L i f e : 1922 - 1933 |
1922 : Saurashtra

Press
at Ranpur |
 |

Amrutlal Dalpatbhai Sheth
(1891-1954)
`Saurashtra-naa Sinh' |
|

First Issue
of
Saurashtra
weekly
October 2, 1921
owner-editor
: Amrutlal Dalpatbhai Sheth |
Jhaverchand
Meghani, then, was directionless and
unable to decide which way to go :
Farming ?
Business
? or Service with one of the states ? |
Just then, writings like |
Motee-nee Dhagalio |
Choraa-no Pokaar |
 |
 |
inspired by the
Kaathi dwellings he saw while
traveling by train which to him looked like
heaps of pearls |
inspired by visit to his
maternal aunt's
village, Tori,
where he sat on the Choraa (public square raised
right at the centre), listening to the village elders |
which he sent for publication
in the newly started
Saurashtra
weekly
prompted its
owner-editor
Amrutlal Sheth promptly
to invite him. |
|
Joined
Saurashtra
weekly
at
Ranpur in
1922
|
Colleagues |

Nathalal Shah |

Balvantrai
Mehta |

Bhimji Parekh
'Sushil' |

Manishankar
Trivedi |
|

Gunvantrai
Acharya |

Kakalbhai
Kothari |

Hargovind
Pandya |

Ramoo Thakkar |
|
 |
 |
The Saurashtra
team
the Printing Section fittingly providing the backdrop |
seated : left
to right
Kakalbhai Kothari, Amrutlal Sheth, Meghani |
|
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Letter-head


|

picks up the
Pen |

|

at
Ranpur
Fort |
Monday
to Thursday :
Busy Editing
Saurashtra
weekly |
Friday to
Sunday :
Visiting Places for Folklore
Fieldwork |
|
|


|
The Human Touch
of Folklore !

|
First Book
published in 1922 |
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 |
 |
Kathaa-u-Kaahinee |
Kurabaanee-nee
Kathaao |
1900 |
The
First Edition
: 1922 |
The Present
Edition |
A free translation, in poetic prose, of chosen ones
from the ballads in Tagore's Kathaa-u-Kaahinee
in which Rabindranath had rendered, in his sparkling verse, memorable episodes of
self-sacrifice taken from
the Sikh, Rajput, Bauddha and Maratha
annals of Indian history.
|
Meghani
notes
 |
|
Press
Premises |

left wing
Composing
right wing Printing |

Neem Tree above his
office |

Temporary Residence in the Press |

Shri
Amrutlal Dalpatbhai Sheth Hospital
converted into a
Philanthropic Public
Hospital in 1960 by Sheth Family
|

Mahatma
Gandhi
(1869-1948) |
This historical
picture of Gandhiji was clicked while, during his visit to Ranpur in April 1925.
|
He stayed
at Saurashtra Press premises as an honoured guest. |
Amritlal Sheth,
in a leading article he wrote in the issue of
Saurashtra weekly
dated April 4, 1925
welcomed Bapu with utmost warmth. |
In his response
Gandhiji said :
"One should always follow one's inner voice even if that
means standing up against the whole world
including the so-called Mahatmas like me. I would consider someone who could
do this a blessed one." |
The
Municipality
of Ranpur too took the opportunity to honour
Mahatmaji
with a
Maan-Patra (citation). |
|
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places
where Meghani stayed |
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Glimpses of
the historic Ranpur Fort |
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After succeeding his father in 1290,
Ranji Sejakji Gohil established
Ranpur after his name
and
built a fort on a hillock
on the confluence of three rivers -- Bhadar, Goma
and Lindiyo |
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It stands witness to the
rare incident of Jal-Jauhar -- the only one to
have taken place in the history of Gujarat.
In 1309 Allauddin Khilji attacked Ranpur.
Within moments of learning about
it, the brave ruler rushed to the
battle-front -- Kanara village in the outskirts of Ranpur.
He was, unfortunately, overpowered and killed.
Six out of his seven queens, as per the Rajput tradition,
ended their lives to save their honour
by plunging into the deep, dark well inside the palace, one after another,
as they saw the Gohil flag falling -- an unmistakable indication that Ranji was
defeated and dead.
The seventh, an expectant mother, was, in order to save the heir of the family,
persuaded not to join them. |
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then |
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1923 - 1927
: Sauraashtra-nee Rasadhaar

