Born in 1870 in Calcutta, the great freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das was lovingly known as Deshbandhu. Das studied law in England but renounced his legal career during the non-cooperation movement against the British colonial government. When the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed, he became its first mayor. Chittaranjan Das was also a notable poet who wrote extensively in Bengali.
We are now pleased to offer one of the rarest biographies of Chittaranjan Das in Gujarati that was published a few months after his death. First published in November 1925, this biography was authored by Jayantkumar Manishankar Bhatt on the request of the great journalist and freedom fighter Amritlal D. Sheth, who was known as the 'Lion of Saurashtra'. The author Jayantkumar Bhatt was the son of the legendary Gujarati poet Kavi Kant.
The final section of this rare book includes the Gujarati translation of Deshbandhu's speeches followed by the Gujarati translation of his renowned poem in 39 verses — Sagar Sangeet — by the great legend Jhaverchand Meghani.
Several images of this precious rarity are attached herewith for the perusal of those interested.
DESHBANDHU
Author: Jayantkumar Manishankar Bhatt
Foreword by: Amritlal Dalpatbhai Sheth
Published by: Amritlal Dalpatbhai Sheth, November 1925 — Extremely Rare & Out-of-Print Antiquarian First Edition
Printed at: Saurashtra Mudranalaya, Ranpur
Language: Gujarati
Format: Hardcover. Professionally bound in black Rexine with the titles debossed in golden lettering on the front cover and on the spine.
Size: 21.9 cm x 15 cm
Pages: x + 200 pages + 7 plates of photographs
Condition: Pre-owned. Good+. Pages clean and unmarked. Binding tight and firm. Minor, natural yellowing/foxing/spotting of the pages owing to age. A select few pages have been neatly restored for future protection. Not more than 5 tiny wormholes, primarily in the first 55 pages. Sparse proofing marks in the last photographic plate; please refer to the last image attached herewith.
Remarks: Painstakingly sourced, this antiquarian First Edition is unimaginably rare and hard to find. First published in 1925, this great biography has faded into obscurity during the course of the last 100 years.
