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]
Daji Bhatawadekar | |
---|---|
Born | 15 September 1921 (1921-09-15) Bombay, Bomabay Presidency, India |
Died | 26 December 2006 (2006-12-27) (aged 85) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
Occupation | Theatre personality, film actor |
Awards | Padma Shri Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Natya Bhooshan Kala Guarav Maharashtra Ratna Nata Samraat |
Daji Bhatwadekar was born on 15 September 1921 at Bombay then in the Bombay Presidency of British India. He received his schooling at Arya Education Society, Bombay.[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]
Recipients of Padma Shri in Art | |
---|---|
1950s |
|
1960s |
|
1970s |
|
1980s |
|
1990s |
|
2000s |
|
2010s |
|
2020s |
|