Prahlad Keshav Atre

Prahlād Keshav Atre (13 August 1898 - 13 June 1969), popularly known as Āchārya Atre, was a multi-faceted Indian figure. He was a prominent Marathi writer,a great poet, an educationist, a brilliant newspaper founder/editor, a political leader, a movie producer/director/script writer and above all, a superb orator.

Atre's contributions to Marathi literature have been listed under "Important Works" below. He was an outstanding humorist, and his writing style --whether he wrote humorous or serious material-- was highly effective. He introduced parodistic poetry to Marathi language (under the pen name "Keshav Kumār"), and he did that extraordinarily well. His book, "Jhenduchi Phule", contains the collection of his parodistic poems. (He wrote a poem, "Shyamale", under the whimsical pen name "Maulānā Allāuddin Khilji").

Atre was born in the town of "Saswad" (near Pune) in Maharashtra. He started his career as a teacher, and crowned his twenty-year teaching career by running for many of those years a high school as its principal with distinction. He compiled a series of Marathi language textbooks for elementary and secondary schools. Those textbooks remained in wide use in Maharashtra for a large number of years.

Atre wrote seven plays, some with a humorous theme, and others with a serious theme. All of them received high public acclaim.

Atre's two autobiographical works, "Mi Kasā Jhālo" and "Karheche Pāni", similarly received much public acclaim.

Atre was the founder/editor of four Marathi newspapers. Two of them had a short life. But the other two, "Maratha" and "(Weekly) Navayug", ran for many years with a large circulation.

Atre's worthy contributions in the Marathi movie world have been listed below. His movie, Shyamchi Aai, received an award as the "Best Indian Movie of the Year" in 1953, while his movie, "Mahatma Phule" (1955) received the "President's Silver Medal".

Atre was an important political leader of his times in Maharashtra, and he worked vigorously in the "Sanyukta Mahārāshtra Āndolan" (Unified Maharashra Movement) during 1956-60. He possessed extraordinary oratory skills, humor being a captivating feature of his speeches.

Atre was one of the few members of the Brahmin community in his times who supported since early days the efforts of Dr. Bhimrao (Babasaheb) Ambedkar to uplift the social status of the Harijan community and remove that community's curse of "untouchability".

In Politics

* Member of Local Municipal Board of Pune during 1936-1938.

* Member of Samyukta_Maharashtra_Samiti during 1956-60 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samyukta_Maharashtra_Samiti]

Important works

Plays
* Sāshtāng Namaskār (1935)
* Gharābāher (1934)
* Bhramāchā Bhopalā (1935)
* Udyāchā Sansār (1936)
* Lagnāchi Bedi (1936)
* Moruchi Māwashi (1947) a marathi comedy play
* To Mi Navhech (1962)

Novels, Biographies, and Essays
* Chāngunā (1954)
* Battāshi Wa Itar Kathā (1954)
* Mahātmā Jyotibā Phule (1958)
* Suryāsta (1964) (On the life of Jawaharlal Nehru)
* Samādhiwaril Ashru (1956)
* Kelyāne Deshātan (1961)
* Atre Uwāch (1937)
* Lalit Wāngmaya (1944)
* Hashā Āni Tālyā (1958)

Poetry
* Jhenduchi Phule (1925)

Autobiographical Works
* Karheche Pāni (5 volumes)(1963, '64, '65, '67, and '68)
* Mi Kasā Jhālo (1953)

Movies
* Bramhachāri
* Shyāmchi Aai
* Premveer (Script writer)
* Dharmveer (Script writer)
* Brandichi Bātali (Script writer)
* Paayaachi Daasi (Hindi: Charanon Ki Daasi). Producer.
* Mahātmā Phule

Journalism
* Founder/Editor of (weekly) "Sāptāhik Navyug" (1940-1962) and "Tukārām" (1954)
* Evening newspaper "Jai Hind" (1948)
* Daily "Marāthā" (1956 - Till the end)

Honors

* President of 27th "Maharashatra Sahitya Sammelan" at Nasik (1942)
* President of 38th "Natya Sammelan" at Belgaon (1955)
* President of 10th "Maharashatra Patrakar Sammelan" (1950)
* President of "Regional Sahitya Sammelan" at Baroda, Indore and Gwaliar

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samyukta_Maharashtra_Samiti