1923 |

1924 |

1925 |

1926 |

1927 |
100
Folk
Stories
of Bravery and Adventure,
Chivalry and Sacrifice, Friendship and Love
compiled, edited and collected in
5
Volumes
|
 |
One-Volume Edition
published first
in
1997 and reprinted several
times since then. |
|
List of
Folk Stories
the figure in the bracket following
the title indicates the original volume in which the story first appeared |

|
Meghani explains how he happened to take up writing of
Rasadhaar
 |

|

The Unbowing Heads |

excerpts from
the English translation `The Indomitable
Twelve'
by late Vinod Meghani |
A
heart-rending saga of 12 bosom friends
who lived in
Aambardi, a small village about 35 kms from Chotila (Dist.
Surendranagar)
some 500
years ago.
|
The Indomitable Twelve |
Visal Raabaa
The
leader, a
Parajiya
Chaaran by caste, was the leader of 7 villages and
the right hand of
Rajsaheb of Halawad state. |
Aalga |
Dhaanrav |
Khimrav |
Lakhman |
Naagaajan |
Paala |
Raviya |
Saajan |
Tejrav |
Versal |
Keshavgar |
While eleven of
them belonged to the community of
Parajiya
Chaarans, Keshavgar, the twelfth
one,
was a Bawaji. |
|
This is how
Meghani introduces them
 |
Not just in this world, even on the journey
beyond they would be together : they had
declared.
Indeed, the twelve of them once had pressed their swords on their
necks, mingled the oozing blood, and using it as ink had written a deed and
vowed :
"The twelve of us shall live and die
together. We shall not let a moment separate
us even when we die"
|
Visal
had vowed not to bow his head before
a mortal being; his head, he said,
would bow only before his sword --
Shakti
-- the symbol of Goddess. |
|

Artist
Pratapsinh Jadeja |
 |
The Sultan
of Gujarat, when he heard about
this, got annoyed and upset.
He promptly sent a dispatch to Visal
asking him to either bow before him
or accept the challenge of a battle
with his army. |
Rather than bowing his head before
the
Sultan.
he, on behalf of his
friends, took up the challenge of
facing the might of the huge
Sultanic army. |
He,
however, suggested : So that the
battle does not appear altogether
unfair and lop-sided, and we have a
better chance too of showing you our
skills as warriors,
the army be forbidden from using guns,
cannons, double-barrels and
firelocks against the few and far
outnumbered that we are with but a
sword in the hand of each. |
|
 |
-As they were about to enter the battlefield Visal, with his sword,
drew on the ground where they stood
a big circle and
asked the friends to return into the
fold of this circle on sunset along
with all their belongings --
even the bits and pieces of the
dismembered parts of their body --
so that they breathe their last on this
collective deathbed. |
|
 |
The
battlefield on the
bank of river Brahmani near
Karsangadh village |
As
the battle raged, the eleven men (Tejrav
was, incidentally, away then, having
gone out of the town on some errand)
braving the blows of hundreds of
enemy warriors, began to sweep across
the battlefield.
So swiftly they moved around that
the swords swinging violently in
their hands flashed dazzles that
gave an illusion of each of them
fighting the battle in multiple
forms. |
Fearing defeat, the
Sultan
went back on his word and,
breaking the agreement, ordered
his men to attack with arrows and firelocks. |
At
sunset, as the fighting stopped,
the friends, having gathered every dismembered
part of their bodies, they
managed to hobble back into the
circle. |
Bidding farewells, they
stretched out side by side and breathed
their last. |
|
The last scene so dramatically
described by
Meghani
 |
|
It
was dusk when Tejrav, the twelfth
friend rode back with his cart to the
village and learnt about the
carnage. |
Lamenting like a
grief-stricken widow, he raced
towards the crematory grounds
where flames were leaping into the
sky from the single crematory pyre
of the eleven brave men. |
Lest
he be left behind by his friends in
the eternal journey which they had
vowed to undertake together,
he
then leaped into and clambered up
the blazing pile of firewood and
took up a sitting posture atop the
pyre. |
As
the flames enveloped him, he began
to say his rosary and chant :
Har !
Har ! Har ! |
Only
after his entire body was aflame,
the rosary fell out of his hand ! |
A Duho in praise of Tejrav
 |
|
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The
Memorial at Aambardi |
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The memorial to Maanju, the
Rabaaran
(shepherdess) |
While the
friends were leaving for the
battlefield, Maanju offered them
water from the earthen water-jug she
was carrying on her head.
After they cooled their throats with
water,
Visal requested her to wait there,
if she could, till
they returned from the
battlefield.
Still badly they would need to sooth their souls
then, he murmured as if
prophetically. |
And, indeed,
when they returned --- badly bruised
--- Maanju, who was still there as
promised, held a tumbler in her hand
and
dripped drops of water between the
lips of the pilgrims to the eternity |
|
|
 |
Mohabattkhan Peer-nee Jagya |
The tomb in memory of Prince Mohabbatkhan, the eldest son of the
Sultan who was slain by Visal in
the battle |
|
The
story is based on
research, legend as well as on
an ode titled
Nishaanee
composed in Dingal language during
15th century AD by a
Meer
poet called Karman Krishna Chotala of
Jambuda village (Dist. Jamnagar) |

