Kavijivan is largely based on Narmad's own private autobiographical account, Mari Hakikat, which was published posthumously in 1933.
[1] In the last phase, he narrates the poet's poetic rivalry with Dalpatram, and its positive and negative effects; uninterrupted publications of his poems and the impact of his poetry on society and literature; his scholarship, evident in essays on literary, social, historical, economic and other subjects; his laying down the foundation of modern Gujarati prose by his unique style; his daring journalism in Dandiyo and his satirical and scathing articles; and his single-handed compilation of the first dictionary (Narmakosh) in Gujarati, providing the infrastructure for subsequent similar facts of his Individual as well as scholarly activities in context with the renaissance.
Navalram's critical faculty is at its best in this monograph as he judiciously analyses the poet's mind and justifies the metamorphosis of his views on social reform.
"[2] Chadrakant Mehta reviewed the biography: "The biographer has given authentic information and analysed the factors responsible for the creative evolution of Narmad.
The author has taken a broad perspective and has plunged deep into the psyche of the poet while analysing the working of the mind of Narmad".
[4] Ramesh Shukla criticized the biography and wrote: "While discussing his (Narmad's) personal life, knowing fully well about his extra-marital affairs he (Navalram) gives a clean chit to the poet, arguing, that after settling at Surat, he had never looked at any woman.