Jayvadan Muljibhai Patel

Jayvadan Muljibhai Patel (1 March 1925 – 16 June 2002) was an Indian journalist, columnist and author in the Gujarati language. He is hailed as the "advocate of rural journalism and literature”., mostly due to his work in the celebrated weekly column Jhakl-Jhnjha (“ઝાકળ-ઝંઝા” Mist-Storm) of Gujarat Samachar, as well as his numerous novels and short stories.
==Early life==
Jayvadan Patel was born in the village of Salatpur, in Talod Taluka in Sabarkantha District of Gujarat State, India. His family belongs to the Patel community whom are land owning farmers.
Jayvadan Patel was orphaned since childhood, after his father’s early demise due to heart disease. Having few extended family members, he and his younger brother grew up mostly in the care of their mother. In order to obtain better education, Jayvadan Patel left home when he was 12 and went to Unava, Ghandinagar to attend high-school.
Jayvadan Patel did not receive any tertiary education. He grew up in a village where illiteracy was high and the culture of literature was almost non-existent. Hardships of early years had helped to shape him to become an insightful and rigorous, but yet compassionate writer. 
==Career in journalism==
Jayvadan Patel’s first assignment as a journalist was with the Prabhat daily newspaper in Ahmedabad. He then joined the Gujarat Samachar, where he was given the opportunity to develop a special segment on provincial issues and development. Entitled ગ્રામ ગંગાને તીરે તીરે (“Grāma Gaṅgānē Tīrē Tīrē” Villages of the Ganges), the segment did not only carry news and analysis of Gujarat’s rural areas, but also highlight the culture and way of life of its people. 
He held the position of the Sabarkantha district correspondent of 'Gujarat Samachar’ during the 50’. Throughout his career, Jayvadan Patel was also attached to other press houses such as Sandesh and Times of India. He then returned to 'Gujarat Samachar’, as part of the editorial department’s Ahmedabad office, until the end of his career as journalist.
==Career in writing==
Jayvadan Patel became a notable figure in Gujarati Literature for his work in the column Jhakl-Jhnjha (“ઝાકળ-ઝંઝા” Mist-Storm) of the Sunday supplement of Gujarat Samachar newspaper. The first “ઝાકળ-ઝંઝા” columns immediately captured the mind of its readers and Jayvadan Patel soon became well known as a writer of short stories. Jhakl-Jhnjha ran for 35 five years, with subsequent writers taking over after he left the press house.
As novelist, Jayvadan Patel wrote and released over 30 books, many of which were published by the Gujarati well-known publishing house Gurjar Granth Ratna. Jayvadan Patel’s subjects were both traditional and contemporary. In one of his famous novels, "Ud Chal Pankhi”, Jayvadan Patel described in detail the dollar earnings of rural characters migrating overseas, as well as the pain they endured in building a life.
==Politics and philanthropy== 
Jayvadan Patel contested twice, in the 5th assembly election in 1975 and in the 9th assembly election in 1995. He lost in both occasions. Failures in politic did not make him stop his philanthropic works 
Jayvadan Patel was part of the founding committee of M.S. Panchal Highschool, Salatpur and M.S. Panchal College, Talod; as well as other schools around the taluka. He also continued the tradition of supporting young writers, by mentoring and bringing many into the field of journalism.
==Personal life==
Jayvadan Patel passed away on 16 June 2002 during a trip to the US.
==Popular Culture==
In the 90’s, the Doordarshan Ahmedabad took on stories from “ઝાકળ-ઝંઝા” and created a TV series with the same title.
Category:1925 births
Category:Indian people
Category:Journalists
Category:Columnists
Category:Author
Category:2002 deaths