|
A series of sketches depicting
various stories from Rasadhaar
Artist
Pratapsinh Jadeja
|

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Sorathee
Bahaaravatiyaa
|

1927 |

1928 |

1929 |
|
Narratives of
13 Outlaws
of Saurashtra
each one of whom took up arms for a cause
|
Meghani justifies people's -- and his own too -- soft corner
for the outlaws
 |
|
List
in
alphabetical order - left
to right, top to bottom |
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 |
Bawa Vala |
caste
Kathi |
around
1820 A.D. |
fought against
Jetpur
and Visavadar |
|
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Bhimo Jat |
caste
Jat |
1800 - 1850 A.D. |
fought against
Gondal |
|
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Chapraj
Vala |
caste
Kathi |
around 1835 A.D. |
fought against
Gaikwad
and
Agency Police |
|
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Jesaji - Vejaji |
caste
Rajput |
1473 - 1494 A.D. |
fought against
Mughal
Suba
of
Junagadh and Ahmedabad |
|
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Jodha
Manek - Mulu Manek |
caste
Vagher |
1858 - 1867 A.D. |
fought against
Gaikwad |
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Jogidas
Khuman |
caste
Kathi |
1816 - 1829 A.D. |
fought against
Bhavnagar |
|
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Kadu Makrani |
caste
Baloch |
1883 - 1885 A.D. |
fought against
Junagadh |
|
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`Kanaraa-ne
Risaamane'
Paaliyaa of Mahiya Rajputs atop Kanaro Hill, Gir |
Mahiya |
caste
Mahiya Rajput |
1853 - 1883 A.D. |
fought against
Junagadh |
|
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Movar
Sanghwani |
caste
Miyana |
1878 - 1884
A.D. |
fought for
Personal Grievance |
|
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 |
Natha
Modhvadia |
caste
Mer |
around 1830 A.D. |
fought against
Jamnagar |
|
 |

The only actual, camera-clicked picture available |
Ram Vala |
caste
Kathi |
1914 - 1915
A.D. |
fought against
Gaikwad |
|
 |
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Valo
Namori |
caste
Miyana |
around 1890 A.D. |
fought for
Personal Grievance |
|
|
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Raide |
caste
Buchad Chaaran |
around 1873 A.D. |
fought against
Jamnagar |
The narrative first appeared
as a part of the author's book Chhelu(n)
Prayaan, posthumously published in 1947.
It was, however, moved from
there to be incorporated -- quite appropriately
-- in Volume 3 of this 3-Volume work when its 5th edition was issued in 1981.
It, obviously, sits better there, along with other similar accounts. |
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Narratives
of Outlaws from other lands
First published as
Vartamaanyug-naa Bahaaravatiyaa in 1932,
It appeared with a slightly changed title ---
Dariyaapaar-naa Bahaaravatiyaa --- when it was reprinted in 1946. |
|
Worldly-wise
and Learned
Chaarans
with whom he modestly
shared both friendship and learning

