Daji Bhatawadekar

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Daji Bhatawadekar
Born15 September 1921 (1921-09-15)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Died26 December 2006 (2006-12-27) (aged 85)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
OccupationTheatre personality, film actor
AwardsPadma Shri
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Natya Bhooshan
Kala Guarav
Maharashtra Ratna
Nata Samraat

Daji Bhatawadekar (stage name for Krishnachandra Moreshwar) [1] (15 September 1921 – 26 December 2006), was an Indian theatre personality and film and television actor. He was credited with the revival of Sanskrit and Marathi theatre in India.[1][2] A winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1965,[3] he was honoured by the Government of India in 1967, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his contributions to the society.[4]

Biography[edit]

Daji Bhatwadekar was born on 15 September 1921 at Mumbai in the Indian state of Maharashtra and did his schooling at Arya Education Society, Mumbai.[5] He graduated from Wilson College, Mumbai and followed it up with by a post graduate degree (MA) in Sanskrit from Mumbai University.[5] He started his career with an office job but was drawn towards theatre and began involving with Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh, a Mumbai-based literary association.[2]

Bhatwadekar acted in many Marathi, Sanskrit, Hindi and English language plays and was associated with actors such as Durga Khote and directors like Purushottam Laxman Deshpande and Herbert Marshall.[2] He also performed for Mumbai Brahman Sabha.[5] He was reported to have acted 78 different roles, some of them multiple times.[5] Tochi ek Samarth, Mitra, Hee Tar Premachi Khari Gammat Ahe, Lagnachi Goshta, Macbeth and Tuzha Ahe Tuzhpashi are some of his well-known plays.[2][5] He also acted in a film, Vijeta (1982). He played characters, Nand Dulal Babu in the episode Makdi ka Ras[6] and Beni Madhav in the episode Veni Sanhar,[7] for the television series, Byomkesh Bakshi (1993), broadcast by Doordarshan.

A scholar in English and Sanskrit,[2] Bhatwadekar wrote a book on Sanskrit theatre, with emphasis on aesthetics (rasa) and expression (abhinaya).[5] He pursued his studies into his 70s and secured a doctoral degree at the age of 74.[5] He was a recipient of several awards such as Natya Bhooshan, Kala Guarav, Maharashtra Ratna and Nata Samraat. In 1965, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award for his contributions to Sanskrit theatre.[3] The Government of India honoured him with the civilian award of Padma Shri in 1967.[4] He lived in his ancestral home at Bhatawadekar Wadi along Charni Road in Mumbai.[5] Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh observes the date of his death, 26 December, as Dr. Daji Bhatawadekar Memorial day.[8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ananda Lal (Editor) (2004). The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195644463. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Times of India". Times of India. 29 May 2001. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sangeet Natak Akademi". Sangeet Natak Akademi. 2015. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Padma Shri" (PDF). Padma Shri. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 "Sify". Sify. 23 June 2004. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSFFFTmZsy8
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0KFS1_7hjU
  8. ↑ "Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh". Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh. 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.

Further reading[edit]

  • Ananda Lal (Editor) (2004). The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195644463. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)

External links[edit]

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