the Jallianwala Bagh massacre perpetrated by the British army. The British Government of India deemed this editorial seditious, leading to Jethmal's arrest and imprisonment.[7] The daily Hindvasi underwent a name change to Bharatvasi during his imprisonment. Following his release from jail in 1921, Jethmal continued his role as an editor and publisher of this newspaper. Additionally, he introduced a monthly literary magazine called Rooh Rihan in 1921.[8]

Around the same time, he initiated the establishment of the New Sindhi Library and introduced the Sasti Saahat (Cheap Literature) series, marking a significant milestone in Sindhi publication. Under this initiative, he published over a hundred books of exceptional quality, encompassing both original works and translations.[9]

In 1929, he launched the weekly newspaper Sindh Herald. Furthermore, he took on the role of editor for the daily Parkash and served as the honorary editor for the weekly Sindhri.[5]

Contributions as a writer[edit]

Jethmal was not only a freedom fighter and journalist, he was also an illustrious scholar and writer of Sindhi language. He authored around 60 books. An incomplete alphabetical list of his books is presented below:

Books[3][10][edit]

Death[edit]

After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, he reluctantly departed from his homeland of Sindh and migrated to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, where he eventually passed away on July 6, 1948.

Books on Jethmal Parsram[edit]

Deepchandra Belani has written a monogram on life and writings of Jethmal Parsram.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Syed, G.M. (1967). جنب گذاريم جن سين (in Sindhi) (ast ed.). Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan: Sindhi Adabi Board.
  2. ^ Jotwani, Motilal (1996). A Dictionary of Sindhi Literature (1st ed.). New Delhi, India: Sampark Prakashan. p. 47.
  3. ^ a b "ڄيٺمل پرسرام گلراجاڻي : (Sindhianaسنڌيانا)". www.encyclopediasindhiana.org (in Sindhi). Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  4. ^ Butt, Allah Rakhio (2019): The HindVasi Sedition Case-I, Leaves from History of Sindh.
  5. ^ a b "Hindvasi-Sindhi Newspaper/Magazine-Edition: 27-09-2020- Zoom Page: 11-". epaper.hindvasi.com. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Sindhishaan - Publishing in Sindhi". www.sindhishaan.com. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  7. ^ Bughio, Aziz-ur-Rehman (1988). سنڌي صحافت جي ارتقا ۽ تاريخ (in Sindhi) (1st ed.). Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan: Institute of Sindhology, University of Sindh.
  8. ^ Girami, Ghulam Muhammad (1977). ويا سي وينجھار (in Sindhi). Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan: Sindhi Adabi Board. p. 15.
  9. ^ "Jethmal Parsram - Sindhi Poets". www.sindhipoets.com. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  10. ^ Malkani, M.U. (1964). "Shakespeare in Sindhi". Indian Literature. 7 (1): 115–119.
  11. ^ Jetley, M.K. (1992). "Sindhi Scene: A Rich Crop". Indian Literature. 35 (1): 180.
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