Pictures
of
Samatbhai Gadhavi
(Sanali),
Dadabhai Gadhavi
(Aasodar),
Palravbhai Paliya
(Reshamiya)
couldnot be found
click here for full view |
1924
: Dheliben
 |
 |
 |
her Home |
Dheliben
Meraanee
in the twilight years
of her life
Bagavadar, District Porbandar ... |
her Farm |
|
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... amongst Barada Hills |
It was
Meraanee (woman of Mer community) Dheliben of Bagavadar
village
who first introduced
Jhaverchand Meghani to the enchanting world of
Folk-songs.
He went to the village looking mainly for folk-stories.
Since it did not click, he
thought he would at least try for an opportunity
to listen to their Raasdaa (folk-dance-songs).
Disappointed here too, he was about to give up, when, luckily, he happened to meet
this Dheliben.
Although toiling in the field, along with her husband, all through the day had taken a heavy toll on her,
she sang for him for hours together, till late into the night.
It was
a dark night. He sat in the
Verandah
of her house,
taking down, in the feeble, flickering light of the lone kerosene lamp burning there,
the
songs Dheliben's tough throat tirelessly continued to thunder out, one after another.
One of these,
Vahuae Vagovyaa Motaa Khoradaa is a pet song of every home even this day.
Another, Moralaa-nee Maayaa, was
his personal favourite.
It was a night he said he would never never forget. Reason
: It was his first ever initiation into
Folk-songs ! |

Artist
Arvind Joshi
|
recollects Meghani
|
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|
 |
Although
Jhaverchand Meghani didnot happen to meet
Dheliben again, to record his deep gratitude,
he dedicated to her the
Fourth Volume of his
series of collections of folk-songs,
Radhiyaalee Raat. |
|
Dheliben
remembers
Meghani's visit
in an interview she gave to Narottambhai
Palan in 1967 when she was 90.
She passed away in 1977 at the age of 100.

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Artist Pratapsinh Jadeja |
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1928
: Chaaran-Kanyaa
Gir Forest
the home of
Asiatic Lion
spread over
an area of
1400
square kilometers |
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Tulsishyam in
Gir Forest |
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Rukmani Hill |
Temple of Lord Krishna |
Hot-water Springs |
|
Few kilometers from Tulsishyam is
Khajuri-no Ness,
the home of
Hirbai
Chaaran |
 |
 |
A typical of the many dwellings in the Ness |
The Vad (banyan tree)
where the lion attacked the calf |
|
In course of his travels for folklore research,
Jhaverchand Meghani once
happened to stay overnight at
Khajuri-no Ness
(a Chaaran dwelling)
near Tulsishyam in the Gir forest.
It was, incidentally, then that
a lion attacked a calf, called Hiral, a proud and dear possession
of
Hirbai, a
14-year old
Chaaran
girl, and killed it.
On hearing loud cries for help, people with
laathi
(long thick
stick), sword, spear
-- whichever came handy -- ran towards the
site
and were astonished to see
the young brave-heart girl standing with one of her legs
put firmly and possessively
on the dead body of the calf and fiercely and incessantly swinging her
Daang
(long thick stick)
over
her head, in a desperate attempt
to prevent the lion
from dragging her dead calf into the forest
and the lion, perhaps overawed by unexpected
guts of the gallant girl, fled the scene.
Amazed at the bravery of the girl, Meghani felt so touched, his poetic sensitivity
got so immensely inspired, that,
unmindful of the fact that neither paper nor pen was on hand then, he instantly started composing a poem in his mind
and began simultaneously to recite it aloud and with great excitement.
|

Artist Arvind Joshi
Thus was born
'Chaaran-Kanyaa',
one of his most popular poems
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First-hand,
picturesque, hair-raising and breath-taking account below of the incident by
Padmashree Dula Bhaya Kag
who witnessed the entire thrilling scenario with wide, unbelieving eyes.
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1929
: Ranjitram
Suvarnachandrak
(Gold Medal)

