Ram Ganesh Gadkari
Encyclopedia
Ram Ganesh Gadkari (May 24, 1885 - January 23, 1919) was a Marathi
poet, playwright, and humorist from Maharashtra
, India
.
Ram Ganesh Gadkari was one of the writers in new age transformation in Marathi Literature. He wrote poetry under the pen name Govindagraj (गोविंदाग्रज) and humorous articles under the pen name Balakram (बाळकराम). He wrote plays under his legal name.
district of Gujarat. He died at Savner near Nagpur on January 23, 1919.
His father died early, and poverty hindered his timely formal education. He finished his high school education at age 19 and enrolled in Pune
's Fergusson College
. However, flunking in the mathematics examination, he abandoned his formal education at the end of the first year in college, and took up teaching to support himself while pursuing his keen literary interests.
Till 19 years of his age, he was unable to speak Marathi. Afterwards, he read and studied Marathi
, Sanskrit
, and English
literature extensively. He critically studied particularly the works of Sanskrit playwrights Kalidas and Bhavabhuti
; modern Marathi poets of his era Keshavasuta
and Shripad Krushna Kolhatkar; Marathi poets of earlier times like Dnyaneshwar
and Moropant
; and English writers like Shakespeare, Percy Shelley, and Mark Twain
.
humorous articles. (On the day of his death, he had finished writing just a few hours earlier his play Bhava Bandhan (भावबंधन).) Literary critics have judged all of his works to be of very high caliber.
Celebrated playwright, Vijay Tendulkar considers Gadkari the greatest poet-dramatist in any Indian language after Kalidas. He feels that no other than Gadkari had the genius to describe Sambhaji's extraordinary sacrifice in his struggle against the monsterous emperor Aurangzeb.Similarly another prominent Marathi literary figure Acharya Atre considered Gadkari's contribution to Marathi literature and in particular Marathi drama as one of highest order.
There was some speculation that his play "Ekach Pyala" was based upon his personal and real experience with hard drinking but Acharya Atre has convincingly demolished this speculation in his own autobiographical works and has stated that the one obsession that Gadkari had in his entire life was literature.
, the Thane Municipal Council constructed Rangayatan in 1979, a drama theatre, named after Shri Ram Ganesh Gadkari. The theatre has been hosting different plays and cultural programmes since. Also in Pune city in the well known Sambhaji Park Gadkari's statue has been installed. As a matter of coincidence this park is next door to the city's well known drama theatre Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir.
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...
poet, playwright, and humorist 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...
.
Ram Ganesh Gadkari was one of the writers in new age transformation in Marathi Literature. He wrote poetry under the pen name Govindagraj (गोविंदाग्रज) and humorous articles under the pen name Balakram (बाळकराम). He wrote plays under his legal name.
Early life
Gadkari was born on May 24, 1885 in the town of Ganadevi in NavsariNavsari
Navsari is a city and municipality in the Surat Metropolitan Region and also the administrative headquarters Navsari District of Gujarat, India. Navsari is also the Twin City of Surat, and only 37 km south of Surat.-Geography:...
district of Gujarat. He died at Savner near Nagpur on January 23, 1919.
His father died early, and poverty hindered his timely formal education. He finished his high school education at age 19 and enrolled in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
's Fergusson College
Fergusson College
Fergusson College is a degree college in western India, situated in the city of Pune. It was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society and at that time was the first privately governed college in India. It is named after Sir James Fergusson, the Governor of Bombay, who donated a then...
. However, flunking in the mathematics examination, he abandoned his formal education at the end of the first year in college, and took up teaching to support himself while pursuing his keen literary interests.
Till 19 years of his age, he was unable to speak Marathi. Afterwards, he read and studied Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, and English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
literature extensively. He critically studied particularly the works of Sanskrit playwrights Kalidas and Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti was an 8th century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit. His plays are considered equivalent to the works of Kalidasa...
; modern Marathi poets of his era Keshavasuta
Keshavasuta
Krishnaji Keshav Damle was a Marathi poet from Maharashtra, India, who wrote poetry under the pen name Keshavasuta .-Life:Damle was born on March 15, 1866 in the town of Malgund near Ratnagiri....
and Shripad Krushna Kolhatkar; Marathi poets of earlier times like Dnyaneshwar
Dnyaneshwar
Dnyāneshwar , also known as Jñanadeva , was born into a Deshastha Brahmin Kulkarni family.He was a 13th century Maharashtrian Hindu saint , poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose works Bhavartha deepika teeka ,...
and Moropant
Moropant
Moreshwar Ramji Paradkar , popularly known in Maharashtra as Moropant or Mayur Pandit , was a Marathi poet who was the last among those classified by Marathi literary scholars as pandit poets...
; and English writers like Shakespeare, Percy Shelley, and Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
.
Personal
Gadkari was married twice.His first wife Sitabai had left him though according to some contemporaries it was he who had abandoned her. His second wife Rama was younger by some 17 years than him but this too proved to be not a very happy marriage. Gadkari was bitterly disappointed when he realized that marital bliss that he was seeking was not going to come his way.Literary work
Within his short life span of 35 years, Gadkari produced four complete plays, three unfinished plays, 150 poems, and somehumorous articles. (On the day of his death, he had finished writing just a few hours earlier his play Bhava Bandhan (भावबंधन).) Literary critics have judged all of his works to be of very high caliber.
Completed plays
- Ekach Pyala (एकच प्याला)
- Prema Sanyas (प्रेमसंन्यास)
- Punyaprabhav (पुण्यप्रभाव)
- Bhava Bandhan (भावबंधन)
Celebrated playwright, Vijay Tendulkar considers Gadkari the greatest poet-dramatist in any Indian language after Kalidas. He feels that no other than Gadkari had the genius to describe Sambhaji's extraordinary sacrifice in his struggle against the monsterous emperor Aurangzeb.Similarly another prominent Marathi literary figure Acharya Atre considered Gadkari's contribution to Marathi literature and in particular Marathi drama as one of highest order.
There was some speculation that his play "Ekach Pyala" was based upon his personal and real experience with hard drinking but Acharya Atre has convincingly demolished this speculation in his own autobiographical works and has stated that the one obsession that Gadkari had in his entire life was literature.
Unfinished plays
- Garva Nirvan (गर्वनिर्वाण)
- Wedyancha Bajar (वेड्यांचा बाजार)
- Raj Sanyas (राजसंन्यास)
Gadkari Rangayatan (Gadkari Drama Theatre) & Statue
With a view to preserve the rich cultural heritage of ThaneThane
Thane , is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane district. On 16 April 1853, G.I.P...
, the Thane Municipal Council constructed Rangayatan in 1979, a drama theatre, named after Shri Ram Ganesh Gadkari. The theatre has been hosting different plays and cultural programmes since. Also in Pune city in the well known Sambhaji Park Gadkari's statue has been installed. As a matter of coincidence this park is next door to the city's well known drama theatre Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir.