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Literature & Music (Translations, Discussions, Sharing Music and Views)

This is the post excerpt.

Pu La Transformational Stories, Peston Kaka reposted blog to further refer to Siddharud Swamy referred by Peston Kaka .. Ashok Ranade interview of Pt Mansur .. 12 minutes play and you hear about the Swamy …
Pu La ’s transformational stories: Cultural Symbiosis in his story Pestonji or Peston Kaka:
When I shared my earlier blog on Pu La (Acharya P K Atre’s article on him in Maratha 1965) with one of my creative writer Marathi Playwright friend he didn’t seem to be pleased on my choice of writers : Prahlad Keshav Atre and Purushottam Lakshman Deshpande. <br>

The possible reason could be that these writers being pro establishment or that they were not vociferously supporting the class and caste annihilation through their writing. Their sensibilities were probably close to the middle class.
My friend and host of others are surely still under the spell of Marx and his ideas of social transformation. Therefore, I have deliberately given the title to this blog as ‘Transformational Stories of Pu La’
However, in today’s post modern world in which we believe that technology is a great leveller it will be wrong to straight jacket writers in certain categories or classify them among the various sections in the society.
Atre was the first playwright after Deval’s Sharada and Gadkari’s Sindhu who made the woman to leave the family in his play Gharabaher (घराबाहेर)

Later M G Rangnekar adapted Ibsen’s Doll’s House in his Kulvadhu (कुलवधू)

In our blindly following western critics and their theories we throw all old writers in the category of pro-establishment writers. This has two serious bad effects. The literature in which today’s young generation might take keen interest .. we are deliberately drawing them away from those classics. In our attempt to force them to toe our intellectual line we give them exposure only to so called anti establishment literature which is not read out of literature classes in which there is a miniscule minority of young reading public and they too read it for the sake of examinations.
My friend’s anger on Pu La seems to be in this line. However, how can we forget his Phulrani? (ती फुलराणी) , the beautiful adaptation of My Fair Lady, which was an adaptation of Shaw’s Pygmalion.

In the original play Shaw has shown the transformation of a slum girl who sells flowers into a princess by the means of her refined language and polished manners which she displays in a public gathering.
Mastery on language transforms our personality. Our status in society changes irrespective of our family background. I as a student and teacher of English have experienced this in my career of 33 years. Students who took hard efforts at their B A English in a college in whatever small village in India in last few decades have been extremely successful in their career in big metros as teachers of English, advocates , corporate persons , bank officers etc.
Now, when I see actual message of Shaw’s play transformed in reality like this how can I term him as old fashioned pro establishment writer, pro empire writer and how can I force my students to uphold only modern playwrights because we have given them the label of

anti-establishment? Does the so called modern sensibility mean that we should throw all that’s old into a dustbin?
There is indeed a sound alternative to that. We must Re introduce our students and reading public to old classics but in a different transformational perspective. Well , the whole discussion is diverted to the importance of these old writers and searching a new insight in their works.
The work under discussion here is a story by Pu La called Peston Kaka ( the English version would be Pestonji ) in which an Asst Foreman, who worked earlier under the British officers , is now retired from Railway and he is shown as having extremely high knowledge and taste in classical music (Abdul Karim Khan), religious compositions (Gopala karuna kyon nahi ave of Khansaheb , Tukaram’s abhangas of Vishnupant Pagnis) , Hindu spirituality (Vivekananda, Siddharur Swami in Hubli … ……..

………..

