Dattaram Maruti Mirasdar (14 April 1927 – 2 October 2021), popularly known by his initials ("D Ma" and also as "Dadasaheb") was a

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

writer and narrator principally of humorous stories.His stories were principally based on rural Maharashtra.The subtle and comic stories he wrote were well read.

Early life and education

Mirasdar was born on 14 April 1927 in

Akluj Akluj is a town on the banks of Nira in Solapur district, Maharashtra, India. Akluj was earlier known for its large trade in cotton, which has almost disappeared at present. It is on the bank of River Nira. The town and surrounding area is agr ...

and went to school in

Pandharpur Pandharpur (Pronunciation: əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a well known pilgrimage town, on the banks of Candrabhagā River, near Solapur city in Solapur District, Maharashtra, India. Its administrative area is one of eleven tehsils in the District, ...

. He earned M.A. from the

Sir Parashurambhau College Sir Parashurambhau College (S.P. College) is an Autonomous (since 2019) college in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Established in 1916, as New Poona College at the hands of the British Governor Lord Willingdon. The college was renamed as Sir Parashur ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

and became a teacher in 1952. He became a professor of Marathi in a college in Pune in 1961.

Career

Many of Mirasdar's humorous stories revolve around village life in Maharashtra. However, some of his stories concern the serious social issues and lives of the poor living in villages. His stories ''Gavat'', ''Ranmanus'', ''Kone Eke Kali'', ''Bhavaki'', ''Hubehub'', and ''Sparsha'' belong to the latter class. His first public program as a writer was held in 1962 in

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...

. For some years, Shankar Patil, Vyankatesh Madgulkar, and Mirasdar jointly presented, in different towns in Maharashtra, highly popular public recitations of their short stories. Mirasdar was the Acting President of ''Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad'', Pune. In 1998, he was the president of the 71st

Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Literary Conference) is an annual conference for literary discussions by Marathi writers. Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra State. The first Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was he ...

Parli, Maharashtra Parli Vaijnath is a city and a municipal council in Beed district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the headquarters of the Parli taluka of Beed district. It is a holy city of sacred importance where many historical places still exist. ...

. In 2015, he received the

Vinda Karandikar Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar Vinda Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar (विंदा करंदीकर जीवन गौरव पुरस्कार ) is a lifetime achievement award conferred annually by the Department of Marathi Language, Government of Maharashtra.It is give ...

from the Department of Marathi Language,

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the state governing authority for the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a democratically elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the Vidhan Sabha for a five-year term. Maharashtra has a Maharashtra Legisla ...

. In 2018, he was awarded the first-ever ''Sahityaseva Krutadnyata Puraskar''.

Death

Mirasdar died on 2 October 2021 at the age of 94 in Pune.

Books

*''Majhya Bapachi Pend'' (1957) *''Bhutancha Janma'' (1958) *''Hubehub'' (1960) *''Sutti Ani Itar Ekankika'' (1964) *''Mirasdari'' (1966) *''Makadmeva'' (1970) *''Chakatya'' (1973) *''Hasnaval'' (1975) *''Chutakyanchya Goshti'' (1976) *''Gudagulya'' (1977) *''Mi Ladachi Maina Tumachi'' (1979) *''Bhokarwadichya Goshti'' (1983) *''Goshtich Goshti'' (1993) *''Khade Ani Orakhade'' (1997) *''Nivadak Da Ma'' *''Gappangan'' *''Navetil Tin Pravasi'' *''Sarmisal'' *''Angatpangat'' *''Virangula'' *''Ganara Mulukh'' *''Javaibapunchya Goshti'' *''Bendbaja'' *''Gammat Goshti'' *''Pharmas Goshti''

Early life and education

Career

Death

Books

References

Further reading