Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth Biography 
Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth was a social worker, reformer and author from the state of Gujarat. He lived in the 19th century. He was also an educationalist. An author of Gujarati language, he wrote autobiographies and novels. Englandni Musafarinu Varnan (1862) is his most known work. Born into the family of writers and social reformers, many of his family members were associated with the fields of literature and social work.
His wife Rupkunwarba was also a social reformer. His son Ramanbhai Neelkanth was a well-known Indian writer belonging to Gujarati literature, best known for his humour works. He also served as a mayor of Ahmedabad. Ramanlal Nilkanth Hasya Paritoshik is a literary honour in Gujarat named after him. Later Ramanbhai Nilkanth’s second wife, Vidyagauri Nilkanth also turned a social reformer, apart from being a successful author. She along with her sister became the first female graduate from Gujarat. Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth’s granddaughter (daughter of Ramanbhai Nilkanth and Vidyagauri Nilkanth) was a Gujarati writer, translator, and academic, who gave some significant contributions towards children’s literature. In the present-generation, Pico Iyer from his family is an internationally known author, and is the great-great-great grandson of Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth.
Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth was born in Surat on 3 December 1829 as the son of Rupram Nilkanth and Girijagauri. He lost his mother as an infant. He got engaged at the age of 4. His early education was done from his village, and later studied at an English medium school. Deeply influenced by the ideologies of his teachers and reformers Durgaram Mehta and Dadoba Pandurang, he too chose the same field of social work. Throughout his life he also taught at different schools, authored and edited a few works as well.
Englandni Musafarinu Varnan (1862) was his first written travelogue. Uttam Kapol Karsandas Mulji Charitra (1877), Mehtaji Durgaram Manchharam Charitra (1879), Parvatikunwar Akhyan (1881) and Akbarcharitra (1887) are among his biography works. He also published the booklets on life-sketches of Columbus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton etc.
Published: January 10, 2019
Updated: January 10, 2019
