Gujarati Vishwakosh
Gujarati Vishwakosh (
History
After the foundation of Gujarat state in 1960 on the linguistic basis, there was a need for literature available to the Gujarati speaking public. After years of efforts by Dhirubhai Thaker, the Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust was set up in December 1985 comprising many scholars and people of various disciplines. Work commenced to create this massive encyclopedia in 1985 under Gujarati writer Dhirubhai Thaker.[1] The first concept was to create 20 volumes (with an additional introductory volume),[2] but by its completion in 2009, the encyclopedia included 25 volumes, which comprised more than 23,000 articles.[3]
The first volume of Gujarati Vishwakosh was released on 2 December 1989; inaugurated by
The project which has finally cost ₹25 million was funded by donors. Social worker Sakarchand Patel was among the first donors.[3]
Content
The 25 volumes cover 23,090 articles written by 1,593 people. There are 7,965 articles on humanities; 7,935 on science; 7,190 on sociology. Of these 6,967 are biographies; 538 are large articles and 248 are translated articles. They also include 11,296 graphics and images. They totals more than 1,73,50,000 words. Each volume has more than thousand pages.[6]
Reception
Kumarpal Desai, managing trustee of Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust, told in 2010, "This was a noble task and a lot of hard work and dedication went into this enormous effort with support from hundreds of people. This is a 50th birthday gift to Gujarat."[3]
References
- ^ "Pioneer behind Gujarati Vishwakosh passes away at 96". The Times of India. 25 January 2014. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ^ "Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust". Archived from the original on 28 April 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ a b c Vashi, Ashish (9 December 2009). "Gujarati encyclopaedia ready after 25-yr effort". The Times of India. Ahmedabad. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012.
- ISBN 81-7227-061-5. Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ISSN 2321-6999.
- ISSN 2321-6999.