Hailing from Gujarat, her father Gunvantrai Acharya was a freedom fighter, a prolific writer, a journalist, an activist, an Editor of a newspaper which fought against British Raj. The paper raised a voice against injustice and atrocities in society ,personally investing the news, going from village to village sometimes at the risk of his life. Thus in 1928 he had unknowingly started the ‘School of investigating journalism’. He was the first feminist writer, writing the stories of injustice meted out to women. He was the head of story dep. of ‘Ranjit Movitone ‘ and many films were made based on his stories .He was Associated with Ipta theater, founded two drama institutions. He had more than 200 hundred books to his credits. He is fondly remembered as ‘The son of sea’ .He researched and wrote passionately about the people , traders and sailors who bravely fought the battles on sea against mighty nations who were engaged in slave trade. His amazing knowledge of language, traditions, folklore of sailors, His fiery language, descriptions of ferocious sea storms has made him immensely popular and legendary writer .His novels still go into new editions and are textbooks in university. Born in 1900 , his centenary was celebrated by British Gujarati Sahitya Akademi in the year 2000 in London. Varsha her writer sister Ila were the special guests at the “Diaspora literature’ conference dedicated to the memory. That was the proudest moment of her life Experience and Exposure She grew up in the atmosphere of literature and theater. Since childhood she participated in plays .At the tender age of ten she was doing adult roles as there were few girls in 1950 who came out , or were allowed to come out to do activities . She played leading roles in many classic plays like Ibsen’s “Dolls house’, Tennessee Williams’ Glass Manejari’ ‘Dial M for Murder’ ‘Mrachhakatikam’ and other classic plays. She won coveted award critical acclaim and rave reviews. She did her B.A. (Languages) and M. A.(Sociology) from Mum. Uni. worked as an announcer All India Radio. She has participated as a Radio artist, wrote innumerable Radio plays, Talks. She has written Full length plays and her novels have been adapted as Stage plays which have been staged in India and abroad. She won Sahitya Academy award for her novel ‘Anasar’ (An indication), a moving story of leprosy patients, was staged in London and read in episodes on All Indio Radio to reach out to reach to masses. Her other novel ‘Bandivan’ (A prisoner) was adapted as a play and was considered a first ever presentation of Theater of cruelty in Gujarati. The novel and play came just after emergency in India and hailed as the document of corrupt prison system in India. She is elected member of central committee and on Executive board of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad since last 35 years. President of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad 2012- 2013 Elected Vice-president of G S.Parishad. 2006-2009 Elected Vice-President of G. S. Parishad 2002- 2006 Elected on Guj.Advisory Board of Sahitya Academy-Delhi 2003-2007. Elected member of Guj. Advisory Board of Sahitya Academy 2008-2008-2012 Elected member of council of Sahitya Academy 2008-2012. She has worked as an Editor of ‘Sudha’-Womens’s Weekly of Janmbhoomi group of newspapers of Mum. She was Editor of ‘Femina’ (Gujarati) Women’s’ weekly of Times group. A distinguished journalist writing freelance for newspapers and magazines. Selected works from her writings have been recorded in her voice by U. S. Library of Congress for “Archives of World Literature on Tape ‘for Bicentennial Recording Project in December 2000 and has been preserved in Library of Washington D. C. Her many novels have been recorded for ‘Talking Books’ in U.k. The first T.v serial produced by Mum. Doordarshan was way back in 1972 was based on her prize winning novel ‘Mare pan ek ghar hoi’ (I dream of my own home). Again the same novel was made in to anther serial, a teleplay and adapted for Gujarati film, for which she received ‘Best original story’prize from Gujarat Govt. Wrote other serials Screenplays, dialogues based on her novels and other classic novels of Guj. Literature. Her serial ‘Aparajita on ETV Guj. Channel won the best serial award from Transmedia.Her another serial ‘Sami sanjana samana’ on Zee T.V Gujarati won the best serial award from Transmedia. She was nominated as a delegate by Sahitya Academy to the International Book fair in London in April 2009. Writings She has about 50 books to her credit, Novels, short-story collections, one-two act plays, essays, travelogues, edited compilations. She started her writing carrier in 1966 as a fashion and beauty columnist and soon started writing short stories Wrote first novel a murder mystery which was soon published. The second novel ‘Timirna padachhaya’ (The shadows of darkness) was made in to a Gujarati film and a play which ran in too many shows in India and abroad. Third novel ‘Mare pan ek ghar hoi’ won the Best novel of the year prize from Gujarati