Malati Bedekar

Malati Bedekar Biography

Malati Bedekar is also known by the name Malati Vishram Bedekar. This Marathi writer is the wife of Vishram Bedekar, another noted Marathi writer. She was the first prominent feminist writer in Marathi literature. Her published works include - Gharala Muklelya Striya, Kalyanche Nishwas, bali, Hindolyawar, Wahin Ali, Alankar Manjusha, Shabari, Kharemaster, Wiralele Swapna and Hindu Wyawahar Dharma Shastra (coauthored with K. N. Kelkar). She has also written the script of the movie, Sakharpuda. She wrote a semi-biographical novel Kharemaster after her father.

Malati was born on March 18, 1905 as the daughter of Anantrao and Indirabai Khare. Her maiden name was Balutai Khare. Anantrao was a progressive thinker and educator. Indirabai Khare managed a dairy business for 25 years. Malati was sent to a hostel of the school for girls where she did her schooling. This school was started by Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve in the outskirts of Pune. She graduated at the age of 20 from the college started by Karve. His teaching colleagues like Vaman Malhar Joshi highly influenced her thinking. Balutai joined the teaching staff of Pune's Kanya Shala, a girls’ school. In 1936, when she left the school to join a government service, she was its head mistress.

It was during British rule and she took charge as an administrator of a “settlement” for certain tribes identified as “criminal” tribes by British. She met and married Vishram Bedekar in 1938 and changed her name to Malati Vishram Bedekar. She left government job in 1940 and dedicated her full time for writing and social activities. She chaired a “parallel” Sahitya Sammelan to protest excessive government meddling in the main Marathi Sahitya Sammelan. Kalyanche Nishwas is her collection of stories and Hindolyawar, a novel published under the pen name Vibhavari Shirurkar. She passed away on May 7, 2001.

Published: N/A

Updated: September 22, 2017