Gulfam

Gulfam, born Jahangir Nasharvanji Patel alias Pestonji, was a Gujarati humour writer and journalist from Bombay, India. Gulfam was born on 14 July 1861 in Parsi Patel family living in a large and one of the oldest houses in Fort area of Bombay which was used as a court and jail during Portuguese rule in city. His father was a translator. He started writing at the age of nine and published his first book Sonarna Gadh at the age of 13. He started writing in spreads then. As he believed that his host would not like it, he published in spreads under name of his sister. His first writing was published in Gul-afshan spreadsheet. He received a nickname Gulfam as he played a role of it in a play in his school. Initially he did not like it but he later proudly accepted it. At the age 16, his ghazal was published in Gyanvardhak magazine. At the age of 53, in 1931, he had written his autobiography Mari Potani Jindagino Hewal and wished it to be published posthumously which was later published by Jahangir B. Karani & Sons. He died on 24 August 1936.