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Vijay Tendulkar

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Vijay Tendulkar

Birth name

Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar

Born

January 6 1928 (age 80)
Kolhapur, Maharashtra

India

Awards
Other Awards
Padma Bhushan: 1984 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship: 1998 1977National Film Award for Best Screenplay: Manthan

Vijay Tendulkar (born January 6, 1928)^[1] is a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator in Marathi. He is most known for his plays, Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1967), Ghashiram Kotwal (1972), and Sakharam Binder (1972). He won Maharashtra State government awards in 1956, 1969 and 1972; and "Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar" in 1999. He was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1970, and again in 1998 with the Academy's highest award for 'lifetime-contribution', the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Ratna Sadasya)^[2]. In 1984, he received Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India for his literary accomplishments. In 1977, Tendulkar won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay for his screenplay in Shyam Benegal's movie, Manthan (1976). He has written screenplays for some of the important art movies of India, such as Nishant, Aakrosh and Ardh Satya. For the past five decades, Tendulkar has been a highly influential dramatist and theater personality in Maharashtra.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar was born on January 6, 1928 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, where his father held a clerical job, and also ran a small publishing business. The literary environment at home prompted young Vijay to take up writing. He wrote his first story at age six. He grew up watching western plays, and felt inspired to write plays himself. At age eleven, he wrote, directed, and acted in his first play^[3].

At age 14, he participated in the 1942 Indian freedom movement ^[4], leaving his studies. The latter alienated him from his family, and also his friends. Writing then became his outlet, though most of his early writings were only for himself and not for publication.

Early Career

Tendulkar started his career writing for newspapers. He had already written a play, "Amchyavar Kon Prem Karnar", and he wrote the play, "Gruhastha" (The Householder), in his early 20s. The latter did not receive much recognition from the audience, and he vowed never to write again ^[5]. Breaking the vow, in 1956 he wrote "'Shrimant", which established him a good writer. "Shrimant" jolted the conservative audience of the times with its radical storyline, wherein an unmarried young woman decides to keep her unborn child while her rich father tries to "buy" her a husband in an attempt to save his social prestige. His early struggle for survival, living in Mumbai "chawls", provided him access to the full-bloodied stories from the urban lower middle class, which were till now not present in modern Indian theatre, or presented in romanticized or sketchy versions ^[6]. This rapidly changed the very storyline, of modern Marathi theatre, which flourished in the 50s and the 60s with experimental theatre groups like, 'Rangayan', where actors like, Shreeram Lagoo, Mohan Agashe and Sulbha Deshpande, brought new authenticity and power to his stories, while initiating new sensibilities into the modern Indian theatre ^[7]. In 1961 came 'Gidhade' (The Vultures), though it was first performed only in 1970. It was a play set in a morally collapsed family structure. It furthered his explorations within the theme of violence, and in the coming years took to all its forms, be it domestic, communal, sexual or political; a theme he first depicted in his earlier work, 'Shrimant', that way 'Gidhade' turned out to be a turning point, as here for the first time he came into his own and projected his explicit writing style through his character for the first time ^[8]. In 1967, 'Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe' (Silence! The Court Is in Session) was performed for the first time, and became his finest work. Based on a 1956 short story, 'Die Panne' (Traps) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, it was later made in a film by Satyadev Dubey in 1971, for which Vijay Tendulkar wrote the screenplay, his first ^[9].

