NEWS

Researchers of Bhakta Kavi Narsinh Mehta University (BKNMU), Junagadh, discovered a new species of spider and named it Narsinhmehtai in honour of Narsinh Mehta. However it is being opposed

WHO IS NARASINH MEHTA

• Born in Talaja in present-day Bhavnagar district in 1410 and died in Junagadh in 1480s
• Penned more than 750 poems, called padd in Gujarat. They mainly deal with devotion to Lord Krishna, gyan (wisdom) vairagya (detachment from worldly affairs)
• Vaishanavajn to tene kahiye, Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan is Mehta’s creation
• Birds, creatures find place in his poetry
• Regarded as adikavi (the first poet) and bhakta kavi (devout poet) in Gujarati literature. His bhajans are integral part of Gujarat’s cultural life even six centuries after they were written.
• The Junagadh university set up by the state government in 2017 is named after him.
• A lake in Vastrapur in Ahmedabad is also named after Mehta.