by the way this Siddharur Swami is referred by Ashok Ranade in his interview of Pt Mallikarjun Mansur… taken in 1960-70s for Doordarshan but available on You Tube …I don’t know how the name is spelt or pronounced .. Siddharur or Siddharood, another point I want to make here is that Pt Mansur ran away from home two times and his father anxiously brought him to this Swamy .. obviously a Lingayat Mathpati Swamy .. and Ranade tells us that this Swamy was a great supporter of music. He had blessed Pt Keshavrao Bhosale who is considered as a better natyageet exponent than Balgandharva or Master Dinanath Mangeshkar .. reference Vidyadhar Gokhale .. well my point is that can someone give me one name and of a Hindu Swami or a spiritual leader who blessed art and music and gave to the listening public such diamonds like Keshavrao and Mansur ? Now , the Karveer Peeth Shankaracharya Vidyanand Bharati was a Keertankar and is the son of a great Gwalior Gharana singer Keertankar Karhadkar Buva but his gayaki is lost in the heavily ritualistic nature of Hindu religion .. I’m sorry to say this but it’s a fact. I have heard this Karveer Shankaracharya ’s Keertan in my childhood and have been fortunate to chew the first ever areca nut .. or arica nut .. सुपारी to put it in simple terms from his nut cracker अडकित्ता sitting on his laps, so my observation is based on my own experience) , …
Well, coming back to Peston Kaka .. He displays this knowledge in informal talk to the writer in a train journey. He is such a romantic and loving husband that he is still sensually tickled at the age of 78 when his wife pinches him. I think Pu La attacks the very pro-establishment middle class sensibility by portraying this character. Music, Literature , Spirituality is not the ‘jagir’ or monopoly of a certain caste or class. Whoever is exposed to good music, effective communication skills at an early age can easily share the elitist sensibility or can move with confidence among intellectuals, corporate persons and scholars.
Pu La gets down at the next station and he shows the stark contrast between his own seemingly hypocrite ideas of being famous, having high taste and a scholar and Peston Kaka (actually under You Tube the pronunciation is written in Marathi as पेस्तन काका so I spelled it as Pestan earlier but my Parsee friend corrected it as Peston and I wrote this blog with corrections and additions) who has entered into the core of music and literature.
The thing to be noted is that he is not a teacher , artiste or a professional… these type of middle class persons are popularly portrayed by writers or are popularly considered by general public as the owners of good taste in music , stage and literature. (Read this as : Marathi middle class , Puneites , Mumbaikars or all such people living in other towns but who take pride in displaying a lineage to these towns) …
Peston Kaka was born in Mumbai but he has settled in Hubli (actually Hubli , Dharwad are the towns which are again described by Punekars as small Punes but these towns gave great artistes like Pt Bhimsen Joshi , Vidushi Gangubai Hangal to Hindustani Classical Music and since Bhimsen chose Pune for certain autobiographical concerns in his life Punekars got the advantage to associate them to great Marathi middle class taste. Pt Kumar Gandharva from Athni and Pt Mallikarjun Mansur from the village with his surname .. these artistes hail from Karnataka)
Peston Kaka is from Mumbai and is settled in Hubli .. he refers to Ustad Abdul Karim Khan Saheb singing his famous bhajan in Bhairavi “ Gopala karuna kyon nahi aave .. गोपाला करूणा कयों नही आवे। .. in a concert in Hubli. Karim Khan Saheb lived in Miraj. He founded the Kirana Gharana. His disciple Rambhau Kundgolkar alias Pt Sawai Gandharva lived in Kundgol near Jamkhindi . Bhimsen , Firoze Dastur lived at Kundgol and learnt music from him. Gangubai used to travel from Dharvad to Kundgol and learnt from him. Though Bhimsen earned great status to Kirana Gharana by his extremely hard efforts , strong voice and terrific strength of his lungs (he was a wrestler earlier in his childhood) other two artistes were also of immense capacities.
The referred composition गोपाला was sustained in the memory of the listening public primarily by another Parsee (like Peston Kaka , the topic of this blog) Pt Firoze Dastur. I will share another video of Pt Dastur on You Tube .. a DD Bangla program .. where he is seen presenting गोपाला and you can see Bhimsen and Pt Kanan on the first row among the audience. The point was that Pu La has deliberately portrayed this character of Peston Kaka who is beyond all popular criteria of music and culture loving middle class in Maharashtra. He is a Parser, a foreman, eats mutton openly , says ‘sala, sala ’ which is otherwise an abusive term but talks about Vivekanand , Siddharur Swamy, Shivanand as great divine souls. He considers Vishnupant Pagnis as the very Tukaram who lived among us. He insists Pu La to sing ‘Aadhi beej ekale , beej ankurale roap wadhle आधी बीज एकले , बीज अंकूरले , रोप वाढले .. the seed comes first , then the sapling grows from it .. the Abhang of Tukaram made famous by Vishnupant in the movie. Peston Kaka becomes the very Tukaram in that railway compartment itself imagining Vishnupant who has entered in his mind and body at that moment. Such oneness with the divine through art and music is more valuable according to Pu La than all middle class hypocrite babble of how they love music and literature. This also applies to the whole class of people who talk of Pu La as their favourite writer. They have indeed not still understood the real message in Pu La ’s writings and his personality. Pu La’s great admiration for Peston Kaka is the indication of his strong belief in equality in society through art , music and literature. Therefore , I’m surprised by my friend Marathi playwright’s sarcastic question to me about the significance of Pu La as the choice of the writer in my blog. What happens after these Abhangas rendered by Pu La exclusively for Peston Kaka in that train journey is also important. Pu La tells us that organisers of his speech , people who have come to greet him on the station greet him with ‘crest fallen stale flowered bouquet … what Pu La actually indicates here is the deep down hypocrisy and double standards of the middle class. They do everything just for its display value. Peston Kaka , however, openly orders non veg food in the compartment while Pu La eats home made tiffin …. there is fantastic ability of self ridicule in this writer.
(I had stopped this discussion at 5.46 pm on 14-5-2017 and completed it in this Re-blog at 1.14 am 15-5-2017, posted edited blog under Pt Firoz Dastur Gopala, reposted now for reference to Siddharud Swamy blessing Keshavrao Bhosale and Pt Mallikarjun Mansur at 2.38 pm 15-5-2017 and edited this post earlier here on FB and this is the final version)

Straight

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

My one told to talk straight. I am recalling what’s वक्रोक्ती in English that’s actually a poetic speech, once you are trained in that in youth, it doesn’t leave you. I’m told to talk straight means I talk in beating about the bush manner, circumlocution.

Link : https://share.google/aimode/h1AWmfHxpkpiVLs4h the link says :

Poetic language is described as “not straight” because it deliberately deviates from the straightforward, literal communication found in everyday speech. While ordinary language is designed for clarity and efficiency—getting “straight to the point”—poetic language is often oblique, using artistic detours to create a deeper emotional or sensory impact. 

Bullet:2

You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

Prompt 26/12/25 What is your all time favourite automobile?

Published Second Time: Prompt 17/3/26 You are going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

I will go on Bullet on a cross-country trip. Bullet fascinated me passing be when I had just started walking may be. How this early days I remember is more a curse than a boon but a few instances of such boon, by virtue of their supreme value, easily outweigh the curse, help me neglect & forget the negative instances. 

