Venkatesh Madgulkar
Encyclopedia
Vyankatesh Digambar Madgulkar (Devanagari
: व्यंकटेश दिगंबर माडगूळकर) (1927–2001) was one of the most popular Marathi
writers of his time. He became well-known mainly for his realistic writings about village life in a part of southern Maharashtra
called Maandesh, set in a period of 15 to 20 years before and after India's Independence. He was often called Tatya (“old man”, or “grand old man” in Marathi) by his admirers, friends and family members
of Maharashtra. His father was in the employ of the government of the Aundh
princely state. His brother was the famous poet G. D. Madgulkar
.
When Madgulkar was in his teens, he left home and joined a group of nationalists fighting for India’s freedom from the British Raj
. For these activities, the British government banned him as a criminal for two years.
After independence, Madgulkar returned home. Though he had never finished his high school education, he had a keen interest in reading. He taught himself to read English on his own so that he could become familiar with English as well as Marathi literature. He cited especially the influence of John Steinbeck
, George Orwell
and Liam O'Flaherty
.
Madgulkar also had an aptitude for sketching and painting, so he went to Kolhapur to take painting lessons. While studying there, at age 19, he entered a competition for short story writing and won a prize. This encouraged him to pursue a literary career rather than painting.
In 1948, when he was 21, he became a journalist and, two years later, he moved to Mumbai
where he had the opportunity to write scripts for a few Marathi movies.
In 1955, Madgulkar took a job in Pune
in the rural programming department of All India Radio
. He worked there for the next 40 years. During all those years, he wrote abundantly.
He died in 2001 after an unspecified prolonged illness.
His published his first book, Mandeshi Manse (माणदेशी माणसे) in 1949 when he was 22. His 1954 novella Bangarwadi (बानगरवाडी) was translated in several languages, including English, German, and Hindi
. His novel Wawtal (वावटळ) was translated into English and Kannada. A movie based on Bangarwadi was made under the direction of Amol Palekar
.
for his novel Sattantar (सत्तांतर). The same year, he presided over Marathi Sahitya Sammelan
, which was held at Ambajogai
.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: व्यंकटेश दिगंबर माडगूळकर) (1927–2001) was one of the most popular 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...
writers of his time. He became well-known mainly for his realistic writings about village life in a part of southern 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...
called Maandesh, set in a period of 15 to 20 years before and after India's Independence. He was often called Tatya (“old man”, or “grand old man” in Marathi) by his admirers, friends and family members
Life
Madgulkar was born in the village of Madgul in Sangli DistrictSangli district
Sangli district is a district of Maharashtra state in west-central India. Sangli city is the district headquarters. The district is 24.51% urban. Sangli and Miraj are the largest cities. The industrial town of Kirloskarwadi is also located in the Sangli District...
of Maharashtra. His father was in the employ of the government of the Aundh
Aundh State
Aundh State was a princely state in British India, in the Deccan States Agency division of the Bombay Presidency. It was one of the Satara Jagirs, and was founded in 1699. It was founded by Parshuram Tryambak Pant Pratinidhi who was warrior during the period of Sambhaji Raje and Rajaram Maharaj...
princely state. His brother was the famous poet G. D. Madgulkar
G. D. Madgulkar
Gajānan Digambar Mādgulkar was a prominent Marāthi poet, lyricist, writer and actor from India. He was popularly known in his home state of Maharashtra by just his initials as Ga Di Ma .It can be rightly stated that his contribution to Marathi culture was rich in its content as well as high in...
.
When Madgulkar was in his teens, he left home and joined a group of nationalists fighting for India’s 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...
. For these activities, the British government banned him as a criminal for two years.
After independence, Madgulkar returned home. Though he had never finished his high school education, he had a keen interest in reading. He taught himself to read English on his own so that he could become familiar with English as well as Marathi literature. He cited especially the influence of John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
, George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
and Liam O'Flaherty
Liam O'Flaherty
Liam O'Flaherty was a significant Irish novelist and short story writer and a major figure in the Irish literary renaissance, born August 28, 1896, died September 7, 1984.-Biography:...
.
Madgulkar also had an aptitude for sketching and painting, so he went to Kolhapur to take painting lessons. While studying there, at age 19, he entered a competition for short story writing and won a prize. This encouraged him to pursue a literary career rather than painting.
In 1948, when he was 21, he became a journalist and, two years later, he moved to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
where he had the opportunity to write scripts for a few Marathi movies.
In 1955, Madgulkar took a job 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 ...
in the rural programming department of All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
. He worked there for the next 40 years. During all those years, he wrote abundantly.
He died in 2001 after an unspecified prolonged illness.
Writings
Madgulkar wrote 8 novellas, over 200 short stories, about 40 screenplays, and some folk plays (लोकनाट्य), travelogues, and essays on nature. He translated some English books into Marathi, especially books on wild life, as he was an avid hunter. This led to his nickname "Colonel Bahadur".His published his first book, Mandeshi Manse (माणदेशी माणसे) in 1949 when he was 22. His 1954 novella Bangarwadi (बानगरवाडी) was translated in several languages, including English, German, and Hindi
Hindi
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...
. His novel Wawtal (वावटळ) was translated into English and Kannada. A movie based on Bangarwadi was made under the direction of Amol Palekar
Amol Palekar
Amol Palekar is an Indian actor of the 1970s and a director of Hindi and Marathi cinema.-Theater career:Palekar began in Marathi experimental theatre with Satyadev Dubey, and later started his own group, Aniket, in 1972 [citation needed]...
.
In English translation
- The Village Had No Walls. A Translation of "Bangarwadi" by Ram Deshmukh. Bombay, Asia Pub. House [1958]
- The Winds of Fire. Translated by Pramod Kale. Hind Pocket Books, [1974]
Accolades
Madgulkar received in 1983 a Sahitya Akademi AwardSahitya 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 novel Sattantar (सत्तांतर). The same year, 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...
, which was held at Ambajogai
Ambajogai
Ambajogai is a town in Beed district of Maharashtra, India. It has a number of educational institutes, such as the Rural Medical College, and a engineering college which is one of the best in B.A.M.U...
.
Other sources (in Marathi)
- Yeshwant Shripad Raste, Vyankatesh Madgulkar Samagra Vangmay Soochi, Utkarsh Prakashan, Pune; 1996
- M. D. Hatkangalekar (ed.), Vyankatesh Madgulkar: Mandeshi Manus Ani Kalavant, Shabda Prakashan, Satara; 2000