Jwalant, was born on December 17, 1974, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and was brought up in Rajkot. A renowned family,with its members holding well-placed Government position and newspaper publication of Rajkot. The first mayor of Rajkot too came from this august family.
Influence during childhood stays for life and most times shows you the way forward.
Jwalant too loved the performing arts ( Stage shows) and that’s what he wanted to do as a child. Schooling completed in Rajkot ( Saurashtra High School), he went on to do his graduation. Having a degree is always a backup, irrespective of the career one chooses.
Career to choose & way forward
Somewhere along the journey, the media and journalism caught his attention. Whilst in college he was influenced by columnists, journalists, writers, etc. His family too had connection with famous journalists, poets, authors – to name a few Harkishan Mehta, Kanti Bhatt, Shila Bhatt, and many who wrote for renowned magazines like Chitralekha, Kavita and Samkalin. He finally decided and took up journalism in full earnest.
He attended events organized by “Pravin Prakashan” and other prominent events. One incident that he will always remember is an event that was fully sold out, however, he noticed reserved journalist category seats and thought to himself – he would one day have the privilege to sit on those front row seats reserved for journalists. His passion to scoop out a story form every nook and corner gave him the edge over other journalists. He was willing to get to any place and meet anyone for a good coverage.
Behind the desk, doing what he loved
Reading and having books as a friend never fails. Jwalant loved reading and his parents encouraged and supported him. He prepared for his journalism courses while doing graduation. He did his B.Com from Kundliya College Rajkot. Though he had the aptitude he never attempted competitive exams for fear of being selected. One would think that was funny, but his passion was Journalism and he did not want to give up that dream for anything else. Focus helped him complete his journalism course ( Bachelor and Masters) from Saurashtra University. He landed his first job in 1995-96. At “Chandani News” he became the first video journalist for that region. He was there for six months and during his tenure, he handled multiple roles – reporting, editing, writing, and news reading. Multitasking came very easily to him.
He later joined renowned “Gujarat Samachar” In 1996, where he was fortunate to have gotten a good role, thanks to his skills and yes of course luck. Normally freshers are given menial tasks viz a viz the newspaper but Jwalant landed the role of Bureau at Kutchh, Gujarat. It was a huge achievement for someone that young. Recognition came by for his work and ground-level reporting – historical, political, political, daily news reports, etc.
Having made a name in the field of journalism he got the opportunity to go to the ocean border near Koteshwar, Kutchh to cover news of firing by Pakistan boats. Another big opportunity was when Jwalant was allowed to cover the story of captured Bangladeshi intruders who were held at the Introgression Center in Kutchh. Getting inside that space for journalists was a big challenge, however Jwalant managed to scoop the story for the publication. Later on, he joined “Aaj-Kal”, where he covered many important political stories for Gujarat. Interviews of many political, entertainment, sports, art & literature celebrities were conducted by Jwalant. The Saurashtra cricket events for evening daily newspaper and success with editing for the weekly edition of “Aaj Kal Plus” were also under his belt. For four years he was with “Sanj Samachar – Jai Hind group”. He was assigned a column, and the column would be on varying topics which was not easy for a person who had done editing and reporting full time. However, he managed it very well. A 9 year-long stint with ” Bhashkar Group – Divya Bhashkar” entailed him to handle creative headings, analytical reporting for Rajkot and he was considered a key contributor for Junagadh and Kutchh editions of Divya Bhaskar. The column “Kalash” gained prominence and got to the front page. With time he started handing the Ahmedabad desk too.
Support …..makes the difference
Struggle is synonymous with a system where regional journalists find it difficult.
He swam against the waves and proved himself and achieved name, fame, and tones of exposure. One has to make a mark for thyself to come up in this line of work. Jwalant is lucky to have the support initially of his parents and then of his spouse and son. They accepted and understood his passion that has no time limits or set time of work for the day. Apart from his family he is blessed to have Mr. Bharat Ghelani, editor – Chitralekha. Mr. Bharat Ghelani guided and supported Jwalant in his journey very well. Jwalant is thankful for long list of supporters – Mr. Shailesh Jani, Lt. Sr. Raju Shah, Mr. Sirish Kashikar, Mrs. Smriti Shah, Mr. Paresh Dave, Mr.Kana Bantwa, Mr. Manish Mehta, Mr. Hiren Maheta, Mr. Pradeep Shah, Rajiv Vachhrajani, Dr. Mehul Mitra, Dr. Urvish Vasavda, Dr. Keyur Anjaria to name a few.
Playing with words & emerging stories
Jwalant who is good with words enjoys writing short stories. He has written scripts for documentaries. Scripts for 6 episodes for Rajkot Doordarshan and script on “Ranki-vav” for Ahmedabad Doordarshan. He is the one who scripted first play for Gandhijee on his 150th birth anniversary program. This added a lot more professional texture to his profile and ‘journalist cap”. Besides the above great work, he has been a speaker for many events like Gujarat Literature Festival, Saurashtra Literature Festival to name a few. He also authored five books are “Savand”, “ThoughtsApp”, ” Maja na manso ne madvani maja”, “Dear Students”, “Share It”, and ” Parichay Pustika – Hemu Gadhvi”. He acted for fourteen plays and did backstage work for three plays. Jwalant also scripted plays on Mahatma Gandhi, Mirabehn – Madeleine Slade, and Sorath Dairy.
Accolades are by-products of good work. Jwalant got the ” Gujarat Media Award” In 2019. He is the first journalist of Saurashtra region who was conferred with this prestigious award.
Dreams that never fade!
When a passion is so strong and it’s pursued with focus, nothing can stop an individual to achieve goals and make a mark for himself. Hurdles come up for everyone and it’s those who beat the odds and learn to swim against the tide, which always make a difference both personally and professionally in the journey of life.
