Sunday, December 19, 2010

Annabhau Sathe Biography


Annabhau Sathe was born in the village of Wategaon near Sangli in a family belonging to the Dalit Matang community. (The community has been identified by the Indian government as a scheduled caste.)

Poverty had prevented Sathe from obtaining formal education. His brother Shankarbhau recounts in his biography of Sathe, titled Majhe Bhau Annabhau, that the family members worked as laborers at the site of Kalyan tunnel when it was being constructed.

Writings
Despite lack of formal education, Sathe wrote in Marathi 35 novels, one among which was Fakira (1959). Fakira, which is currently in its 19th edition, received a state government award in 1961.Vaijanta is the remakeble one.

There are 15 collections of Sathe's short stories. A large number of his short stories have been translated into many Indian and as many as 27 non-Indian languages.

Besides novels and short stories, Sathe wrote a play, a travelogue on Russia, 12 screenplays, and 10 ballads --powade(Marahti).

Sathe wrote directly from his experiences in life, and his novels celebrate the fighting spirit in their characters who work against all odds in life.

Lok Rajya, a Maharashtra state government fortnightly, published on November 1, 1993, a special commemorative issue concerning Sathe. The state government also issued in 1998 a collection of his works under the title Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Nivadak Sahitya.

Other achievements
Sathe worked among the poor. To generate social awareness, he organized stage performances of powade and tamasha, ethnic dances chiefly performed by women, which are popular in rural Maharashtra. He produced 14 tamasha shows. In the late 1940s, the then Home Minister of the Bombay state government Morarji Desai had banned tamasha shows, but Sathe courageously defied the ban by renaming them as lokanatya. People in Maharashtra conferred the epithet lok shahir on Sathe.

on the Occasion of Postage stamp of Anna Bhau Sathe at Chembur,Mumbai Honrable minister Mr.Pramod Mahajan, called Ann as A saint of Maharashtra.

Sathe was an important mobilizer in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. He used the medium of powade to great effect in that movement. on the same occasion he sung a Chakkad as Mazi Maina Gavavar Rahili Mazya Jiwachi hottiya Kahili"-edited by Balaji Shinde and Amarty shinde,Nerul Navi Mumbai-706
Sathe was attracted to communism and had visited USSR. He was a founder member of the Lal Bawta Kalapathak of the Communist Party in Maharashtra. Also Annabhu sathe was the member of Matang Samaj community at Satara and Sagli.

Personal life
Sathe lived a life of destitution. After spending 22 years in a Ghatkopar slum, Sathe moved to a modest house in Goregaon which the state government provided him in 1968, one year before he died.

Honors
Many cultural organizations and roads in Maharashtra have been named after Sathe.

Shahir Bapu Pawar (Solapur, Contact no 8805500620) have written song on Annabhau Sathe's life & release Adio cassetes & CD's also

Anna Bhau Sathe Foundation, Amaravati

ANNABHAU SATHE FOUNDATION, AMRAVATI
OFFICE : : SHANKAR M. SHINDE,President
SIDDHARTHA NAGAR, AMRAVATI(MS.) 444603
Mobile: 09373950900