Rajendra Patel

Rajendra Patel (Gujarati: રાજેન્દ્ર પટેલ) is a Gujarati language poet, short story writer and critic from Gujarat, India. He has served as Vice President of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad since 2014. His significant works include Jueeni Sugandha (2003; collection of short stories), Shri Purant Janse (2009; collection of poems) and Avagat (2014; collection of criticism). Gujarat Sahitya Akademi awarded him three times for his poems, short stories and criticism. His book Jueeni Sugandh was translated by Navneet Thakkar in Hindi as Juhi Ki Mahak (2007). He also served in the editorial team of Shabdasrishti, a monthly magazine published by Gujarat Sahitya Akademi. Patel was born on 20 August 1958 in the Naroda area of Ahmedabad, Gujarat; to Bhogilal and Lakshmibahen. He took his schooling from Diwan Ballubhai School, which is near Kankaria, from 1968 to 1974. He received his Bachelor of Science from Bhavans College, Ahmedabad in 1978 in the Chemistry subject. He received his Master of Science in Organic Chemistry from the School of Science at Gujarat University in 1980. He married in 1984 and has two daughters. He started to write in 1974 and was published for first time in Vishwamanav, a Gujarati language magazine. Subsequently, his poems were published in other literary magazines including Parab, Kumar, Kavilok, Kavita, Etad and Navneet Samarpan.