I loved Tabla but Baba told learning typing would earn me a job of a clerk somewhere and so forced me to English typing, I passed 80 speed easily. I used to bicycle in all seasons 40 kms from my sugar cane, large sugar factory village to college in Taluka place from 11th Arts to BA English. My area was and still is considered one of the richest in our part of India because of highest recovery of sugar quantity in our sugar cane. We competed with UP then and in National contest of per acre sugar cane tonnes we defeated UP several times. 

Baba being Dnyaneshwari pravachankar and best teacher of Marathi & Hindi in school he was invited to several weddings where he never went. He was very strict and always said he never owed a four anna tea to anyone. (It cost 40 rupees but still he said four anna). I being his eldest son had to attend all rich and poor farmers’ functions as Guruji’s best representative. I told this just to tell you how I was exposed to Bullet. 

In each farmer’s family there used to be Bullet, tractor in my village (I am talking about Baba’s workplace village where we spent our childhood). I used to observe this bike closely. Farmers loved their bikes so much that they used to park it in their living rooms of large homes with sprawling premises. I used to climb, hold handle, make sound with mouth and imagined I was riding fast. 

I got job of Lecturer at early age of 21 and got first Bullet as a gift from Baba. He took it in auction of sugar factory bikes. He got 1969 original British model for Rs 7000. I gave it to repairs to Khomane Dada, a British period garage in Baramati. I spent half of each month’s salary to him and got it after 6 months. I used to go to dinner to Pune from Baramati and return through Khandoba Jejuri road known for late night dacoits. Then I shifted to Nashik and used to ride whole day Bullet to Karad on all holidays. 

I had to give the bike to Baba in a skirmish and he sold and took money. Then after 15 years I got 1995 model bike which you know why I sold in 2005. Then I got a gift (you know) in 2012 which is with me. I will tell about my rides, memories later.

Girish Mani : 

It feels like being in sanctum sanctorum of your childhood memory shiv mandir and in its sabhamandap (mantapa in Kannada I think) Carnatic Classical concert of Trichur V Ramachandran is going on and on Mrudungam is the most eminent Palghat Mani Iyer … when Mrudunga is repeating in slow and fast tempo, that’s Bullet thud thud firing..
Dear Mani,
One who could ask such a special question on my Enfield Bullet love (which comes from Ranipet Madras now Chennai where, because of my research and standing CEO of Enfield had hosted coffee for me & two accompanied teachers of English. This reference I was going to give in next post) came from South. Reference to my love for Tabla associated to Bullet sound, that I was going to tell in next post, both came here in your reply.
This is divine. 

My love for Tyagaraja, Bhagavatar & Dixitar & their several rachanas I heard with utter devotion in my life (devotion being my Baba’s gift) has been fruitful in this way. You may re blog for more South Indians to read, if you like.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palghat_Mani_Iyer

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18bFjRz7rT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image: My Bullet mechanic Mr Bhosale

Bhairappa

धर्मांतर या विषयावर आत्ता माननीय मुख्यमंत्री बोलत आहेत. पंतप्रधान आणि बीजेपी से सर्व ज्येष्ठ नेते बोलताना नेहमी मूळ इंग्रजी शब्द वापरूनच बोलतात. हिंदी किंवा मराठी भाषेतून ती इंग्रजी संकल्पना व्यक्त करण्यासाठी आवश्यक असणारा व्यासंग आवश्यक आहे. Null and void असे माननीय मुख्यमंत्री म्हणत आहेत. निरंक आणि निरस्त असे शब्द त्यांनी वापरायला हवेत. भैरप्पा यांच्या तोडीचा कादंबरीकार मराठी भाषेत का नाही? कर्नाटक चे मुख्यमंत्री संपूर्ण कन्नड भाषेत बोलतात. जोपर्यंत मराठी जनता मराठी भाषेचा प्रभावी वापर करणारे नेते निवडून देण्याइतका प्रगल्भ होत नाही तोपर्यंत मराठीत भैरप्पा यांच्या उंचीचा कादंबरीकार होणार नाही. शास्त्रीय संगीत क्षेत्रातील भैरप्पा यांचा अभ्यास पहिला तर आपली अवस्था खूपच बिकट आहे. नेमाडे यांच्या एकही कादंबरीत शास्त्रीय संगीत, ललित कला यांचा अभ्यास असलेला दिसत नाही. माझ्या मतानुसार मराठीतील नेमाडे हेच सर्व श्रेष्ठ कादंबरीकार आहेत पण त्यांची भैरप्पा यांच्याशी तुलना केली तर मला वरील प्रमाणे मत व्यक्त करावे लागते. एका भाषेच्या प्राध्यापक मित्राला मी कॉफी आणि शास्त्रीय संगीत ऐकवून चर्चा करतो असे दिसल्यानंतर, त्यांचे गाइड शास्त्रीय संगीतावर प्रेम करणारे असल्याने पीएच डी होई पर्यंत त्यांनी माझ्याशी मैत्री ठेवली नंतर मी कसा नोकरी सोडून जाईन आणि असला संगीत ऐकवणारा मी कसा non academic आहे हे वरिष्ठांना सांगण्यात त्यांनी शक्ती खर्च केली. सकाळी दिलीप सरांच्या राजीनाम्याबाबत लिहिणे जसे गरजेचे वाटले तसेच मराठीत भैरप्पा का होऊ शकत नाहीत यावर माझे विश्लेषण मांडणे मला गरजेचे वाटले. आपण बोललो नाही तर कोणीच बोलणार नाही अशी स्थिती आहे. तेव्हा बोलतच राहणार. ही माझी वैयक्तिक मते आहेत. इंस्टा आणि फेबू वर माझे प्रत्येक स्टेटस मी टाकत असतो. तिथे सूर्याची पिल्ले देखील बोलत नाहीत तर सूर्य कधी बोलणार? status rys १६/३/२६ ६.१५ pm

