Writer and storyteller Da Ma Mirasdar dies at 94

He had also penned scripts of Marathi films including Ek Daav Bhutacha, Gosht Dhamal Namyachi and Thakas Mahathak.

Dattaram Maruti Mirasdar. (Source: Twitter/@vijayjdarda)

Popular storyteller Dattaram Maruti Mirasdar, also known as Da Ma Mirasdar, passed away due to age-related complications in Pune on Saturday. He was 94.

Born in Akluj in Solapur district, Mirasdar started his career as a journalist and later worked as a teacher. He had a way with wit and words, and became a household name for his short stories and novels. He had written over 72 novels, plays, children’s stories and film scripts. Some of his popular works include Makadmeva, Javai Bapunchya Goshti, Goshtich Goshti, Mazya Bapachi Pend, Gappagoshti, and Bandbaja.

He had also penned scripts of Marathi films including Ek Daav Bhutacha, Gosht Dhamal Namyachi and Thakas Mahathak.

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In the early 1960s, along with Shankar Patil and Vyanktesh Madgulkar, Da Ma Mirasdar would go from town to town, conducting storytelling sessions. He has performed 3,000 storytelling sessions so far. The trio also travelled overseas to perform in the United States, Canada and Singapore.

In 1998, he served as the president of the 71st Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Parli. He received the Vinda Karandikar Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar from the Department of Marathi Language, Maharashtra government in 2015 and three years later, he was awarded the Sahityaseva Krutadnyata Puraskar.

“Sir taught us in our first year of college in Garware College for Arts and Commerce. It used to be a lot of fun for us to sit for his classes. We never sat for other professors’ lectures but we never missed Sir’s class… He had been ill for the last few years…,” said former Pune Mayor Ankush Kakade.

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