Sitanshu Yashaschandra is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Gujarati literature. He is widely celebrated as a poet, playwright, critical theorist, translator, and academic. His creative, critical, and academic works have received significant acclaim in India and beyond. Currently, he serves as the President of the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad in Ahmadabad.
Sitanshu Yashaschandra has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the National Sahitya Akademi Award (1987), Rashtriya Kabir Samman (Madhya Pradesh), Gangadhar Maher Samman (Orissa), Kavi Kusumagraj National Award (Maharashtra) in 2013, and the National Harmony Award (New Delhi). He has also been honored with the Ranjeetram Suvarna Chandrak (Ahmedabad) in 1987, Narmad Suvarna Chandrak (Surat) in 2002, and the Gujarat Gaurav Award in 2014. The K K Birla Foundation of Delhi recently announced the Sarasvati Samman for him in 2017.
Sitanshu Yashaschandra's literary contributions have been recognized globally as he has been invited to read his poems and plays internationally in cities such as Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Moscow, Riga, Croatia, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seoul. He has also been invited to various national literary events in Delhi, Jaipur, Shimla, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Guwahati, Patna, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, and Hyderabad.
With a Fulbright Scholarship and a Ford West European Fellowship, Sitanshu Yashaschandra holds a Doctorate in Comparative Literature from the USA and another Doctorate in Indian poetry from Mumbai. He has held significant positions such as Vice Chancellor of Saurashtra University, UGC Emeritus Professor and National Lecturer, and Chief Editor of the Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi). He has also served as a Professor and Chair of Gujarati at M. S. University of Baroda since 1972, and as a visiting Professor at Sorbonne University (Paris), University of Pennsylvania, Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), and Jadavpur University (Kolkata).
Sitanshu Yashaschandra has published several noteworthy works in poetry, including "Odysseusnu-n Halesu-n" (1975), "Jatayu" (1986), "Mohen-jo-dado" (audio book, 1990), "Vakhaar" (2008), and "Mahabhoj" (2019). He has also written a number of plays, such as "Kem Makanji kyan chalya" (1999), "A Manas Madrasi Laage Chhe" (1999), "Khagras" (1999), "Ashvatthama aje pan jive chhe (ane hanay chhe)" (2001), "Nakkamo Manas Chhe Narasimha Maheta" (2008), and "Akhaani Olakhaano" (2009).
In the realm of critical theory, Sitanshu Yashaschandra has made significant contributions with works like "Ramaniyatano Vag Vikalp" (Theory of Form and Play in Literature), "Simankan ane Simollanghan" (Comparative Literature), and "Asya Sargavidhau" (Genesis of Verbal Art). He has also contributed to the book "Literary Cultures in History: Reconstruction from South Asia" (2003, UCLA Press), edited by Sheldon Pollock, with his essay titled "From Hemachandra to Hind Svaraj: Region and Power in Gujarati Literary Culture."
His poems and critical writings have been translated into English, Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi and published in books by Sahitya Akademi, Raza Foundation, and Rajkamal Prakashan.