Bharatiya Kavita '1953' :: rare & out-of-print First Edition

The year 1956 marked the publication of the first annual anthology of Indian poetry — Bharatiya Kavita '1953'. All the poems in this pioneering rare book were written in 1953. However, it took a few years to publish this large compendium owing to the creative difficulties involved in executing such a complex project.

This anthology of Indian poetry was the very first of its kind containing 10 poems each in the following 14 languages: Assamese, Oriya, Urdu, Kannada, Kashmiri, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Bangla, Marathi, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Hindi. The poems of all these languages were printed in Devanagari script along with the Hindi translation on the facing page. A special panel was formed for the selection of poems in these 14 languages. For instance, the Sanskrit poems in this book were selected by Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and KA Subranamia Iyer. Renowned writers & translators from all over India were involved in translating these poems into Hindi. 

Being the very first multilingual anthology of Indian poetry that brought together the work of 140 great poets in 14 Indian languages with the Hindi translation of each poem as a unifying factor, this original First Edition is extremely rare and hard to find. In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru: "This book is the first volume of the Annual Anthology of Indian Poetry. It is largely in art and literature that a nation gives expression to its inner feelings. This Anthology brings out the inner bond that connects the various languages of India.".

Images of the individual table of contents of all the 14 languages and excerpts of the poems in each language are attached herewith for the perusal of those interested.

BHARATIYA KAVITA — 1953

Introduction by: Jawaharlal Nehru

Publisher: Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 1956 — Extremely Rare & Out-of-Print First Edition

Script: Devanagari

Language: Poems in 14 Indian languages printed in Devanagari script alongside the Hindi translation of each poem on the facing page.

Format: Hardcover.

Size: 23.2 cm x 15.5 cm

Pages: viii + 608 pages.

Condition of the pages: Pre-Owned. Very Good – Excellent. Pages clean & unmarked. Natural yellowing & foxing of some pages owing to age. Original tight binding.

Condition of the covers: Pre-Owned. Good – Very Good. The covers are completely intact. Minor shelf-wear along the corners/edges owing to age & use. Natural foxing & spotting on the back cover owing to age (image attached). The covers are neatly wrapped in an acetate film for future protection.

Please email us on kumarclassicbookpoint@gmail.com for cost and availability, or for any further queries in order to serve you better. Delivery in Mumbai is free.

Folklore of Gujarat :: a collection of highly rare First Editions

For bibliophiles and collectors of rare books on India's folklore, we are pleased to offer a selection of four highly rare First Editions on the rich folklore of Gujarat. These books were published owing to the tireless efforts of some of the finest folklorists who travelled vast distances and endured great hardships to document the wealth of folk tales & songs all over Gujarat.

The first book — Tulsi-vivah-na Geeto — contains 59 folk songs on the Tulsi Vivah ceremony. This rare book is enriched with an insightful monograph on this ritual by the great Gujarati thinker & writer Anantrai Raval. The second book — Raandal-na Geeto — contains 156 folk songs devoted to the tutelary goddess Raandal, whose worship is particularly prevalent in North Gujarat, Bhal,

Surat, Saurashtra etc. This rare book contains two enlightening essays by the great Gujarati writer Dhumketu and by Kaka Kalelkar, who titled his essay as an appreciation of the folklore but not of superstitions! The third book — Lokpuraan Kathageeto — is a remarkable collection of folk sestains (a six-line poem known as chhakadiya in Gujarati) painstakingly collected and documented by the acclaimed folklorist Harilal Modha. This rare book features the folk Ramayana and episodes of the folk Mahabharata in the chhakadiya (sestain) form along with several other rare gems. The fourth book — Suraj-ni Saakhe aney Tulsi-ne Kyaare — is devoted to folk tales on the myriad vratas (fasting observances) observed in Gujarat. This book contains two of the finest long essays on the background of the vrata tradition and its literary expression by the great folklorist Manjulal Majmudar.

Numerous images of these rare First Editions are attached herewith for the perusal of those interested.

1] TULSI-VIVAH-NA GEETO

Edited & compiled by: Dr. Manjulal Majmudar, Bachubhai Rawat, Manubhai Jodhani

Introductory monograph by: Anantrai Raval

Publisher: Gujarat Rajya Lok Sahitya Samiti, Ahmedabad, 1967 — Highly Rare Original First Edition

Format: Softcover

Size: 18.5 cm x 12.3 cm

Pages: xxxii + 80 = 112 pages.

Condition: Pre-Owned. Excellent. Pages clean and unmarked. Original tight binding. Natural yellowing/foxing of some pages owing to age. Slight shelf-wear to the corners/edges of the covers. The covers have been neatly wrapped in an acetate film for future protection.

2] RAANDAL-NA GEETO

Edited & compiled by: Manubhai Jodhani, Vasant Jodhani

Introductory essays by: Kaka Kalelkar & Dhumketu

Publisher: Gujarat Rajya Lok Sahitya Samiti, Ahmedabad, 1967 — Highly Rare Original First Edition

Format: Softcover

Size: 17.8 cm x 12.8 cm

Pages: xl + 192 = 232 pages.

Condition of the pages: Pre-Owned. Excellent. Pages clean and unmarked. Natural yellowing/foxing of some pages owing to age. Original tight binding.

Condition of the covers: Pre-Owned. Good. The covers are completely intact with some fraying along the two side-margins of the front cover and slight shelf-wear to the corners/edges. The covers have been neatly wrapped in an acetate film for future protection.

3] LOKPURAAN KATHAGEETO

Folk songs collected by: Harilal Kalidas Modha

Introductory essay by: Harilal Kalidas Modha

Publisher: Gujarat Rajya Lok Sahitya Samiti, Ahmedabad, 1969 — Highly Rare Original First Edition

Format: Softcover

Size: 18.2 cm x 12.4 cm

Pages: iv + 128 = 132 pages.

Condition: Pre-Owned. Excellent. Pages clean and unmarked. Original tight binding. Natural yellowing/foxing of some pages owing to age. The covers have been neatly wrapped in an acetate film for future protection.

4] SURAJ-NI SAAKHE ANEY TULSI-NE KYAARE — Gujarat Pradeshma Kahevaati Vrat Kathaao.

Folk tales collected by: Dr. Chaitanyabala Majmudar & Shrimati Bala Majmudar

Compiled by: Prof. Manjulal Majmudar

Introductory monograph by: Prof. Manjulal Majmudar

Publisher: Gujarat Rajya Lok Sahitya Samiti, Ahmedabad, 1969 — Highly Rare Original First Edition

Format: Softcover

Size: 18.5 cm x 12.6 cm

Pages: xxxii + 164 = 196 pages.

Condition: Pre-Owned. Excellent. Pages clean and unmarked. Original tight binding. Natural yellowing/foxing of some pages owing to age. Minor shelf-wear to the corners/edges of the covers. The covers have been neatly wrapped in an acetate film for future protection.

Inscription: The name of the original owner has been handwritten on the top right corner of the initial blank page of all the above books.

Remarks: The value of these particular books lies in their extreme rarity for being the original First Editions in excellent condition.

Please email us on kumarclassicbookpoint@gmail.com for cost and availability, or for any further queries in order to serve you better. Delivery in Mumbai is free.