Ratnakar Ramkrushna Matkari (17 November 1938 – 17 May 2020) 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, a movie and play producer/director, and a self-taught
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...
from
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, India.
Life
Matkari was born on 17 November 1938 in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. After earning a degree in economics from
Mumbai University
The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai.
The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...
in 1958, he worked at the
Bank of India
Bank of India (BOI) is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Founded in 1906, it has been government-owned since nationalisation in 1969. BoI is a founder member of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Inter B ...
for the next twenty years. Since 1978, he devoted his time exclusively to writing & production/direction of movies and plays. He was married to artist Pratibha Matkari. He died on 17 May 2020 in Mumbai, having tested positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
the week before during the
COVID-19 pandemic in India
The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , according to Indian government figures, India has the second-highest n ...
.
Literary career
Matkari's first work, the one-act play ''Wedi Manase'' (वेडी माणसे), was presented in 1955 on
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All a ...
in Mumbai. His play ''Pahuni'' (पाहुणी) was presented the next year at another venue.
Matkari worked as a columnist for newspapers and magazines in the 1970s. He wrote the column ''Soneri Savalya'' (सोनेरी सावल्या) in ''Apale Mahanagar'' (आपले महानगर) for four years.
Matkari's 98 works thus far include 33 plays, 8 collections of his
one-act play
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...
s, 18 books of his short stories, 3 novels, a book of poems for children, and 14 plays and three collections of plays for children. His works include ''Gudha Katha'' (गूढकथा) --mysteries—for adults which maintain realism. Matkari wrote a few plays in
Indian languages other than Marathi.
Ratnakar Matkari's book named "Darkness" was translated from Marathi to English.
Many of Matkari's novels have been adapted for the stage.
His plays include:
* ''Dubhang'' (दुभंग)
* ''Aranyak'' (आरण्यक)
* ''Sate Lote'' (साटेलोटे)
* ''Ashwamedh'' (अश्वमेध)
* ''Brahmahatya'' (ब्रह्महत्या)
* ''Prema Kahani'' (प्रेमकहाणी)
* ''Lokakatha 78'' (लोककथा ७८)
* ''Khol Khol Pani'' (खोल खोल पाणी)
* ''Jawai Majha Bhala'' (जावई माझा भला)
* ''Ghar Tighanche Hawe'' (घर तिघांचे हवे)
* ''Char Diwas Premache'' (चार दिवस प्रेमाचे)
* ''Vinashakadun Vinashakade'' (विनाशाकडून विनाशाकडे)
Matkari's plays for children include:
* ''Albatya Galbatya'' (अलबत्या गलबत्या)
* ''Nimma Shimma Rakshas'' (निम्माशिम्मा राक्षस)
* ''Achat Gawachi Aphat Mavashi'' (अचाटगावची अफाट मावशी)
The musical play ''Char Diwas Premache'' (चार दिवस प्रेमाचे) has been presented to the public more than 850 times, and its translated versions in
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
and
Gujarati
Gujarati may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India
* Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat
* Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
* Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
have also been presented. His play "Lokakatha 78" (लोककथा ७८) was presented in Marathi and Hindi.
Theatrical career
Matkari acted in his own plays like ''Prem Kahani", ''Vinashakadun Vinashakade", "Lokakatha 78", and ''Sate Lote''. He also presented popular
one man show
A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...
s like ''Adbhutachya Rajyat'' (अद्भुताच्या राज्यात).
Matkari notably promoted ''art house'' theatre. Thus, in 1972, he established ''Sootradhar'' (सूत्रधार), an institution which has produced thus far 12 ''art house'' plays.
Besides producing and directing plays for adults, Matkari notably established in 1962 ''Bal Natya Sanstha'' (बालनाट्यसंस्था), which has thus far produced 22 plays for children, most of them being one-act plays. He performed as an actor in many of these plays, including ''Sangati'' (सांगाती), "Sharvari'' (शर्वरी), "Chitratale Ghar" (चित्रातले घर), and "Tumachi Goshta'' (तुमची गोष्ट).
NIKHARE THE NEW PLAY
Filmography
*''
Investment
Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort.
In finance, the purpose of investing i ...
'' (2013) Director.
Other activities
Matkari presented a number of stage shows involving presentations of stories in front of Marathi audiences in India,
Maskat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate wa ...
, and, in 1986, the US. In 1999, he presented for different institutions 51 readings of the essay ''Tumhi Tithe Asayala Have'' (तुम्ही तिथे असायला हवे), which was a Marathi translation of
Arundhati Roy
Suzanna Arundhati Roy (born 24 November 1961) is an Indian author best known for her novel ''The God of Small Things'' (1997), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. S ...
's English essay titled ''Greater Common Good''.
Matkari directed a few TV serials. He presented on TV channel ''Mumbai Doordarshan'' 13 episodes of ''Sharadache Chandane'' (शरदाचे चांदणे), which comprised interviews of some prominent Marathi writers. During 1976–78, he presented 25 monthly shows of ''Gajara'' (गजरा), also on ''Mumbai Doordarshan''.
For some years, Matkari served as a member of the advisory committee of All India Radio, and as a member of the film scrutinising committee during 1988–91.
He presided over ''Nirbhay Bano'' (निर्भय बनो) movement in 1995, ''Konkan Marathi Sahitya Sammelan'', Mumbai branch in 2001, and ''Balkumar Sahitya Sammelan'' in
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 ...
, also in 2001.
As an artist, Matkari prepared drawings for some stage crafts and drapery, and oil paintings for ''Narmada Andolan'' (नर्मदा आंदोलन). He designed covers of a few books.
Accolades
During 1983–84, Matkari received a two-year scholarship from the Directorate of Culture and Education of Government of India for being an artist with social awareness.
Matkari received thus far 21 awards from different institutions. They included:
*Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1986) (for the script of the film ''Majhe Ghar, Majha Sansar'' (माझे घर, माझा संसार))
*Jyotsna Bhole Award from Akhil Bharatiya Natya Parishad (1978) (for his work for children's stage)
*'Natya Darpan Nana Oak Award (for being an all-round artist)
*Deval Award from Akhil Bharatiya Natya Parishad (1985)
*The Best Playwright Award from Atre Foundation (1985)
*Maharashtra State Government's Gadkari Award (1995) (for best playwright)
*Gangadhar Gadgil Award (1997)
*S. L. Gadre Matoshri Award (1998)
*Natyavrati Award (1999)
*V. V. Shirwadkar Award for writing plays (2002)
*
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
(2003–04)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Matkari
Indian male dramatists and playwrights
1938 births
2020 deaths
Marathi-language writers
Indian theatre directors
Indian male stage actors
University of Mumbai alumni
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Indian television directors
Male actors in Marathi theatre
Writers from Mumbai
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
Dramatists and playwrights from Maharashtra
20th-century Indian male writers
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India