P .

rof. Rajendra I. Nanavati was an outstanding scholar-teacher of Sanskrit from Gujarat. He had a long career of nearly five decades to his credit with noteworthy contribution in various fields of academics like teaching, research, guidance, administration, organization, social service etc. Born on May 4, 1939, Nanavati took his education up to Masters (always winning prizes) in St. Xavier’s College of Mumbai University (MU). Even post-Master he won three V.N. Mandlik prizes and one Gold Medal of MU for his long studied essays. He became a college-teacher of Sanskrit by choice. He began his teaching career in a mofussil college, soon went to a reputed urban college and in the middle of his career came to the well-known M.S. University of Baroda (MSU) where he scaled various teaching and administrative positions like reader, professor, head-of-the-department, principal-of-senate etc.. He thus taught generation of student of village, city and university and gathered rich and varied of experience of academic administration.
In his long career at various places, he taught all Sanskrit subjects that come in his way and taught them sincerely. Also, he always willingly guided research candidates in topics of their choices. Again he was initial director of SKSD Jain Research Institute at MSU. Then, he was twice elected president of Pail & Buddhism Section of All-India Oriental Conference. All this led him to acquire a wide base of knowledge in the fields of Indological studies like Sanskrit Poetics, Indian National Epics, Classical & Modern Sanskrit Literature, Nyaya, Manuscriptology, Vedas & Vedangas, Archaeology, Bhakti Vedanta, Sectarian Vedanta, Regional Contribution to Sanskrit Literature, Pali & Buddhism, Prakrit & Jainism, Medieval Gujarati Literature and so on. Eventually, he had numerous opportunities to share his knowledge and administrative wisdom with students and teachers and academic bodies of several other universities of the State and country.

He has written and edited number of books. His studies in the fields of Sanskrit Poetics and Great Indian Epics are internationally recognized as significant contributions. He was editor of four research journals. He has contributed more than hundred research paper and learned essay in English and Gujarati to international research journals and reputed literary periodicals. He has contributed numerous articles to anthologies, collections and encyclopedias. He has organized a number of national and state-level seminars. He has chaired numerous sessions at national and international seminars and conferences. He has been associated with All-India-Oriental Conference since 1969, and is its executive member since1994. He has presided over several of its section almost continuously. He invited the 39th biennial Session (1998) of the conference to Baroda which became the most momentous of the many events MSU’s Golden Jubilee Year Celebrations.
He was always gratefully acknowledged the debt predecessors. He edited stray writings of his teacher late Prof. G. C. Jhala in four volumes, presented a felicitation volume (on Epics-Puranas) to his worthy senior Prof. S.G. Kantawala, presented a garland of 108 Venda-mantras(with Hindi-English translation ) to his Guru P.P Swami Gangeshvarananda Udasin, is editing the manuscript of the fourth volume of Late Prof. S.S. Bhawe’s magnum opus, ‘Some Hymns of the Rgveda’, has an ongoing project of critically editing from manuscripts the unearthed works of a medieval scholar-teacher Ashadhara Ramaji Bhatta, and has on his agenda the editing of works of Late Prin. J.T. Parikh, Late Pt. Prin. Ramprasad Baxi & Late Pt. Laxmiahankar Shukla. By such efforts Nanavati endeavors to that unbroken chain of scholars who kept the flow of traditional Indian culture and learning uninterrupted.