Dinkar Gangadhar Kelkar | |
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| Born | January 10, 1896 |
| Died | March 17, 1990(1990-03-17) (aged 94) |
| Education | Doctor of Literature and Philosophy |
| Alma mater | University of Pune |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, editor,art collector, historian |
| Awards | Padma Shri (1981) |
Dinkar Gangadhar Kelkar (January 10, 1896 – March 17, 1990) was an Indian writer, editor, art collector and historian. He is best remembered for establishing theRaja Dinkar Kelkar Museum inPune.
Born on January 10, 1896, into theChitpavanBrahminKelkargharana ofKasarveli, to Gangadhar and Uma Kelkar (née Karve), Kelkar was the youngest of four sons.[1][2]
Beginning in 1915, Kelkar began publishing books of poetry titledAdnyatvasi (Marathi:अज्ञातवासी;lit. transl. Anonymous) in parts one through three. In the 1950s, they were included asreference texts for theUniversity of Bombay's Bachelor of Arts degree.[3] He would also go on to edit part of the second anthology ofBhaskar Ramchandra Tambe's poems in 1935, and would also go on to editPralhad Keshav Atre's poemZenduchi Phule. He was also one of the founders of the Sharda Mandir High School inMumbai.[4]
In the 1920s, Kelkar began an extensive historical collection of photographs, books, paintings, carvings, textiles, manuscripts, almanacs, toys, puppets, letters, scrolls, scriptures, weaponry, instruments, carpets, metallic works, furnishings and fixtures.[2][5][6] He established theRaja Dinkar Kelkar Museum in Pune for the display of these artifacts.[7] He named the museum after his deceased son.[8][9] He served as the museums's director until theGovernment of Maharashtra took over management of the museum in April 1985.[10][11]
In 1978, Kelkar acquired aDoctor of Literature and Philosophy degree from theUniversity of Pune and was a member of theIndian Institute of Architects.[12] He was awarded thePadma Shri by theGovernment of India in 1981 for his contributions in the field of Science & Engineering.[13] He was also the recipient of an award by the Indian Centre for Excellence, and briefly worked as the chief curator atSalar Jung Museum inHyderabad.[14]
Kelkar died on March 17, 1990. He had married Kamala (née Sitabai Ukidwe) and the couple had had a daughter, Jayaprabha (married name Rekha Ranade) and a son, Raja (1932–1941).[14][2] Kelkar was a distant cousin ofP. K. Kelkar who belonged to the samegharana, and was also a distant relative ofPanditrao andDnyaneshwar Agashe through their mother.[15]
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