Neerav Patel

Neerav Patel
Neerav Patel at Atma auditorium, Ahmedabad in 2013
Born	(1950-12-02) December 2, 1950 (age 66) Bhuwaldi, Daskroi Taluka, Gujarat
Occupation	Poet, Translator, Editor, Bank officer
Language	Gujarati, English
Nationality	Indian
Education	Ph.D
Genre	Free verse
Literary movement	Dalit literature in Gujarati
Notable works	Burning From Both The Ends (1980) What Did I Do To Be Black and Blue (1987) Bahishkrut Phulo (2006)
Signature
Neerav Patel Academic background Thesis title Gujarati Dalit Poetry 1978 to 2003: A study Doctoral advisor D. S. Mishra Academic work

Neerav Patel is a Gujarati and English language poet, translator and editor from Gujarat, India. He is best known for his significant contribution in Gujarati Dalit literature such as Burning From Both The Ends (1980, English poems), What Did I Do To Be Black and Blue (1987, English poems) and Bahishkrut Phulo (2006, Gujarati). He edited Swaman, a journal of dalit writings in Gujarati.

Neerav Patel was born on 2 December 1950 in Bhuwaldi, a village in Daskroi Taluka of Ahmedabad district, Gujarat. He earned Ph.D in English literature. He served as a Bank Officer. After his retirement, he devotes his entire time to Dalit literature and activity.

He started to write poetry while he was in college, in 1967.

He writes only dalit poetry based on dalit people who are suffering atrocities, exploitation, discrimination, segregation.

He pioneered the movement of Gujarati Dalit literature, publishing the first ever Gujarati Dalit literary magazine Akrosh in 1978 under the auspices of the Dalit Panther of Gujarat. He also edited short-lived Gujarati magazines with others namely Kalo Suraj, Sarvanam, Swaman and Vacha He has published two poetry collections in English, Burning From Both The Ends (1980) and What Did I Do To Be Black and Blue (1987). He published an anthology of Gujarati poem Bahishkrut Phulo in 2006. He has explored Dalit sensibility in his poems.