Vasant Kanetkar
Encyclopedia
Vasant Shankar Kanetkar (Devanagari
: वसंत शंकर कानेटकर) (March 20, 1920 - January 31, 2000) was a Marathi
playwright and novelist from Maharashtra
, India
.
He was born in the town of Rahimatpur
in Satara District
, Maharashtra. His father, Shankar Keshav Kanetkar, was a poet who wrote poetry under the pen name Kavi Girish and was a founding member of a circle of poets named Ravikiran Mandal.
Kanetkar spent most of his early life in Pune
, and later, Sangli
, where his father was a professor at Willingdon College. After acquiring a master's degree in Arts from Willingdon College, Kanetkar joined H.P.T. College in Nashik as a professor.
Kanetkar wrote 40 three-act plays, all of which were performed on the professional stage. Many of his plays became high commercial successes. He has been credited with rejuvenating the Marathi theater when it was in decline, the age of Sangeet Natak --stage musicals—having had come to an end.
Some time in the 1970s, Kanetkar resigned from his post as a professor at H.P.T. College, and devoted his time exclusively to writing plays.
Kanetkar's plays covered a wide range of subject matters. His favorite subject matters were the life of warrior-king Shivaji from Maharashtra, the cultural reformation in late nineteenth-century Maharashtra, human relationships, and the decline of morality in post-independence India.
movie Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool, the story having been an adaptation of his Marathi play Ashrunchi Jhali Phule.
He presided over Marathi Sahitya Sammelan
in 1988.
Kanetkar received a Padma Shri
award in 1992 for his literary accomplishments.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: वसंत शंकर कानेटकर) (March 20, 1920 - January 31, 2000) was a 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...
playwright and novelist 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...
.
He was born in the town of Rahimatpur
Rahimatpur
Rahimatpur is a city and a municipal council in Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Rahimatpur is located at . It has an average elevation of 657 metres ....
in Satara District
Satara district
Satara District is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of 10,480 km² and a population of 2,808,994 of which 14.17% were urban . Satara is the capital of the district and other major towns include Wai, Karad, Koregaon, Koyananagar, Rahimatpur, Phaltan, Mahabaleshwar...
, Maharashtra. His father, Shankar Keshav Kanetkar, was a poet who wrote poetry under the pen name Kavi Girish and was a founding member of a circle of poets named Ravikiran Mandal.
Kanetkar spent most of his early life 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 ...
, and later, Sangli
Sangli
Sangli is a city in the state of Maharashtra of India. Sangli is known as the Turmeric city for its vast production of Turmeric. Sangli is situated on the banks of river Krishna and is the largest market place for Turmeric in Asia and houses many sugar factories, which it is also noted for...
, where his father was a professor at Willingdon College. After acquiring a master's degree in Arts from Willingdon College, Kanetkar joined H.P.T. College in Nashik as a professor.
Kanetkar wrote 40 three-act plays, all of which were performed on the professional stage. Many of his plays became high commercial successes. He has been credited with rejuvenating the Marathi theater when it was in decline, the age of Sangeet Natak --stage musicals—having had come to an end.
Some time in the 1970s, Kanetkar resigned from his post as a professor at H.P.T. College, and devoted his time exclusively to writing plays.
List of plays
The following is a partial list of Kanetkar's plays:- Beiman (बेइमान)
- Vedyache Ghar Unhat (वेड्याचे घर ऊन्हात)
- Prema, Tujha Ranga Kasa? (प्रेमा, तुझा रंग कसा?)
- Ashrunchi Jhali Phule (अश्रूंची झाली फुले)
- Raigadala Jewha Jag Yete (रायगडाला जेंव्हा जाग येते)
- Himalayachi Sawali (हिमालयाची सावली)
- Wishawrukshachi Chhaya (विषवृक्षाची छाया)
- Lekure Udanda Jahali (लेकुरे उदंड जाहली)
- Premachya Gawa Jawe (प्रेमाच्या गावा जावे)
- Jithe Gawatas Bhale Phutatat (जिथे गवतास भाले फुटतात)
- Suryachi Pille(सूर्याची पिल्ले)
- Ithe Oshalala Mrutyu (इथे ओशाळला मृत्यु)
- Matsyagandha (मत्स्यगंधा)
- Akhercha sawal
Kanetkar's plays covered a wide range of subject matters. His favorite subject matters were the life of warrior-king Shivaji from Maharashtra, the cultural reformation in late nineteenth-century Maharashtra, human relationships, and the decline of morality in post-independence India.
List of Novels
Kanetkar wrote four novels.- Ghar (घर)
- Pankha (पंख)
- Porka (पोरका)
- Tethe Chal Raani (तेथे चल राणी) (Translation of Jean-Paul Sartre's "Les Jeux Sont Faites")
Recognition
In 1966, Kanetkar received a Filmfare Award for Best Story for the HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
movie Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool, the story having been an adaptation of his Marathi play Ashrunchi Jhali Phule.
He presided over 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...
in 1988.
Kanetkar received a Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
award in 1992 for his literary accomplishments.