Daji Bhatawadekar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 September 1921 (1921-09-15) Bombay,Bombay Presidency, India |
| Died | 26 December 2006 (2006-12-27) (aged 85) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Education | Wilson College, Mumbai |
| Occupation(s) | Theatre artist, Film actor |
| Awards | Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1965) Padma Sri (1967) |
Daji Bhatawadekar (stage name for Krishnachandra Moreshwar)[1] (15 September 1921 – 26 December 2006), was an Indian theatre personality and film and television actor. He was credited with the revival ofSanskrit andMarathi theatre in India.[1][2] A winner of theSangeet Natak Akademi award in 1965,[3] he was honoured by theGovernment of India in 1967, with the award ofPadma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his contributions to the society.[4]
Daji Bhatwadekar was born on 15 September 1921 at Bombay in the thenBombay Presidency of British India. He received his schooling at Arya Education Society, Bombay.[5] He graduated fromWilson College, Mumbai and followed it up with a post graduate degree (MA) inSanskrit fromMumbai University.[5] He started his career with an office job but was drawn towards theatre and began involving withMumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh, a Mumbai-based literary association.[2]
Bhatwadekar acted in many Marathi, Sanskrit, Hindi and English language plays and was associated with actors such asDurga Khote and directors likePurushottam Laxman Deshpande andHerbert Marshall.[2] He also performed forMumbai Brahman Sabha.[5] He was reported to have acted 78 different roles, some of them multiple times.[5]Tochi ek Samarth,Mitra,Hee Tar Premachi Khari Gammat Ahe,Lagnachi Goshta,Macbeth andTuzha Ahe Tuzhpashi are some of his well-known plays.[2][5] He also acted in a film,Vijeta (1982). He played characters, Nand Dulal Babu in the episodeMakdi ka Ras[6] and Beni Madhav in the episodeVeni Sanhar,[7] for the television series,Byomkesh Bakshi (1993), broadcast byDoordarshan.
A scholar in English and Sanskrit,[2] Bhatwadekar wrote a book on Sanskrit theatre, with emphasis onaesthetics (rasa) andexpression (abhinaya).[5] He pursued his studies into his 70s and secured a doctoral degree at the age of 74.[5] He was a recipient of several awards such asNatya Bhooshan,Kala Guarav,Maharashtra Ratna andNata Samraat. In 1965, he received theSangeet Natak Akademi award for his contributions toSanskrit theatre.[3] TheGovernment of India honoured him with the civilian award ofPadma Shri in 1967.[4] He lived in his ancestral home at Bhatawadekar Wadi alongCharni Road inMumbai.[5] Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh observes the date of his death, 26 December, as Dr. Daji Bhatawadekar Memorial day.[8]
