Janantike

Janantike (pronounced [jənantike] (listen); transl. To The Audience—An Aside) is a 1965 collection of personal essays by Indian writer Suresh Joshi. V.Y. Kantak translated it into English with the title Intimate Asides (1995).

Janantike
Cover page
AuthorSuresh Joshi
Original titleજનાન્તિકે
TranslatorV. Y. Kantak
CountryIndia
LanguageGujarati
GenrePersonal essays
Publisher
Publication date
1965
Published in English
1995
AwardsNarmad Suvarna Chandrak
OCLC34851277

Publication

The book was first published in 1965 by Swati Prakashan, Bombay.[1] It contains 51 essays that Joshi wrote during the period from 1955 to 1964. The essays are of different lengths, arranged in a loose sequence. The essays are untitled but numbered serially.[2][3]

Contents

Janantike (aside) is a term used in classical Sanskrit dramaturgy to indicate a situation where one character whispers something into the ear of another character, apparently excluding the audience from sharing it. Joshi states in the preface to the collection that the essays are written in a Janantik form, suggesting they are personal essays.[2][3]

Some essays in the collection are autobiographical in nature.[4] The chief theme of the essays is reminiscence (smaraṇ in Gujarati). In the opening essays, as well as in some later ones, Joshi recaptures the impressions of his earlier days, especially his childhood. He writes about his childhood impressions of his home region which lies towards the South Gujarat, the castle which is now in ruins, the dense forest of Saatkashi, the river Zankhari and the wondrous fairy world of childhood. Some specific memories are interwoven with these past impressions: the memory of certain deaths in the family, the images of a grandfather and an aunt are overlaid with the sadness of existence.[2]

Reception

Janantike was awarded the Narmad Suvarna Chandrak (also known as the Narmad Gold Medal) literary award in 1965.[5] One of Joshi's best known works, Janantike is considered to be one of the important contributions to Gujarati essays.[3] V.Y. Kantak translated it into English by V. Y. Kantak with the title Intimate Asides (1995), published by Sahitya Akademi.[4][6]

Gujarati writer Meghnad Bhatt cites Janantike as 'undoubtedly' the best collection of essays in Gujarati literature.[7] Because of the 'rare modern sensibility' of the essays, critic Digish Mehta consider it a 'significant contribution' to Gujarati prose style.[2]

References
  1. Books India, Issue 2. New Delhi: National Book Trust. 1972. p. 55.
  2. Mehta, Digish (1997). "Janantike". In George, K. M. (ed.). Masterpieces of Indian Literature. 1. New Delhi: National Book Trust. p. 303–305. ISBN 81-237-1978-7.
  3. Darji, Pravin (1996). "Janāntike" જનાન્તિકે. In Thakar, Dhirubhai (ed.). Gujarati Vishwakosh (in Gujarati). VII (1st ed.). Ahmedabad: Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust. p. 423. OCLC 164765976.
  4. Panchal, Shirish (2004). Suresh Joshi. Makers of Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 10–12. ISBN 978-81-260-0373-0.
  5. Trivedi, Ramesh M. (2015). Arvachin Gujarati Sahityano Itihas અર્વાચીન ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યનો ઇતિહાસ [History of Modern Gujarati Literature]. Ahmedabad: Adarsh Prakashan. p. 415. ISBN 978-93-82593-88-1.
  6. Joshi, Suresh (1995). Intimate Asides. Translated by Kantak, Vaman Yeshwant. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-7201-886-3.
  7. Bhatt, Meghnad (1993). "The Indomitable Suresh Joshi". The Indian P.E.N. P.E.N. All-India Centre. 54: 7. OCLC 1716992.
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