Gujarat Sahitya Sabha, Ahmedabad
established
in 1904 |

Ranjitram Vavabhai Mehta
(1881-1917)
founder Gujarat Sahitya Sabha |

Ranjitram
Suvarnachandrak
Medal award to
Kavi Rajendra Shukla
in 2006 |
Jhaverchand Meghani was the
First Recipient of
Ranjitram
Suvarnachandrak (Gold
Medal) for the year
1928
awarded in recognition of his researches in,
and contribution to, Folklore
|
As the Silver Jubilee (1904 - 1929) Celebrations
of Gujarat Sahitya Sabha
commenced,
Shri Hiralal T. Parekh, Chairman of Ranjitram
Smaarak Samiti
(Memorial Committee),
taking the opportunity,
requested President
Keshavlal H. Dhruv
that the first medal be given to
Jhaverchand Meghani
who,
Parekh pointed out had done something
dear to the heart of founder Late Ranjitram.
Meghani's singular contribution to the noble task of
unearthing,
collecting and editing the oral folklore
before it went into complete oblivion was too well-known, Parekh argued. |
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Invitation Card
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'Shantikunj' - Sir Chinubhai
Baronet's Bungalow |

Office-bearers
|
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Hiralal T. Parekh
Chairman, Ranjitram
Smaarak Samiti
|

Keshavlal H. Dhruv
President |

Dr. Hariprasad V. Desai
Vice-President |
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1930 :
Sindhudo
|
1930 :
Chhellee Prarthanaa
(The Last Prayer)
|
Behind
the Bars
:
April 29,1930 to
March 8, 1931
|
1930 :
Koi-no Laadakavaayo
(Somebody's
Darling)
|
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Devidas Gandhi,
an inmate of Sabarmati
Jail,
during the function arranged on the eve of release of
another inmate Abbas
Ali Tyabji,
recited the poem
Somebody’s
Darling
by Marie Ravenal de la Coste
published in an old issue of Royal Reader magazine.
The recitation inspired him spontaneously to freely translate the poem into Gujarati.
and this indeed was accomplished even as his eyes, scrubbed just the day before,
were sore and painful.
Spreading beyond the jail-walls into the wider outside
world the song soon became a hit with the masses.
|
Meghani
says
`his heart bleeds when he hears a song of his being sung in a
tune other than the original one in which he set it' |

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Somebody’s Darling
Into
a ward of the white-washed walls
Where the dead and dying lay,
Wounded by bayonets, shells and balls,
Somebody’s darling was borne one day |
by
Marie Ravenal de la Coste
(1845 - 1935)
After the death her fiance, a captain in the Confederate
army,
the young French teacher
became a nurse visiting hospitals and looking after wounded soldiers.
|
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 |
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John Hill Hewitt
(1801-1890)
renowned Musician |
click here to listen to its symphony composed by renowned musician John Hill Hewitt |
Somebody's
Darling
1864 Album |
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1931 : Raashtreeya Shaayar
(National
Poet)
|
1932 :
Phulchhab
then
Ranpur |
Saurashtra
weekly was wound up and
Phulchhab
weekly
launched.
Joined
Phulchhab
weekly
as founder
editor.
|
now
Rajkot |
|
Nostalgic
Memories |

First Issue
|

50 years
|

75 years
|
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The
Phulchhab
Family
The vast frontage of the school across the road came in handy for so
large a family to be clipped.
It was, in a way, symbolic too since the school was at the forefront of
the socio-political crusade Phulchhab
was waging then. |
|
Commuted by
train between
Botad,
his home town, and work-place
Ranpur
where he edited Phulchhab |
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Talsi Mistry-no Taajeeyo, Botad
his home |
|
Glimpses of Botad |

river Utaavalee |

Tower |

Darwaja |
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1933

wife Damayantiben
passes away at
Botad
April 7, 1933
|

son Mahendra |

daughter
Indu |

son Mahendra
and
daughter Indu |

son Mastan |

son Nanak |
the toddler twins |
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the
poem Meghani penned
in her memory
1933 |

the
poem echoing
the emotions of
his children
who lost their mother
before
they could get to know her well enough
1944 |
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Meghani set aside Rupees 1000 for undertaking
philanthropic activities in the memory of Damyantiben. |
 |
Of this amount he entrusted Rupees 100 to Dr. Ambashankar Nagardas Bhatt, his physician-turned-close-friend,
with a request to utilise the amount as per his discretion, for the same purpose. |
|
From the Rupees 900 thus left, he later donated Rs 501 to Bal Kelavani Mandal run by his childhood friend
Lalchand Jaichand Vora
at Bagasara, to start
a Balgriha
(children's centre). |
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