Sahitya Parishad was made in to a serial in 1972. She started writing regularly for Radio, T.V., and Newspapers and soon established herself as a leading Gujarati writer. Varsha has written many issue based novels ,stringing together real characters ,incidents and weaving imaginatively in to an interesting human story. She extensively researches, read reference materials. Visits locations, interviews people concerned. She wrote first such novel on Vietnam War in 1970 “Aatash” (Fire”) depicting the plight of a common man and how the war disintegrates society when power hungry giant nations collide. Since ancient times the Strategies for war have been developed never for peace.It is truer today.The novel won Gujarat Sahitya Academy award and Soviet land Nehru award. Other novel “Bandivan” (A prisoner) is a glimpse of what actually goes on behind the high walls and dark cells of Jails. It depicts the horrible and inhuman treatment of prisoners and under trials, the nexuses between politicians and criminals with the background of cast ridden Bihar. The truth is embellished with creative imagination. It is an eye opening chilling picture of prison system of India and political scene of Nation. The novel was written in 1986 after the horrors of emergency, and the blinding of prisoners of Bhagalpur that shook the Nation. Even today the novel is relevant because nothing has changed not only that the political and social scene has worsened .She visited jails of Mum, of the ‘Ganth chhutyani vela’ (Time to untie the knots within) is the plight of Aadivasis of Madhyapradesh-Gujarat border, their miserable lives and exploitation and a lone man’s struggle to bring little sunshine in their lives. She stayed at ashram in Zabua district. Novel is considerd a major work in Gujarati literature and won Bhagini NIvedita award. ‘Khari padelo tahuko’ (A bird that could not sing) is the story of the tender relationship of a mentally challenged child and her mother. She worked with handicapped children the hospital to understand their problems and psyche of the mothers .It is the Heartwarming Story of hope and despair. ‘Aansar’ (An indication) is a landmark novel in Gujarati literature that portrays the lives of leprosy patients and deals with theme of leprosy. The novel three prestigious awards, Sahitya Academy award, Bharatiya Bhasha parishad –Sabarmati puraskar, kolkatta and Gujarat Vidyasabha sanman. It is the heart wrenching story of mother Rupa. When a spot occurs on the skin she is thrown out of the house by the loving husband and doting mother-in-law. Then her torturous journey begins through hellhole huts. Over crowded charity hospitals and ultimately Ashram. Varsha stayed at the Ashram with leprosy patients, made one hour documentary film for Ahmadabad Doordarshan. The novel has been translated in to Marathi and Rajasthani languages and well received. A full length play, based on the novel was staged in London. The novel has gone in to many editions. Through her fiction she has explored various aspects of Women’s identity and of changing social values and family structure. She foregrounds issue that a woman faces in day to day life in a subtle way gently changing the way readers look at common situations to make them more aware of human rights and wrongs. She believes that Feminist writing is not about only women –centric writings but it is about looking at world from a women’s perspective no matter which subject one is dealing with. Her one act play ‘Mandodari’looks at the war from a sensitive Woman’s angle.Mandodari meets Sita in Ashokvatika and pleads to her that, surrender yourself to my husband King Ravan,together we can stop this bloody warfare, save thousands of innocent people and build a strong Nation. Great dreams demand great sacrifices. The play won two prizes as the play of the year, from Gujarati Sahitya Academy and Gujarati Sahitya Perishad. Her story “Menopause” explores the Emotional and physical aspects of a woman’s body. Her novel “Shag Re sankoru” (I light my own candle), she depicts the plight of a housewife who is deprived of sex from her husband who is a fanatic about religion and its external rituals. After years of loneliness and a listless life, she with help of grown up daughters wants to be free from shekels of marriage. In’Trijo kinaro”(A third bank of a river),a woman is in search of her own home away from the”Home”given to her by her father by birth and her husband by marriage. Her books have been textbooks in universities and many students have prepared ph.D.thesis on her works. Her many short stories have been included in anthology volumes of “Best short stories collections “of the year. . In 2005 she was bestowed with the most prestigious honor in Gjarat, Ranjitram gold medal for her literary contribution to Gujarati Literature. She was awarded Sahitya gaurav Puraskar-Lifetime achievement Award for excellence from Guj Govt.-Gujarati Sahitya Academy. In 2009-10 She was rewarded Jivan Gaurav Puraskar –Lifetime achievement Award from Maharashtra Gujarati Sahitya Academy.