Jagtap

मराठी रंगभूमी ही केवळ मनोरंजनाची परंपरा नाही; ती विचारांची, प्रयोगांची आणि सामाजिक जाणिवांची एक सजीव परंपरा आहे. या परंपरेला समृद्ध करणारे अनेक नाटककार मुख्य प्रवाहात दिसतात; परंतु काही कलाकार असेही असतात जे जाणीवपूर्वक वेगळी वाट निवडतात. ते रंगभूमीला केवळ कथानक देत नाहीत, तर विचारांची अस्वस्थता, सामाजिक भान आणि प्रयोगशीलतेची नवी दिशा देतात. वाई (जि. सातारा) येथील दिलीप जगताप हे अशाच ध्यासाने रंगभूमीवर काम करणारे प्रायोगिक नाटककार आणि रंगकर्मी आहेत.

दिलीप जगताप यांची नाट्ययात्रा अत्यंत लहान वयात सुरू झाली. १९६८ साली लिहिलेल्या ‘वारूळ’ या एकांकिकेला पुरुषोत्तम करंडक स्पर्धेत सर्वोत्तम विद्यार्थी लेखकाचे पारितोषिक मिळाले आणि एका संवेदनशील नाटककाराचा जन्म रंगभूमीने अनुभवला. पुढे १९७० मध्ये ‘पिंजरा’ या एकांकिकेने सांघिक सर्वोत्तम एकांकिकेचा करंडक मिळवला. मानवी स्वातंत्र्य, सामाजिक चौकटी आणि व्यक्तिमत्त्वावर येणाऱ्या बंधनांचा सूक्ष्म वेध घेणाऱ्या या कलाकृतींनी त्यांच्या लेखनातील विचारांची धार स्पष्ट केली.

१९७३ मध्ये आलेले ‘एक अंडे फुटले’ हे जगतापांचे पहिले पूर्णांक नाटक प्रायोगिक रंगभूमीवर विशेष चर्चेचे ठरले. नाट्यदिग्गज सत्यदेव दुबे यांच्या नाट्यकार्यशाळेत या नाटकाचे वाचन झाले आणि त्या कार्यशाळेत महेश एलकुंचवार, गो. पु. देशपांडे, सतीश आळेकर, अच्युत वझे, शंकर शेष यांसारख्या दिग्गज नाटककारांनी सहभाग घेत त्यांच्या नाटकांचे वाचन केले. त्या सर्वांची ती पहिली नाटके होती हे विशेष. एका नव्या नाटककाराच्या लेखनाला मिळालेली ही दाद म्हणजे त्यांच्या प्रतिभेची मोठी पावतीच होती. पुढे मुंबईतील रंगभवन केंद्रावर हे नाटक सादर झाले आणि त्याने प्रायोगिक रंगभूमीवर आपला ठसा उमटवला.

याच काळात सादर झालेले ‘एक असतो राजा’ हे नाटक सत्तेच्या मानसिकतेवर आणि समाजातील सत्ताकेंद्रांच्या गुंतागुंतीवर भाष्य करणारे ठरले. रूपकात्मक शैली, उपरोधिक आशय आणि सामाजिक संदर्भ यांचा सुंदर संगम या नाटकात दिसतो. पुणे केंद्रात या नाटकाला पारितोषिक मिळाले आणि जगताप यांच्या लेखनाला व्यापक दखल मिळाली.

१९७४ मध्ये आलेले ‘बुडती हे जन’ हे नाटक त्यांच्या नाट्यलेखनातील एक महत्त्वाचा टप्पा मानले जाते. समाजातील विसंगती, बदलत्या मूल्यांची घुसळण आणि सामान्य माणसाच्या जगण्यातील संघर्ष यांचे प्रभावी चित्रण या नाटकात दिसते. मुंबई केंद्रात या नाटकाने प्रथम क्रमांक पटकावून अंतिम फेरी गाठली. प्रायोगिक रंगभूमीवर समाजभान असलेले लेखन कसे असावे याचा आदर्श या नाटकाने घालून दिला.

१९७५ मध्ये सादर झालेले ‘महाराजांच्या जयजयकार’ हे नाटक सांगली केंद्रात प्रथम क्रमांक पटकावत चर्चेत आले. इतिहासातील प्रतीकांचा वापर करून वर्तमानातील प्रश्न मांडण्याची त्यांची शैली या नाटकातून प्रकर्षाने दिसते. इतिहास आणि वर्तमान यांचा संवाद साधणारी ही कलाकृती प्रेक्षकांच्या मनात विचारांचे तरंग निर्माण करणारी ठरली.

