Harshavadan Mansukhlal Jani was born on 20 October 1954 in Vartej,[2][3] a city in Bhavnagar district to Mansukhlal and Nandanben. He took his primary education from Vartej Primary School. He completed his high school education (old ssc) in 1971 from Koliyak Madhyamik Shala, Koliyak. He got his Bachelor of Arts as an external student from Saurashtra University in 1975. While working in a telegraph office in Palitana, he completed his Master of Arts in 1981 with Sanskrit from Saurashtra University with first rank, and subsequently became a lecturer at H. K. Arts College, Ahmedabad.[2] He completed B.Ed in 1983 and Ph.D in 1990 from Gujarat University.[3] He received Ph.D for his research work " Mukhya Puranoma Shap Ane Teno Prabhav" (Curse Element And Its Influence In Major Puranas).[citation needed]
He married Shruti Jani on 29 April 1985 and they have a son, Rushiraj Jani.[4]
He participated in the Kavisammelana at the 13th World Sanskrit Conference, Edinburgh[5] and the 14th World Sanskrit Conference, Kyoto.[6]
Work
He is credited with introducing Japanese Haiku and Tanka, and Korean Sijo, into Sanskrit poetry.[2]
Samir Kumar Datta puts in him the category of modernist or revolutionary Sanskrit poets, and says:[7]
Harshadev Madhav is a modern poet in true sense of the term. He thinks that poetry should appeal first to intellect and thereafter to emotion. In the eternal controversy between intellectuality and emotionalism Harshadeva takes side of intellectuality […] Harshadev happens to be one of the most profound modern Sanskrit poets. He betrays the great influence exerted on him by modern vernacular poetry and some of the images carved out by modern vernacular poets.
