Be it Batatyachi Chal or Vyakti Ani Valli, PL Deshpande’s created works are regarded as gems of Marathi literature. On this 22nd genocide anniversary, Asiatic Society of Mumbai is organising an muster of his manuscripts and a film screening around his life
Illustration/Uday Mohite
Apart from being a writer, Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, popularly famous as PuLa or Bhai, was also a harmonium musician, actor, composer, film and radio producer, film director, and song director. His grant to Marathi novel puts him in a joining of his own. And so, on his 22nd genocide anniversary, The Asiatic Society of Mumbai (ASM) will be hosting a special muster of his manuscripts and a film screening of a 2012 film done on his life and characters, Gola Berij. The muster is hold underneath a protection of a Mumbai Research Centre. The film screening will be followed by a ubiquitous contention during that people can share stories about him or anecdotes from his life.
Handwritten manuscripts of PL Deshpande exhibited during ASM
In 1995, a author was given a prestigious Honorary Fellowship of a Asiatic Society. The investiture has scarcely 374 of his strange manuscripts, out of that a ones that are in exhibiting condition will be put adult for display. His family donated these treasures to ASM in sequence to safety them. Shehernaaz Nalwalla, vice-president during ASM, shares, “In 2007, we distinguished PuLa’s work by hosting a week of festivities and carrying his manuscripts on display. This year, by this exhibition, we wish to do a same. We had a fan who had pulled out PuLa’s work from newspapers, and years later, donated it to us. Today, those journal cutouts have summed adult in a sum of 10 modules. His work has always oral about multitude and people, so even in 2022, it feels relevant.”
PuLa had an unusual talent for creation typical people into noted characters. You could substantially accommodate one of his characters walking down a street. The comedian took personal quirks from life and used them as a soothing counterpart of a society. A past master of observational humour, is how Raamesh Gowri Raghavan, from ASM, prefers to report PuLa. “The risk of entrance into hit with him was that he would earlier or after spin we into a character. He celebrated people and was good during exposing hypocrites. We are advantageous adequate to have his created works. As with technology, arriving authors competence share a tough expostulate with their work, that has to be recorded digitally,” shares Raghavan.
Newspaper cutouts of PL Deshpande with Asiatic Society of Mumbai (ASM)
He is one of a few scholars who won both honours — a Sahitya Akademi Award for Literature as good as a Sangeet Natya Akademi Award for Music. “Even after 22 years of his passing, we continue to applaud his work since we don’t wish to forget him nor a characters that he brought to life,” Raghavan sealed off.
On: Jun 11; 10.20 pm 3.30 pm
At: Durbar Hall of a Society, Town Hall, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Fort.
Where to review PuLa
At Kitab Khana, Flora Fountain Somaiya Bhavan, 47, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Fort.
Call: 61702277
At Ideal Pustak Triveni, Narayan Smruti Building, Chhabildas Road, Dadar West.
Call: 24304254
At Jawahar Book Depot, Shraddhanand Road, Vile Parle East.
Call: 26143902
At Majestic Book Depot, Bhavani Building, Ram Maruti Road, Thane.
Call: 25376865