दिलीप जगताप यांच्या लेखनाचा पट अत्यंत विस्तृत आहे. ‘क्षेत्रीय’, ‘चेटूकवार’, ‘भूमिगत’, ‘वळ’, ‘नुसती गंमत’, ‘पक्षपात’, ‘आला रे राजा’, ‘रंगरंगीली’, ‘राजदंड’, ‘बे-बे बकरी’, ‘सुदिन’, ‘एक तळ गाळता’, ‘सशक्त’, ‘जा खेळायला पळ’, ‘नामाचा जाहिरनामा’ अशा अनेक नाटकांतून त्यांनी समाजातील विसंगती, मानवी नात्यांचे गुंतागुंतीचे स्वरूप, राजकीय वास्तव आणि सामान्य माणसाच्या संघर्षांचा शोध घेतला. त्यांच्या नाटकांमध्ये उपरोध आहे, विचारांची टोकदार धार आहे आणि त्याच वेळी मानवी संवेदनांची कोमल जाणीवही आहे.

जगताप यांच्या रंगदृष्टीचा एक महत्त्वाचा पैलू म्हणजे जागतिक साहित्याचा प्रभाव. शेक्सपियरच्या ‘ज्युलियस सीझर’, ‘द टेम्पेस्ट’, ‘कोरिओलेनस’, ‘ट्वेल्थ नाईट’ यांसारख्या नाटकांचे भाग त्यांनी सादर केले. 

तसेच ज्यां जेने (Jean Genet), ऑगस्ट स्ट्रिंडबर्ग यांसारख्या युरोपियन नाटककारांच्या प्रसिद्ध नाटकांचे त्यांनी राजकीय भाष्य व्यक्त करणारे रूपांतर सादर केले. त्यांच्या नाटकांच्या संहिता फडणीस सरांच्या मदतीने छोट्या अभ्यासू वर्गासमोर वाचन करून त्यांनी घासून पुसून सादर केल्या. त्यात स्व डॉ अभ्यंकर देखील हजर असत. त्या संमोहित रात्री मी कधीच विसरू शकणार नाही. सविता प्रभुणे सारख्या कलाकार विद्यार्थिनींना प्रथम स्टेज वर त्यांनी आणले. 

कसलाही आविर्भाव न ठेवत कला आणि विचार यांच्याशी प्रामाणिक राहून, अत्यंत स्पष्ट पणे आपली राजकीय भूमिका प्रत्यक्ष जगणारे असे कृतीशील विचारवंत कलाकार देशात खूप कमी आहेत पण त्यांचे योग्य संकलन आणि प्रसिद्धी आपल्या देशातील मॅनेज होऊ शकणाऱ्या समीक्षक अभ्यासक वर्गाला जमलेले नाही. युरोप युके अमेरिकेत जसे लोक प्रामाणिक लेखकांच्या पाठीशी उभे राहतात, कुठल्याही प्रसिद्ध राजकीय नेता, पक्ष यांच्या वळचणीला उभे न राहणारे लेखक तिकडे मोठे होवू शकतात. इथे खूप अवघड आहे. हे कोणीतरी लिहिले पाहिजे म्हणून मी मूळ लेखात या एडिशन केल्या (additions and editing). 

माझे मित्र डॉ शशिकांत जगताप यांच्या मुळे मला हा मूळ लेख मिळाला आणि मला हे लिहिता आले त्यामुळे त्यांचे मी आभार मानतो. दिलीप सरांच्या विषयीच्या या भावना आणि विचार मी व्यक्त केले नाहीत तर तो, शिक्षक, योग्य विचार मांडणारा माणूस म्हणून तो एक नैतिक गुन्हा ठरला असता. 

पाश्चात्त्य नाट्यपरंपरेतील विविध कलाकृतींच्या अभ्यासातून त्यांनी आपल्या नाट्यभाषेला अधिक समृद्ध केले. त्यामुळे त्यांच्या नाटकांत स्थानिक वास्तवासोबत जागतिक दृष्टिकोनाची झलकही दिसते.

त्यांच्या ‘नामाचा जाहिरनामा’, ‘आला रे राजा’ आणि ‘सशक्त’ या नाटकांना महाराष्ट्र शासनाचे उत्कृष्ट लेखनाचे पारितोषिक मिळाले. तसेच ‘जा खेळायला पळ’ या नाटकाला २०११ साली सर्वोत्तम प्रायोगिक लेखनाचा पुरस्कार मिळाला. ही पारितोषिके त्यांच्या लेखनातील आशयघनता, सामाजिक भान आणि प्रयोगशीलतेची साक्ष देणारी आहेत.

दिलीप जगताप हे केवळ लेखक नाहीत, तर रंगभूमीचे अभ्यासक, मार्गदर्शक आणि संस्कृतीचे संवाहक आहेत. पुणे, सांगली आणि वाई येथे त्यांनी नाट्यमहोत्सवांचे आयोजन केले. अनेक नवोदित कलाकारांना त्यांनी रंगभूमीवर येण्यासाठी प्रेरणा दिली. राज्यनाट्य स्पर्धा आणि पुरुषोत्तम करंडक यांसारख्या प्रतिष्ठित स्पर्धांमध्ये त्यांनी परीक्षक म्हणून काम केले. २००८ पासून ते साहित्य आणि संस्कृती मंडळाचे सदस्य म्हणूनही कार्यरत आहेत.

वाईसारख्या छोट्या शहरातून सातत्याने नाट्यनिर्मिती करत प्रायोगिक रंगभूमीचा ध्यास जपणे हीच त्यांच्या कार्याची खरी ओळख आहे. त्यांनी निवडलेली वाट ही सोपी नव्हती; पण त्या वाटेवर चालताना त्यांनी मराठी रंगभूमीला अनेक आशयघन, विचारप्रवर्तक आणि प्रयोगशील नाटके दिली.

