Vitthal Umap

Vitthal Umap Biography

Vitthal Umap was a folk singer, actor and social worker. He regularly performed on stage and was active in his career till he passed away in 2010. He collapsed on stage and died while performing at a function in Nagpur on 26 November 2010. Throughout his lifetime, Umap struggled for recognition of the neglected folk genres of Maharashtra, and finally earned success and fame in the field of folk music. He was also a social worker. He composed music for several films, serials and plays, and his live performances are available on YouTube. He has also acted in a few movies such as Tingya for which he earned a nomination for best actor. He also appeared in TV shows.

Shahir Vitthal Umap was born on 15 July 1931 in Maharashtra. He was born in a Mumbai chawl in 1931. He had toured extensively all over the state to keep alive the folk traditions, and has strived hard to earn recognition as well. He won the first prize at the International Folk Music and Art Festival at Cork, Ireland. He was a popular figure in the Marathi theatre industry too, who was active in his field till the age of 80. ‘Baaya Daar Ughad’, ‘Khandobacha Nagin’ and ‘Vithu Rakhumai’ are among his popular songs.

Apart from singing and composing music, he has also acted in a few movies and TV serials. His roles in Doordarshan serials such as Shyam Benegal’s Bharat Ek Khoj and Jabbar Patel’s National award winning film Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar earned him accolades. He was given a house under the artistes’ quota a few months before his death. In 2008 he acted in award winning Marathi movie, Tingya. He has been waiting for it for many years.

Published: November 25, 2018

Updated: November 25, 2018