Indian lexicographers

Narmadashankar Lalshankar Dave (24 August 1833 – 26 February 1886), popularly known as Narmad, was an Indian Gujarati-language poet, playwright, essayist, orator, lexicographer and reformer under the British Raj. He is considered to be the founder of modern Gujarati literature. After studying in Bombay, he stopped serving as a teacher to live by writing. During his prolific career, he introduced many literary forms in Gujarati. He faced economic struggles but proved himself as a dedicated reformer, speaking loudly against religious and social orthodoxy. His essays, poems, plays and prose were published in several collections. His Mari Hakikat, the first autobiography in Gujarati, was published posthumously. His poem Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat is now the state anthem of Gujarat state of India.

Sooranad P. N. Kunjan Pillai (26 November 1911 – 8 March 1995) was an Indian historian, researcher, lexicographer, poet, essayist, literary critic, orator, grammarian, educationist, and scholar of the Malayalam language, best remembered for his contributions in compiling Malayala Maha Nighantu, a lexicon. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padmashri in 1984 for his contribution to Malayalam literature and education. He was also a recipient of the Vallathol Award in 1992 and when the Government of Kerala instituted the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, their highest literary honour in 1993, he received the inaugural award.

Ningthoukhongjam Khelchandra Singh was an Indian writer, lexicographer and historian, known as the author of Manipuri to Manipuri and English, the first modern general dictionary in Meitei language, which was published in 1964. He was a fellow of the Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1987.

Siddheshwar Shastri Chitrav (1 February 1894 - 7 January 1984) was an Indian Vedic scholar, lexicographer, translator and writer of Marathi literature. Chitrav was credited with the translations of many upanishads into Marathi language. He also wrote many dictionaries such as Mahabhashayshabadkosh, Prachin Bharatiya Sthalakosha and Shri Ganesh Kosha. He was honoured by the Government of India in 1970 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.

Gopala Chandra Praharaj (9 September 1874 – 16 May 1945) was a writer and linguist in the Odia language, well known as the compiler of the Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha. He also contributed significantly to Odia literature by his works in prose. A lawyer by profession, Praharaj wrote several satirical and analytical essays, in magazines such as Utkal Sahitya, Rasachakra, Nababharata, and Satya Samachar, on the social, political and cultural issues of contemporary Odisha (Odisha) during early 20th century.

Ganjam Venkatasubbiah popularly known as G. Venkatasubbaiah or G. V. (born 23 August 1913 - 19 April 2021), was an Kannada writer, grammarian, editor, lexicographer and critic who has compiled over eight dictionaries, authored four seminal works on dictionary science in Kannada, edited over sixty books and published several papers. Recipient of the Kannada Sahitya Akademi Award and the Pampa Award, G. Venkatasubbiah's contribution to the world of Kannada Lexicography is vast. His work Igo Kannada is a socio-linguistic dictionary which encompasses an eclectic mix of Kannada phrases, usages, idioms, phrases, and serves as a reference for linguists and sociologists alike. Venkatasubbiah is best known for his work on Kannada dictionary science titled Kannada Nighantu Shastra Parichaya. This came out exactly one hundred years after a Kannada-English dictionary was authored by the German priest and Indologist Reverend Ferdinand Kittel in 1894. This work became an addition to a tradition of dictionary writing in Kannada known for at least thousand years starting with first available Rannakanda.

Hardev Bahri (Punjabi: ਹਰਦੇਵ ਬਾਹਰੀ, Hindi: हरदेव बाहरी, Hardev Bāhrī, also Bahari; 1907—2000) was an Indian linguist, literary critic, and lexicographer of the 20th century, notable for his work in Hindi, Punjabi, and other related Indo-Aryan languages. He compiled numerous monolingual and bilingual dictionaries for both general and technical purposes in collaboration with the publisher Rajpal and Sons.

Vishwanath Maganlal Bhatt (20 March 1898 – 27 November 1968) was a Gujarati literary critic and lexicographer from Gujarat, India. He had published 22 works. He was awarded the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 1935.

Siraj-ud-Din Ali Khan (Urdu: سراج الدین علی خاں آرزو) (1687-1756), also known by his pen-name Arzu, was a Delhi-based poet, linguist and lexicographer of the Mughal Empire. He used to write mainly in Persian, but he also wrote 127 couplets in Urdu. He was the maternal-uncle of Mir Taqi Mir. He taught Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Muhammad Rafi Sauda, Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janaan and Najm-ud-Din Shah Mubarak Abroo.

Khudiram Das (9 October 1916 – 28 April 2002) was an Indian scholar, educationist, critic, litterateur, an authority on Rabindra literature and linguistic expert.