म्हणूनच दिलीप जगताप यांचे व्यक्तिमत्त्व हे केवळ एका नाटककाराचे नाही, तर प्रयोगशीलतेला जीवनमूल्य मानणाऱ्या एका ध्येयवेड्या रंगकर्मीचे आहे. त्यांच्या लेखणीतून उमटलेली नाटके प्रेक्षकांना केवळ रंगमंचावरचे दृश्य दाखवत नाहीत; ती मनात प्रश्न निर्माण करतात, विचारांना चालना देतात आणि समाजाकडे नव्या दृष्टीने पाहायला शिकवतात.

मराठी प्रायोगिक रंगभूमीच्या प्रवाहात दिलीप जगताप यांचे योगदान म्हणजे वेगळी वाट धरण्याचे धाडस आणि त्या वाटेवर न थकता चालत राहण्याची जिद्द होय. अशी ही नाट्ययात्रा आजही मराठी रंगभूमीला प्रेरणा देणारी ठरते.

वाई सारख्या छोट्या शहरातून सातत्याने नाट्यनिर्मिती करत प्रायोगिक रंगभूमीचा ध्यास जपणे हीच त्यांच्या कार्याची खरी ओळख आहे. त्यांनी निवडलेली वाट ही सोपी नव्हती; नाही. ते आता कोथरूड इथे स्थायिक आहेत. माझे मित्र डॉ शशिकांत (दादा) जगताप यांच्या मुळे मला हा मूळ लेख मिळाला आणि मला हे लिहिता आले त्यामुळे त्यांचे मी आभार मानतो. 

दिलीप सरांच्या विषयीच्या या भावना आणि विचार मी व्यक्त केले नाहीत तर तो, शिक्षक, योग्य विचार मांडणारा माणूस म्हणून तो एक नैतिक गुन्हा ठरला असता. कसलाही आविर्भाव न ठेवत कला आणि विचार यांच्याशी प्रामाणिक राहून, अत्यंत स्पष्ट पणे आपली राजकीय भूमिका प्रत्यक्ष जगणारे असे कृतीशील विचारवंत कलाकार देशात खूप कमी आहेत पण त्यांचे योग्य संकलन आणि प्रसिद्धी आपल्या देशातील मॅनेज होऊ शकणाऱ्या समीक्षक अभ्यासक वर्गाला जमलेले नाही. 

युरोप युके अमेरिकेत जसे लोक प्रामाणिक लेखकांच्या पाठीशी उभे राहतात, कुठल्याही प्रसिद्ध राजकीय नेता, पक्ष यांच्या वळचणीला उभे न राहणारे लेखक तिकडे मोठे होवू शकतात. इथे खूप अवघड आहे. हे कोणीतरी लिहिले पाहिजे म्हणून मी मूळ लेखात या एडिशन केल्या (additions and editing).

अजय धवने चंद्रपूर यांच्या लेखात आवश्यक ते संदर्भ समाविष्ट करून स्टेटस साठी संपादित करून पुन्हा प्रसिद्ध केलेला लेख: 

डॉ राजेंद्रप्रसाद शिंदे, 

(माजी इंग्रजी विभाग प्रमुख, उप प्राचार्य किसन वीर कॉलेज, वाई) 

कोथरूड, पुणे 

१६/३/२६ 

Mask

Who is the most confident person you know?

A I , masks are most confident persons. Nobody can find them out. Without even opening post they like the posts. I haven’t written my post but still it’s declared as answered.

That means my handle is not safe in WordPress. These masks must be menacing my name by writing anything in my name. They know even WordPress will not bother to mend their ways because it gets money. Writers are happy with likes and AI generated comments, replies. Like I called him the cheat, crook of the first degree because three months he didn’t tell me location while knowing mine.

If I ask my mother I’m hunger mom serve me something she won’t say like son I have served food to you several times earlier. Here is the link for getting the food. Here he told several years ago he had told identify and shared link. I’m only fool to object AI generated reply like when I wrote you are a crook, he liked the reply and wrote he appreciated my comment. No real person will do it.

Similarly, another mask is on Facebook without face of reality, all fiction liking posts. Just because I write here call & confirm you to be real, get my number by email, that mask, like my mom saying she had served food earlier, like if real mom she should serve food rather than resorting to tactics, this mask, instead of calling, will fake get angry, will like my posts but stop piling praise on me like earlier here.

I’m the fool to object these things while many writers keep responding to such a-vastav shri and fake banker and fake paradise resident. They are the most confident persons but like Trump thought he can fool Iran but now his face is broken, my writing this has broken faces of these masks.

Naïveté:4

What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?

Fourth Time Published

Prompt on 15/3/26 : What strategies do you use to cope up with negative feelings?

Third: Second time Published

Prompt on 8/12/25 : What could you do less of ?

Second : First time Published

Prompt on 15/11/25 : What first impression of you would you like to give to people?

Originally written : Prompt on 29/11/25 What makes you laugh?

My dear readers, I am sorry for taking you on a ride fourth time on the same road, with same lack lustre scenes which you made wonderful in your mind with your wonderful imagination. I am tempted to do this based on my deep belief in your goodness.

