Marathi theatre loses iconic doyen

Tendulkar was cremated at Vaikunth Smashanbhumi at around 10.30 am. Divisional Commissioner Nitin Kareer paid tribute to him on behalf of Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil.

“The Government wanted to honour him during the cremation, but as his family wanted the funeral to be kept simple, we did not interfere,” said Kareer.

Tendulkar had expressed the wish that his cremation should be simple, with no rituals and that the media should be kept away from it and no photographs be taken of his body. Tendulkar was not keeping good health for the last four to five months. On April 10, he was brought back to the hospital as his health worsened.

During the last three days he was unconscious and on life support. Tendulkar had his share of tragedies to contend with. He lost his daughter Priya Tendulkar and son Raju a few years back.

His wife Nirmala died three years ago. Tendulkar was a leading contemporary Indian playwright, screen and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist and social commentator.

For the past four decades he had been the most influential dramatist and theatre personality in Marathi with over 35 full-length plays, 40 one-act plays, some plays for children, short stories and two novels. His newspaper columns, Kovali Unhe and Ramprahar, were very popular with readers.

Shantata! court chalu ahe (Silence! The Court Is in Session, 1967), Sakharam binder (Sakharam the Book-Binder, 1972), Kamala (1981), Kanyadan (The Gift of a Daughter, 1983) and Ghashiram Kotwal (Ghashiram the Constable, 1972), a musical combining Marathi folk performance styles and contemporary theatrical techniques, are some of his famous plays.

American actors performed English versions of Ghashiram Kotwal and Sakharam binder in the US. Many of his plays were translated into other languages. Besides these, his plays Gidhade, Ashi Pakhare Yeti and Baby were also critically acclaimed.

He also became an iconic screenplay writer in the Hindi film world as he scripted Ardh Satya, Akrosh, Aghat, Manthan, Nishant and Gehrai.

He also left his mark in Marathi films with Samana, Simhasan, Umbartha and Akriet.

Tendulkar was born in Kolhapur and wrote his first story when only six. He went on to write his first play when he was 11 years old. He was a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Academy, Saraswati Samman and Kalidas Samman.

‘liberated since birth’

MOHAN AGASHE: The man was unique and the most unusual quality about him was his ability to be so involved with life and yet be so detached from everything. He had written a beautiful line in one of his plays Ashi Pakhare Yeti which went “Mee janmatana mukta hoto”, which means “I was liberated since birth”. I think it sums up him and his life quite aptly.

AMOL PALEKAR: Without any doubt, Tendulkar made my life more meaningful and rich by his work…With his death, I feel a great era has come to an end. I have been privileged to be a part of his great journey. He passed away with dignity.

PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH: His strong espousal of women’s empowerment and the empowerment of the downtrodden has shaped public consciousness in post independence India… Tendulkar left behind an extremely rich repertoire of highly acclaimed plays, essays and books which would continue to inspire generations of scholars, playwrights and literary personalities in India and abroad.