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The Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in Surat and Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University in Patan,named after two great Gujarati scholars who not only championed the cause of the language but also defined the very idea of the state do not have a Gujarati language department.
Veer Narmad was the first modern writer of Gujarat,who also influenced Mahatma Gandhi.The universally accepted Gujarati anthem,Jay Jay Garvi Gujarat,was written by Narmad in 1873 and it formed the foreword of his first Gujarati dictionary,Narm Kosh.

Narmad identified the region of Gujarati-speaking people and this poem epitomises the sense of pride in the region.He delineates the boundary within which Gujarati-speaking people live: Ambaji in the north;Pavagadh in the east;Kunteshwar Mahadev in Vapi in the south;and Somnath,Dwarka in the west.In another poem,Koni Koni Chhe Gujarat,Narmad wrote how Gujarat belongs to people of different religions and to everyone across the world who can speak Gujarati.The vice-chancellor of the VNSGU,BA Prajapati says,We dont have a Gujarati language department but we have a department of comparative literature.Last year,the government cleared a proposal to set up a Gujarati Bhavan on the campus and sanctioned six posts for it and it should open soon. This university was established in 1967.Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University,established in 1986,is named after the famous Jain monk and scholar of the 12th century.

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Veer Narmad (top) and Hemchandracharya

The first phase of Gujarati literature,between the 12th and 15th century,was dominated by Jain authors.Hemchandracharyas writings are known as Gurjara Apabhramsa,whose specimens are found in the Prakrit grammar of Hemchandracharya (1088-1172 ).He lived during the reign of Siddhraj and Kumarpal,both kings of the Solanki dynasty.
In many ways,Jain saints were pioneers of the Gujarati language.
Hemchandracharya also collected many dohas in apabhramsa as illustrations of different forms of poetry which are generally considered to be a part of the protohistory of Gujarati literature.These two universities stand out because all other universities in the state have dedicated Gujarati departments.A professor of VNSGU told TOI,The government might be celebrating Swarnim Gujarat but our demand for a Gujarati language bhavan has been in vain.
KK Shah,the vice-chancellor of HNGU,said,We have PG centres which offer Gujarati as a course,but we dont have a dedicated Gujarati language department.

Courtesy: Bharat Yagnik & Ashish Vashi | TNN

Source : http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?pageid=5&pagesize=&edid=&edlabel=TOIA&mydateHid=02-07-2010&pubname=&edname=&publabel=TOI

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