First I was asked what makes me laugh. I laugh by nothing else by my own foolhardiness. Then I was asked what first impression do I like to give to the people. I have proved it in last week, more than anytime in past. I have unmasked certain writers here who are moving with certain fake impressive identities, both men and women.

I had given them impression all these months that I thought they are bankers, suppressed intelligent minority deserving my commitment in acquaintance, educational person repeatedly told me he is the secretary of organisation. I have unmasked them all, it’s proved now. Today’s prompt has brought us to the logical conclusion of all these earlier prompts. What strategies do I implement to counter negative feelings. I try to be less than which people think myself to be.

I could try to be less naive than I have been. In the sense, what I have said in earlier version of this post, I wish to be less like that because I will be defunct if I don’t.

I don’t believe in creating any impression in the mind of people whom I meet. Howsoever you try people take you to be a fool, a naive person and that’s good for me. Someone correctly said I let people trample my dignity down and I know it’s true. We become what our parents want us to be as far as treating others is concerned. Which parent you choose to influence you more depends on your genes. Most of the children are influenced by mothers who are down to earth, practical and wise. Some like me are influenced by fathers and there lies the rub as Hamlet says.

My own naive nature expecting others to treat me like I treat them makes me laugh, several times. People behave as per their own nature & don’t wish to change for your sake. They are self centered. They are selfish. They are focussed on material gains alone.

My own people fix terms of meeting. I meet people at any corner of the road, wherever they wish to meet me, to teach them driving or to treat them in hotel. We may not meet at home. I will have to take drastic measures to make certain meetings possible. I want to meet people.

I have divulged (like a distant writer said to me in comment now) almost all details in my posts but I realise that there are extremely cunning people who speak in honey dipped words but won’t even let me know their location, let alone inviting me to them or organising an event and inviting a group & me.

This realisation is the change. Criminals always prosper with the help of those who are not so. Our silence on what wrong happens around us, how someone deliberately takes masks and troubles others itself supports criminal tendencies.

We learn this very late in our life when most of our opportunities to avoid expecting them to behave well are over. Therefore, I laugh at myself, always. Now I laugh and also act against such creeps and masks. I am not bothered about some very good people who support them.

I have seen many good people being manipulated by lesser people, undermine them. I had said that’s bound to happen in my case but my education is different, my later life, current life influences might be different and more influencing than childhood memories. Therefore, I am sure I have changed. That’s why I published Disclaimer yesterday and saw moles coming out who enjoyed creeps troubling me. Their masks are also removed for me.

Painting in Dr Shriram Lagoo’s museum in Jyotsna Bhole hall on Tilak Rd Pune

Unmasking

What activities do you lose yourself in?

I hate untruth unreality dishonesty frauds double dealers double standards and AI. All that’s human with all its flaws is close to me and all that’s perfect machine like flawless is away from me. I keep myself away from such scums and scams.

I and several others like Hazel Martinez Two Gowns have revealed their locations places works, I haven’t left single private detail from telling. Personas are moving on Facebook who are from here and liking my posts, chiding me in their posts for not trusting them.

The real mother didn’t let the judge order the child to be cut in two pieces and gave to other fake mother proving herself to be a true mother. She didn’t argue. Similarly masks must call and talk to me to prove they are not. I have repeated several times that no AI can be human as much as to talk like human on phone and so masks do everything else but don’t talk.

I wrote to AI just now :

Then why didn’t you mention earlier instead of machine like mentioning now of my own as you mentioned earlier that I mentioned last night when I repeatedly called you AI? Each time you kept quiet. I used your full name while I asked this earlier last night. You have used initials. If you mention your office address (like in my several posts I have mentioned my office and place, you don’t mention your place too) what danger is there? I can enquire in that office or any other whether you worked there. Anybody works before retirement only. I won’t trust you unless you tell me office and place. Tell me what is my name which you addressed me several times. What was the name of your org before its current name?

P.S. The best proof that it’s AI & not human. Human will respond with words to poignant question like “are you a human or AI”. Just now after I published above part I saw the AI has liked my question rather than replying to it.

My Fair Lady

What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

Published second time : 13/3/26

Prompt : same as on 13/3/25

Published on 19/8/25

Prompt on 13/3/25

What movies or TV series have you watched 5 times?

Prompt on 19/8/25 : What are your top ten favourite movies?

Not breaking rule to give a one word title, I have given the title of the movie by Alan J Learner adapted from the play by Bernard Shaw Pygmalion.

Yes, I have watched this movie not 5 but several times because I used to screen it to everyone, my daughters, each batch of B A Eng students. Dr Higgins is my role model. It’s a pity today’s Google surviving readers (Wiki mostly) have to form a totally misleading opinion of him as ‘a snobbish professor takes a low born girl to teach language’.

Prof Higgins was actually against snobbery in society that decides dignity of an individual based on the class one is born. He wanted to prove to the society that a poor girl with no exposure to language and manners can be presented as a Duchess.

She threw slippers on his face. She can’t accept his rude behaviour, his taking her for granted. This happens with certain parent children relation also. Parents think they shaped their fortune and so they must obey them. Children, like Gibran says, are not born ‘to’ you but ‘through’ you, always rebel against such parents’ authoritarian behaviour. Sometimes they start hating them, like Eliza who threw slippers.

In certain cases parents may not have been served like Eliza has served Higgins and once they develop scorn, they may just walk away from such parents, very difficult to get them back. Eliza returns because Alan J Lerner, worried about funds invested in the movie brings her back.