70s & 80s

Yet this was only the beginning of his explorations, soon he switched geared to attacking gender hegemony with his next, 'Sakharam Binder' (Sakharam, the Binder) in 1972, about a man who doesn't believe either in conventional marriage, morality, or social codes, yet want to use the society for his personal motives, without any personal ethics to guide him, he regularly gives 'shelter' to cast-off wives, only to later use them himself for his personal gratification; all through this, he remains unconscious of the emotional and moral implications, as he can justify his every act, through his arguments and claims of modernity; what he seems to be questioning is the garb of modernity and unconventional thinking which is used to enslave the women in our times into another kind sexual stereotype which even they buy into, as they want freedom so badly ^[10]. Gender violence of 'Sakharam', gave way to political violence, a more subversive form of violence, seen prevalently his most noted play, Ghashiram Kotwal (Ghashiram, the Constable), which came in the same year. A political satire, created as a musical drama set in 18th century Pune, it combined traditional Marathi folk forms with contemporary theatre techniques, to create a new paradigm for Indian theatre. Today with over six thousand performances, both in the original and in translation, it remains one of the longest-running plays of modern theatre and his most comprehensive study in group psychology ^[11]. Thereafter, he was awarded the "Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship" (1974-75), for his project, "an enquiry into the pattern of growing violence in society and its relevance to contemporary theatre". His explorations of anger and violence, showed up in his screenplays of films like Nishant (1974), Aakrosh (1980) and Ardh Satya (1984), which established him as an important 'Chronicler of Violence' of the times ^[12]. In all, he has written eleven films in Hindi and eight in Marathi, including 'Samana' (Confrontation, 1975), 'Simhasan' (Throne, 1979), and Umbartha (The Threshold) (1981), a groundbreaking feature film on women's activism in India, starring Smita Patil and Girish Karnad, and directed by Jabbar Patel. During his career spanning over five decades, he wrote over 27 full-length plays and 25 one-act plays, several of which have proven to be modern Indian theatre classics ^[13], his plays have been translated and performed in many Indian Languages, across India ^[14]. In time, he became one of the virulent and radical political voices in India, providing his scathing insight and viewpoint on every social event and political upheaval. In theatre, while his contemporaries were still safely exploring the limits of social realism, he broke them convincingly, by jumping straight into the cauldron of political radicalism, and ruthlessly exposed political hegemony of the powerful, and the prevalent hypocrisies in Indian social mindsets. His eye for human angst and providing it true and resplendent expression has got him worldwide acclaim and brickbats on home front as well, where the orthodox and the powerful, political bigwigs, have tried to thwart his emboldened voice, sometimes by pressure and at others through censor, but nothing succeeded in hampering his expression or his pen. ^[15]. Most of his plays derive inspiration from real-life incidents or societal upheavals, be it the rise of Shiv Sena which got reflected in Ghashiram Kotwal ^[16], or the buying of a woman from the rural flesh market, by a journalist, who uses the act to sensationalize and further his career, only to later forget, all about the 'bought' woman, in 'Kamala' ^[17] ^[18], or the 'Mitrachi Ghosta', inspired by a real life actress, whose acting career was ruined after the revelation of her same-sex affair ^[19].

90s and beyond

In 1991, he wrote, 'Safar',(Cyclewallah or The Cyclist), a metaphorical play; though it was supposed to be his last play ^[20], a decade later, in 2001, he wrote another play, 'The Masseur', followed by two novels, 'Kadambari: Ek', and 'Kadambari: Don', about sexual fantasies of an aging man. He wrote his first play in English, a one-act titled 'His Fifth Woman' in 2004, it is a sequel to his earlier explorations with the women of 'Sakharam Binder' (1972); the play was first performed at 'Vijay Tendulkar Festival', New York ^[21].

In the 90s, he briefly wrote for the television, and result was a powerful TV series, 'Swayam Siddha', starring his daughter, Priya Tendulkar, in the lead role. In 2007, a documentary, 'Tendulkar Ani Himsa: Aaj Ani Kaal' (Tendulkar and Violence: Then and Now), in Marathi with English subtitles, was released ^[22], also a short film, 'Ankahin', was made on him ^[23]. His oeuvre includes 16 plays for children, including 'Bale Miltat' (1960) and 'Patlachya Poriche Lagin' (1965); five anthologies of short stories, two novels, and five volumes of literary essays and social criticism, including 'Raatrani' and 'Kovali Unbe' (both in 1971) and 'Phuge Sobanche' in 1974; and a biography, all of which have contributed to a remarkable transformation of the modern literary landscape of Maharashtra and of India as a whole. He is an important translator in Marathi, having rendered nine novels and two biographies into the language, as well as five plays. In 2007, a documentary, 'Tendulkar and Violence: Then and Now', in Marathi with English subtitles, was released ^[24], also a short film, 'Ankahin', was made on him ^[25].

