Ganesh Govind Bodas (1880–1965), also known as Ganpatrao Bodas ( mr, गणपतराव बोडस;), was an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

stage actor known for performing Marathi plays.

Early life

Ganesh was born in Shevgaon village,

Ahmadnagar district Ahmednagar district (Marathi pronunciation: �ɦ(ə)məd̪nəɡəɾ is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar and Sangamner are largest cities ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1880. His schooling was up to the secondary level. He grew interest in both music and acting. He was an amateur actor in school, but his official entry in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

took place in 1895 when he joined the Kirloskar Natak Mandali.

Career

Though Bodas did not have proper training in classical music, he developed a very good musical sensibility when G. B. Deval coached him for minor female roles in the Mandali's plays such as Kirloskar's ''Sanbhadra'', Deval's ''Samshaykallol'', S. K. Kolhatkar's ''Mukanayak'' (as Speechless Protagonist) in 1901, and Khadilkar's ''Manapaman'' (''Honour and Dishonour'') in 1911. He was given the lead in these productions. He did a wide variety of roles, mythological to social and serious to comic. Along with

Govindrao Tembe Govind Sadashiv Tembe, popularly known as Govindrao Tembe (5 June 1881 – 9 October 1955), was a harmonium player, stage actor, and music composer. Early life and background He grew up in Kolhapur and became attached to music early in life. He ...

, he helped

Bal Gandharva Narayan Shripad Rajhans, popularly known as Bal Gandharva, (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967) was a famous Marathi singer and a stage actor. He was known for his roles in female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not allowed to act on ...

to form the Gandharva Natak Mandali in 1913. His characterizations included the farcical Phalgunrao in ''Samshaykallol'', Krishna in Khadilkar's ''Sivayamvar'' (''Choice of Groom'') in 1916, and the alcoholic Sudhakar in Gadkari's ''Ekach pyala'' (''Just One Glass'') in 1919. After the Mandali disintegrated, he acted with many other companies, such as the Yashwant Sangeet Natak Mandali, until 1956. He popularized the "night" system in Marathi theatre whereby actors got paid by the number of nights they performed. His autobiography, ''Majhi bhumika'' (''My Role'') came out in 1940. Bodas died in 1965 at the age of 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodas, Ganesh 1880 births 1965 deaths Male actors from Maharashtra Male actors in Marathi theatre Indian male stage actors Indian male musical theatre actors Indian autobiographers 19th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian male singers 20th-century Indian singers Male actors from British India