Therefore, Shaw didn’t give right to make a movie. After him, his wife gave rights. The movie made huge business. It’s adapted in severely other languages. P L Deshpande write a Marathi play ती फुलराणी based on it and it has been entertaining generations of audience.

Shaw never believed in social systems like love marriage romance and valour. He believed that each act is governed by practical interests. In Arms and the Man (relevant today) he showed a chocolate soldier entering bedroom of beautiful Raina living in Balkans saying that no soldiers wish to die. Patriotism is all humbug. Nations’ chiefs are interested in war to retain their chairs because public believes in valour and national pride.

I was fascinated by these Fabian ideas. I am still. So the point is that Shaw never wanted Higgins to fall in for Eliza and Eliza to adore him. She goes out after the young man waiting for her down there. The play ends like that.

Shaw is my most favourite playwright. Yesterday whole time of two hours of my morning walk, I was thinking of him. A politician in my state criticised water of Ganga from Kumbh Mela as contaminated & invited ire of all devoted Hindus in the state. It reminded me of Dr Stalkman, Enemy of the People of Ibsen & that lead me to his British Irish follower Bernard Shaw who wrote problem plays. In today’s war ridden world Arms and the Man is most relevant.

I am like Higgins because I too can fix a bystander to part of the state on the basis of intonation. His devotion to teaching & students is exemplary. Eliza throws slippers on his face & walks away in the play but unites with him in the movie. I love the movie the most. I used to tell about Shaw to my father each evening after coming from college. I told about him to my family. I will share this post too.

Image

Tigress

Are you superstitious?

I’m superstitious and not ashamed when a tigress riding tiger of words and ideas that represents tiger on whom Devi Bhavani rides and whose name alike, a Ph D from University of London writes not on Sarah Bernhardt, heart throb in England then but on One Who Rides the Tiger, then why not me. I greet the great writer Bhabani Bhattacharya in this post for coming in my life when I was 19 in B A3.

I quote the poem I wrote as comment for the writer who too candidly called herself as superstitious, it seems, thus joining clan of Bhattacharya in a certain way and elevating me accordingly by making me write this in a comment :

She Who Rides Him Whom She Rides 

Bhabani Bhattacharya wrote on her 

BA 3 I read One who rides the Tiger 

Wiki is Gyan Micky, no elephant Indian 

God of wisdom working in head green 

Like old banyan tree in the courtyard 

Cannot fathom unlike digital wisdom 

Why? Wiki mentions So Many Hungers 

But not She Who Rides, I call is Tigress 

Evolved a step ahead, doesn’t chain

A tigress riding Tiger of superstition 

Being self critical sweeter said than 

Done, needles to self pierce a million 

Her riding him is therefore most poetic 

Because tribute to mother are realistic 

Bhabani my poor unexposed teacher 

Told us as Bha as in Bhabhi, merrier 

Was the class because 1982 jumps 

Capital teacher 2026 asks Wren, kills 

Grammar of Hornby’s shivered me may 

Teachers exist on kind students hay 

Hay, ya! rhymes sweet with her name na 

Rides head of that fierce tigress Sona 

Point readers note, mere pronounced 

Superstitions kills because awakened 

Is the soul that roars it so, like ‘women’s 

Emancipation’ pronounced means occurs 

Image : Bhabani Bhattacharya courtesy Google

Donkey

Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?

I compare myself with the donkey because I look ahead of my nose and do things. I’m a dunce. Anybody can load on my back. I carry without complaint. I eat all that nobody eats, leftover stale food in the glorious name of redirecting food as god and destroy my health. Like donkey I too relish dirty things like cheaters, crooks, people who take my disadvantage.

I’m a donkey and like Thoreau said it’s no use to get a comb after you go bald. Whole hog is gone, what use is to change now but I’m holding tail of it and trying to be less like a donkey.

I spend life in a town and didn’t study engineering, social engineering marvel of Bagad there. I wrote a post in status asking people there to study it in that perspective. I said instead of travelling to places study your own village and its culture. The video will tell you. This is what I have written in Marathi, in other words and there is no need to translate. I have already told it here.

देशात आणि परदेशात किती फिरलात (अगोदर किंवा नंतर, स्वतः चे फोटो सोडून त्या परिसर, संस्कृती, खाद्य संस्कृती, लोक परंपरा असा काही अभ्यास करता, मंदिर मॉल समोरचे फक्त फोटो, ते असू द्या, आपल्याकडे भरपूर पैसा आहे हे तरी समजले इतरांना, आम्ही जाऊन आलो.

पु नी उत्कृष्ट लिहून ठेवले आहे. माझे शत्रू) यापेक्षा आपल्या गावातली किती माहिती आहे हे बघा. वाई जवळच्या बावधन च्या बगाड, त्याचे सोशल इंजीनियरिंग हा वीडियो पुण्यातल्या मित्राने पाठवला तर मला लाज वाटली की मी या दृष्टीने कधी पाहिले नाही. अनेक वेळा बावधन मधील जत्रेत सहकारी मित्रांबरोबर गेलो पण असा अभ्यास केला नाही.

आता वाईट वाटून उपयोग नाही कारण वाई नाही मी आता. किमान इतरांनी पहावं. आपल्या आसपास असे काय आहे ते जाणून घ्यावे. म्हणून हा कडुलिंब स्वतः सोबत तुमच्यासाठी 😢🙏 rys स्टेटस ७.२६ am 11/3/26

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