Makrand Mehta

Makrand Mehta was an Indian social and business historian from Gujarat.

Biography

Makrand Mehta was born on 25 May 1931 at Ahmedabad into a Nagar Brahmin family.
He studied at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, University of Pennsylvania and Gujarat University.
He headed the Department of History at the School of Sciences, Gujarat University before retirement. He was associated with several organisations including Gujarat Itihas Parishad, Gujarat Vidyasabha and Darshak Itihas Nidhi.
Makrand Mehta was married to historian Shirin Mehta. He died from dengue in Ahmedabad, on 1 September 2024, at the age of 93.

Works

Mehta wrote more than 25 books in English and Gujarati. He also published several papers on social and economic history. His last book Business Culture of Gujarat was published by Zen Opus, Ahmedabad, in December 2023.
His selected works are:

English

Collaborative

Gujarati

Reception

Mehta published a research paper titled Sectarian literature and Social Consciousness - A study of the Swaminarayan sect 1800-1840 in December 1986 in Arthat. It triggered a controversy among the followers of Swaminarayan Sampraday. In it, Mehta has contended that Sahajanand, who is believed to be an incarnation of Krishna by his followers, was only a social reformer who conspired with his followers to project himself as a god. He had also argued that the sect had done nothing for poor. In 1988, the followers of the sect received a permission from the government of Gujarat to lodge a case against him under section 295 A of Indian Penal Code.