Vasant Shankar Kanetkar

Vasant Shankar Kanetkar Biography

Vasant Shankar Kanetkar was a great writer from Marathi language better known as a playwright. He was also a popular novelist, who wrote the novels – Pankha, Ghar, Tethe Chal Raani and Porka. Many of his plays have been adapted on big screen. His Marathi play - Ashrunchi Jhali Phule was adapted on silver screen for the movie - Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool starring Ashok Kumar, Nirupa Roy, Pran and Deb Mukherjee, and Vasant received Filmfare Award for Best Story for this film. Government of India honoured him with Padma Sri in 1992 for his outstanding contributions to Marathi literature. A literary figure in the post-independent India, he presided over Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in 1988.

A Maharashtrian, he was born in the town of Rahimatpur in Satara District on March 20, 1920. Noted poet Shankar Keshav Kanetkar, who used to write with the penname Kavi Girish was his father. Kavi Girish was also a prominent literary figure in the pre-independent India who was a founding member of Ravikiran Mandal, a group for poets. He also served as a professor at the Willington College of Sangli. Vasant completed MA from Willington College and soon started his professional career as a lecturer at H.P.T. College in Nashik. He taught till 1970. After that he resigned from his job to completely concentrate on to his literary career. He mostly wrote plays during his literal career. He published around 40 three-act plays.

Through his works he highlighted social issues and problems of middle class. Some of his noted plays are Raigadala jenvha jagyete, Matsyagandha, Lekure udandjali, Vedyacheghar unhat, Himalayachi sawali, Prema tujha rang kasa? etc. He passed away on January 31, 2000 aged 79. Ashroonchi Zhali Phule is one of his celebrated plays which was termed as "family play" by critics.

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Updated: April 16, 2016