Navalram Laxmiram Pandya was a Gujarati critic, playwright, poet, essayist, editor, educationist and a social reformer. He is considered to be a most important figure in modern Gujarati literature. The first humourist, the first historical dramatist, the first critic and a leading scholar of his age, Navalram was the first to herald the new generation of writers like Manilal Dwivedi, Govardhanram Tripathi and Narsinhrao Divetia. His writings covered numerous areas, including philosophy, patriotism, reformation, education, journalism, grammar and literature.