: गोपाल नीलकंठ दांडेकर) (July 8, 1916 – June 1, 1998) was a Marathi

Marathi people

The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...

 writer from Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Dandekar was born in Paratwadain Amravati district

Amravati district

Amravati district is a district of Maharashtra state in central India. Amravati is the administrative headquarters of the district.The district is situated between 20°32' and 21°46' north latitudes and 76°37' and 78°27' east longitudes. The district occupies an area of 12,235 km²...

.

He grew up in Vidarbha

Vidarbha

Vidarbha is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Its former name is Berar . It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra...

 but the young brahmin lad ran away from his home in Nagpur

Nagpur

Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

 at age thirteen in response to Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...

's call to young people for joining his movement for India's attainment of freedom from the British Raj

British Raj

British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

. After spending a few years in extreme poverty, he found some stability with a few patrons. Later he joined Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh and worked as a volunteer in Gadge Maharaj

Gadge Maharaj

Debuji Zhingraji Janorkar , popularly known as Sant Gadge Maharaj or Gadge Baba was a saintly social reformer, a wandering mendicant who held weekly festivals with the help of his disciples across Maharashtra...

's social service movement. He traveled extensively.

Awards and honors

In 1976, Dandekar received a Sahitya Akademi Award

Sahitya Akademi Award

Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...

 for his autobiographical work Smaran Gatha. He was elected president of Marathi Sahitya Sammelan

Marathi Sahitya Sammelan

Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan is a conference for literary discussions by Marathi writers. Though the conference has sometimes been held in a town outside the Indian state of Maharashtra, it is typically held annually in one of the towns in Maharashtra where Marathi is the mother tongue...

 held at Akola in 1981. He received an honorary D.Litt degree from Pune University on December 30, 1992.

Personal life

Dandekar and his wife Neera bore daughter Veena. Veena has two daughters: Marathi actress Mrinal, and Madhura.

Novels

• Shitu (1955)
• Pavanakathacha Dhondi (1955)
• Padaghavli (Novel concerning a Brahmin family in coastal Maharashtra. It describes the lifestyle there in the 18 century.) (1956)
• Machivarala Budha (1958)
• Zunjar Machi
• Kuna Ekachi Bhramangatha
• Purnamaychi Lekare
• Ranbhuli
• Chhand Maze Vegle
• Tambadphuti
• Mrunmayi
• Aamhi Bhagirathache Putra (Novel based on the construction of Bhakra-Nangal dam on river Satlaj)
• Jait-Re-jait (A film based on this novel was later made by Jabbar Patel
  Jabbar Patel
  Dr. Jabbar Patel is a theatre and film director of India. His production of the play Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Modern Indian Theatre....
  
  .)
• Baya Dar Ughad (Part 1 of 5 novels on Raja Shivaji's Maharashtra)
• Har Har Mahaadev (Part 2 of 5 novels on Raja Shivaji's Maharashtra)
• Daryabhavani (Part 3 of 5 novels on Raja Shivaji's Maharashtra)
• Zunzarmachi (Part 4 of 5 novels on Raja Shivaji's Maharashtra)
• He To Shrinchi Ichchha (Part 5 of 5 novels on Raja Shivaji's Maharashtra)
• Rumaalee Rahasya
• Tya Tithe Rukhatali
• Waagharu
• Karnaayan
• ShriRamayan

Travelogues

• Durga Bhramangatha (Concerrning wanderings among the hill forts of Maharashtra)
• Durga Darshan ( Concerrning wanderings among the hill forts of Maharashtra)
• Kille (Informative book about trekking routes in Sahyadri)
• Maharashtrachi DharaTirthe (Informative book about forts in Maharashtra)
• Maharashtra Darshan (Informative book about Maharashtra, especially the rural parts).
• Narmadechya Tataaki
• Dakshin Waara

Biographical works

• Mogara Phulala (Based on the life and works of Dnyaneshwar)
• Das Dongari Rahato (Based on the life and works of Ramdas Swami)
• Anandvan Bhuvani (Based on the life and works of Ramdas Swami )
• Tuka Akaashaaevdhaa (Novel based on the life and works of Tukaram)
• The Last Kirtan of Gadage Baba
• Waadalatil Deepstambh (Novel based on story of Keshav Baliram Hedgewar the founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevek Sangh)
• DevakiNandan Gopaalaa
• Some of his books are available at http://www.sahyadribooks.org/booklistingauthorwise.asp?auid=5
• "shree gadge maharaj" (the biography of maharashtras saint -majestic prakashan-pablisher book )