Mari Hakikat
Cover of critical edition, 1994
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| Author | Narmadashankar Dave |
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| Original title | મારી હકીકત |
| Country | India |
| Language | Gujarati |
| Genre | Autobiography |
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| Publisher | Gujarati Press (First edition), Kavi Narmad Yugavart Trust (Critical edition) |
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Mari Hakikat (Gujarati: મારી હકીકત) is an autobiography by Narmadashankar Dave, popularly known as Narmad, a Gujarati author from Surat during 19th century India. It was the first autobiography of Gujarati language. It was written in 1866 and published posthumously in 1933.
Narmad had written his autobiography in 1866. He mentioned his intention at the start of his autobiography,
I am not writing this autobiography for anybody else but for myself. For me; it is not for recognition (I am already recognized), money or designation but for the encouragement [to me] in future from the past.
He further added that his life will give some message to people. Narmad was candid and outspoken and he believed that his thoughts and works are exemplar. To give insights in his mind and world around him, he chose to write as openly as possible about incidents of his life, people connected with that incidents, his relations with those people and the results of those relations.
Narmad had published collection of his essays as Narmagadhya: Book 1 in 1865. Suratni Mukhatesar ni Hakikat was published as Narmagadya: Book 2: Issue 1 in 1866 from page 1 to page 59. He intended to publish Mari Hakikat as a Narmagadya: Book 2: Issue 2. He later did not published it for people.
After death of Narmad in 1886, his close aid Navalram Pandya had published his biography, Kavijivan, in 1888 based on the autobiography. He mentioned that Narmad had printed only two to five copies and given it to his close aids and requested it to be published only after his death. Natwarlal Desai, his editor and son of another close aid Ichchharam Desai, also mentioned the same later. But later research found that Narmad had printed 400 copies of the autobiography. It is mentioned in Narmakavita (1866–67), just few months after his writing autobiography, where he had published list of all books along with number of published copies of each. Narmad may have destroyed other copies barring few but there has been no firm proof of it.
The limited print copy had 73 pages of two columned Royal size pages. It was page number 60 to 132 of Narmagadya: Book 2: Issue 2. It was printed in Union Press owned by his friend Nanabhai Rustomji Rani. Narmad's only son Jayshankar died in 1910 without any heir. He had assigned the management of these works to his friends, Mulchand Damodardas Mukati and Thakordas Tribhuvandas Tarkasr. They had transferred copyrights of these works to Gujarati Press in 1911.
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