Personal life

Tendulkar's daughter, noted actress Priya Tendulkar, passed away in 2002. His son, Raja, and wife, Nirmala, passed away in the preceding years.

Awards

1970 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
1970 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Award
1977 National Film Award for Best Screenplay: Manthan
1981 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Aakrosh
1981 Filmfare Best Story Award: Aakrosh
1983 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Ardh Satya
1984 Padma Bhushan
1993 Saraswati Samman
1998 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
1999 Kalidas Samman
2001 Katha Chudamani Award

Bibliography

Novels

Kadambari: Ek (Novel: One) (1996)
Kadambari: Don (Novel: Two) (2005)

Short Stories

Dwandwa (1961)
Phalapakharn (1970)

Plays

Grihast (Householder) (1947)
Shrimant (1956)
Manoos Navhache Bait (An Island Called Man) (1958)
Thief! Police!
Bale Miltat (1960)
Gidhade - (Giddh) - (The Vultures) (1961)
Patlachya Poriche Lagin (1965)
Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (Khamosh! Adaalat Jaari Hai) (Silence! The Court is in Session) (1967)
Ajgar Ani Gandharva
Sakharam Binder (Sakharam, the Book-Binder) (1972)
Kamala (1981) (Kamala)
Maadi (Hindi)
Kanyadan (The Gift of a Daughter) (1983)
Anji
Dambadwipcha Mukabala (Encounter in Umbugland)
Ashi Pakhare Yeti (Panchi Aise Aate Hain)
Kutte
Safar/Cyclewallah (The Cyclist) (1991)
The Masseur (2001)
Pahije Jatiche
Jaat Hi Poocho Sadhu Ki
Maazi Bahin
Jhala Ananta Hanumanta
Footpayricha Samrat
Mitrachi Goshta (A Friend's Story) (2001)
Anand Owari (edited for the stage from the novel by Di. Ba. Mokashi)
Bhau Muraarrao
Bhalyakaka
Mee Jinkalo Mee Haralo
His Fifth Woman (English) (2004)
Bebi

Musicals

Ghashiram Kotwal (Ghashiram the Constable) (1972)

Translations

Mohan Rakesh's Adhe Adhure (from Hindi)
Girish Karnad's Tughlaq (from Kannada)
Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (from English).

Works available in English

Silence! The Court Is in Session (Three Crowns). Priya Adarkar (Translator), Oxford University Press, 1979.ISBN 0195603133.
Ghashiram Kotwal, Sangam Books, 1984. ISBN 817046210X.
The Churning, Seagull Books, India, 1985.ISBN 0856471208.
The Threshold: Umbartha - Screenplay. Shampa Banerjee (Translator), Sangam Books Ltd.,1985.ISBN 0861320964.
Five Plays. (Various Translators), Bombay, Oxford University Press, 1992 ISBN 0195637364.
The Last Days of Sardar Patel and The Mime Players: Two Screen Plays. New Delhi, Permanent Black, 2001.ISBN 8178240181.
Modern Indian Drama: An Anthology, Sahitya Akademi,India, 2001.ISBN 8126009241.
Mitrachi Goshta : A Friend’s Story: A Play in Three Acts. Gowri Ramnarayan (Translator). New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2001.ISBN 0195653173.
Kanyadaan, Oxford University Press, India, New Ed edition, 2002.ISBN 0195663802.
Collected Plays in Translation, New Delhi, 2003, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195662091.
The Cyclist and His Fifth Woman: Two Plays by Vijay Tendulkar. Balwant Bhaneja (Translator), 2006 Oxford India Paperbacks.ISBN 0195676408.