Shahabuddin Rathod

Shahabuddin Rathod comes from Thangadh, in the Surendranagar district of Gujarat, and spent his working life in education: he was a teacher from 1958 and a school principal from 1971 to 1996. It was in 1971, the year he became a principal, that he also started out as a humorist, and the two careers ran in parallel for decades.

A large share of his humour has reached readers in print. He has written ten books in Gujarati and one in Hindi, including Hasata-Hasavata, Dukhi Thavani Kala, Show Must Go On and Maro Gadhedo Dekhay Chhe?, and the editor Jagdish Trivedi compiled four further volumes from his work. His material was adapted for television as Papad Pol, Shahabuddin Rathod Ki Rangeen Duniya, and for the screen in the Gujarati film Shahabuddin Rathodno Hasyano Varghodo. The Padma Shri he received in 2020 recognised his work in literature and education.