Narmadashankar Dave (1833 – 1886)
Poet, Thinker and Social reformer

Artist Ravishankar Raval (1892 – 1977)

dated 1933, Oil on paper pasted on board
15.4 x 12.2 in. (39.1 x 31 cm.)

Popularly known as Kavi Narmad, born Narmadashankar Lalshankar Dave was a pioneering Gujarati poet, thinker, and social reformer. He played a crucial role in modernizing Gujarati literature and was among the first to articulate a strong sense of Indian nationalism. Narmad’s work challenged orthodox social practices, caste hierarchies, and promoted the use of Gujarati as a literary and intellectual language. His iconic poem “Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat” is still considered a cultural anthem of the state. A bold voice for progressive ideas, Narmad also published the first Gujarati autobiography and compiled Narmakosh, the first dictionary of the Gujarati language.

Ravishankar Raval, the artist of this portrait, was a revered painter, writer, and art educator from Gujarat. Often regarded as the father of modern Gujarati art, Raval was deeply influenced by Indian classical aesthetics and the nationalist art movement led by Abanindranath Tagore. His artworks balanced realism with idealism, often portraying historical and cultural figures with sensitivity and dignity. This 1933 oil-on-paper portrait of Narmad, created on the poet’s birth centenary, captures his iconic pose familiar from earlier wood engravings. The painting was gifted to Chaitanya Prasad Diwanji, a prominent figure in Ahmedabad’s art circle, marking a confluence of cultural reverence and artistic homage.