| Balashankar Kantharia | |
| Pseudonym: | Kalant Kavi, Bal,Nijanand,Mast |
| Birth Name: | Balashankar Ullasram Kantharia |
| Birth Date: | 1858 5, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Sathodar village, Nadiad, Gujarat |
| Death Place: | Vadodara, Gujarat |
| Occupation: | poet, translator |
| Language: | Gujarati |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Notableworks: | Hariprem Panchdashi |
Balashankar Ullasram Kantharia (May 17, 1858 – April 1, 1898),[1] was a Gujarati poet.
Balashankar Kantharia was born on May 17, 1858, into a Sathodara Nagar Brahmin family in Nadiad, Bombay Presidency (now in Gujarat, India).[2] [3] He was born to Ullasram Arjunlal Kantharia, a government magistrate, and Revaba, and had one brother, Umedram, and one sister, Rukshmani. Balashankar had studied till the first year of his college. He was a polyglot and knew Gujarati, Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Braj and Hindi languages as well as music and archaeology.[2] His wife's name was Manilakshmi.[4]
He briefly worked in government service. He managed Bharati Bhusan, Itihas Mala, Krishna Mahoday magazines. He served as an editor of Buddhiprakash magazine briefly.[2] He is considered as the founder of the modern Gujarati poetry and Ghazal. Manilal Dwivedi was his close friend. He considered himself as a follower of Dalpatram and was expert in poetry in Shikharini metre.[2] It is believed that Kalapi had learned Ghazal poetry from him and Manilal Dwivedi.[5]
He died due to the plague, on April 1, 1898, at Baroda (now Vadodara, Gujarat).[2]
Kalant Kavi and Bal were his pen names. He is credited with bringing Persian style poetry such as Ghazal in Gujarati literature.[3] Kalant Kavi and Hariprem Panchdashi are his collections of poetry. He had translated Karpūramañjarī by Rajasekhara, Mṛcchakatika and Sufi Ghazals of Hafez in Gujarati.[2]
"Gujare Je Shire Tare" is his popular ghazal poetry composed in Bah’r Hazaj Saalim metre.[6]