Marathi writer, playwright, who tested positive for virus, passes away ‘From parallel to commercial theatre, he excelled in every sphere, made a mark’
Veteran Marathi writer and playwright Ratnakar Matkari, 81, who tested positive for
Covid-19, passed away on Monday.
Considered a pioneer of the children’s drama movement in Marathi, Matkari died at a hospital in suburban Marol on Sunday night, said a civic official.
From story books for kids to plays, his work in
Marathi literature was phenomenal, a writer said.
In his condolence message, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said, “We have lost a precious gem from the world of literature.
He wrote for children and for grown-ups as well. His immense contribution in various forms such as plays, short stories, novel has enriched the world of Marathi literature.”
Ratnakar was my absolute contemporary. He was one of the most important writers in theatre and cinema. Right from the parallel theatre movement to the commercial theatre, he excelled in everything and made a mark. He was one of the writers who was awarded both— the Sangeet Natak Akademi for his plays and the
Sahitya Akademi Child Literary Award, which was a rare achievement. I feel he rightly deserved it. It made him a tall figure in the world of literature.
We were in touch as our exploits in the parallel theatre movement were happening simultaneously.
Not many are aware that both of us worked in Bank of India at the same time. I vividly remember an incident related to an inter-bank drama competition. It used to be a vibrant activity during the 70s and 80s. I was working at the head office in Mumbai when the manager at the last minute had requested me to do something for the competition. I was in a dilemma and the only person I thought of was Ratnakar.
I went to his branch and told him there was a challenge that I couldn’t take on single-handedly.
We sat down together and chose one of his short stories and came up with a production. Ratnakar, his wife Pratibha and I rehearsed over the weekend, and acted in the play, which was highly appreciated.
This was even before Pratibha
went to the National School of Drama. Our careers and activities have been going hand-in-hand for many decades.
The last time I met him was around two years ago, when I came to Mumbai. My wife, Sandhya, and I went to his house at Dadar. We had discussed a few ideas which we were hoping to collaborate on. We would often cross paths at many events. We would have long conversations over the phone. It’s a great shock to me. I’ll really miss his company.