Dr. Murlidhar Jetley

Born on 7 November 1930 at Hyderabad Sindh as son of Shri Kishanchand Jetley, Dr. Murlidhar was under the influence of energetic dreaming teen age when he was forced to undergo pains of crossing the newly laid down border due to partition of country. This was not easy to sustain the painful life experience and face the problem of uncertainty about the lively hood. This is truly his courage and wisdom that he used all these sorrows as the fuel for his creativity and desire to serve Sindhi language and Sindhiyat. It was teaching of his grandfather Pandit Topanlal, who was renowned scholar of Sanskrit and famous Ayurvedic Doctor of Hyderabad, proved handy and path leading during this difficult phase of life and emerge as winner.

Recalling the days of partition in an interview Murlidhar said that his family was shifted first to Jodhpur and then Abu Road as the result of this migration he missed Matriculation examination in 1948 and was succeeded to pass it only in 1949 as student of Sindhi school at Baroda established by his uncle Ladharam Mohandas. By this time his parents were shifted to Pune so he completed M.A. and Doctorate of Philosophy from Pune University. During the college studies he has also worked as Hindi and Sanskrit at Naveen Hind High School. When in 1965 he was awarded Ph.D. from Pune University for his research in Morphology of Sindhi language, he becomes first Sindhi to perform research in Sindhi language.

After Ph.D. he was appointed as Reader of Sindhi language Linguistic Department at Deccan College, where he was part of project of compiling Sindhi – English Dictionary but before the project get completed, he was appointed as Hindi lecturer in R. K. Talreja College at Ulhasnagar where he got opportunity to work as Sub editor of Hindvasi weekly published from Mumbai. In 1966 he was appointed as Lecturer of Sindhi in Delhi University and in the year 1995 retired.

Dr. Murlidhar is among scholar Sindhi writers who love to involve with intense research before coming with a publication. Actually, this was result of home atmosphere and influence of his teacher Rajpal Puri at Nawalrai Hiranand Academy that since the tender age of 10-12 years Murlidhar developed habit of reading. He has credit not just for presenting the History of Sindhi Literature but also Study about the most legendry creation of Sindhi literature Shah Jo Risalo.

Here at Delhi apart from working as Honorary Secretary [1994-1996] of Sindhi Academy, Govt. of Delhi, Murlidhar has also worked as Member for many other institutions such as Sahitya Akademi, K.K. Birla Foundation and Bhartiya Jhanapith etc. In the June  2023 he was admitted to hospital for health trouble caused due to diabetes. On 03 June 2023 he breathed last and his funerals were done next day.