- Annasaheb Kirloskar
Balwant Pandurang Kirloskar (d 1886?) is credited for reviving the tradition of Sangeet Natak (musicals) in Maharashtra in western India.
Vishnudas Bhave 's one-man shows were popular in Sangli region in 1840s but he had wound them up. (Vishnudas Bhave did live long enough to see Kirloskar resuscitate the art.) 'Annasaheb' Kirloskar was impressed that Parsi and Urdu drama companies were doing good business despite being in minority. The apathy of Maharashtrian middle classes and the social stigma attached to the theatre profession were the reasons for the sorry state of Marathi theatre. Kirloskar wrote the play Shakuntal, and it was performed in Pune in October 1880 to a packed house. His second play, Saubhadra, soon followed. Over next 50-60 years, Sangeet Natak genre was to take Maharashtra by storm before its eclipse by talkie films.The second half of 19th C was a time of awakening in India, with middle classes equipped with English education and broader outlook, and also fueled by introspection and rebellion against British rule. The turmoil caused many conscientious people to take to public life; many of them branched into artistic fields, and several arts thrived for the next 100 years in pristine form. In this atmosphere (an era of Indian Renaissance), once the popularity of theatre was noted, other drama companies were formed, the chief among them being Vasudeorao Dongre's company, Pandoba 'Gurav' Yavateshwarkar's Waikar Sangeet Mandali, and later Swadesh-hit-chintak Mandali by Janubhau Nimkar and Keshavrao Bhosale which morphed into Lalit-kalaadarsh Mandali.
Soon after the tradition of Sangeet Natak had taken hold, Kirloskar died at an early age, leaving Ram-Rajya-Viyog, his third drama, incomplete.
Kirloskar Natak Mandali , formed by him with the help of Balkoba Natekar, Moroba Wagholikar, with important contributions by Shankarrao Mujumdar andGovind Ballal Deval , was the premier drama company until 1913, whenBal Gandharva left it to form his own Gandharva Natak Mandali. Master Dinanath also made his mark with Kirloskar Natak Mandali before forming Balwant Natak Mandali. It took its name after Balwantrao Tilak (Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak) but because it was politically dangerous to acknowledge it, it was given out that it took the name of Balwant 'Annasaheb' Kirloskar.Kirloskar was a scholar and was familiar with several genres of music which were then popular in western India.
List of dramas
* Shakuntal
* Saubhadra
* Ram-Rajya-Viyog (incomplete)External links
* http://www.kamat.com/indica/music/natya_sangeet.htm
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