Pu. La. Deshpande (पु. ल. देशपांडे)

Name: Purshottam Laksman Deshpande. (पुरुषोत्तम लक्ष्मण देशपांडे)
Born: 8 November 1919 - Mumbai, Maharashtra
Died: 12 June 2000 (aged 80) - Pune, Maharashtra
Occupation: Writer, actor, music composer, film and television producer, film director, music director

Pu La Deshpande was most well known for his writings as a humorist. However he was a prolific writer in all genres and produced numerous original works as well as adaptations of works from other languages into Marathi.

His Work,

One-act plays

• मोठे मासे आणि छोटे मासे (Mothe Mase Aani Chhote Mase) – 1957
• विठ्ठल तो आला आला (Vitthal To Aala Aala) – 1961
• आम्ही लटिके ना बोलू (Aamhi Latike Na Bolu) – 1975

Plays

• तुका म्हणे आता (Tuka Mhane Ata) – 1948
• पुढारी पाहिजॆ (Pudhari Pahije) – 1951
• अंमलदार (Ammaldar) – 1952...based on Nikolai Gogol's Inspector General
• भाग्यवान (Bhagyawan) – 1953
• तुझें आहे तुजपाशीं (Tujhe Ahe Tujapashi) – 1957
• सुंदर मी होणार (Sundar Mi Honar) – 1958
• पहिला राजा/आधे अधूरे (Pahila Raja/adhe Adhure) – 1976...based on Jagadish Chandra Mathur's Adhe Adhure
• तीन पैशांचा तमाशा (Teen Paishancha Tamasha) – 1978...based on Bertolt Brecht's The Three Penny Opera'
• ती फुलराणी (Ti Fulrani) – based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion
• वाऱ्यावरची वरात (Varyavarchi Varaat)
• एक झुंज वार्‍याशी (Eka Jhunja Waryashi)

Children's plays

• वयं मोठं खोटं (Wayam Motham Khotam) – 1956
• नवे गोकुळ (Nawe Gokul) – 1958
• खोगीरभरती (Khogir Bharati) – 1949
• खिल्ली (Khilli)
• कोट्याधीश पु. ल. (Kotyadhish Pu La.)
• टेलिफोनचा जन्म (Teliphonacha Janma)
• पोरवय (Porawaya)

Comedy books

• नस्ती उठाठेव (Nasti Uthathev) – 1952
• बटाट्याची चाळ (Batatayachi Chal) – 1958
• गोळाबेरीज (Golaberij) – 1960
• असा मी असामी (Asa Mi Asami) – 1964
• ह(फ)सवणूक (Ha(pha)sawanuk) – 1968
• उरलं सुरलं (Urala surala)
• पुरचुंडी (Purchundi)
• वटवट वटवट (Vatvat Vatvat)
• मराठी वाङ्मयाचा (गाळीव) इतिहास (Marathi Wangmayacha Galeev Itihas)
• अघळपघळ (Aghalpaghal) – 1998

Travelogue

• वंगचित्रे (Vangachitre) – 1974
• अपूर्वाई (Apoorvai) – 1960
• पूर्वरंग (Poorvarang) -1963
• जावे त्यांच्या देशा (Jaave Tyanchya Desha) – 1974

Novels

• काय वाट्टेल ते होईल (Kay Wattel Te Hoeel) – 1962...based on Helen and George Papashvily's Anything Can Happen
• एका कोळीयाने (Eka Koliyane) – 1965...based on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea
• कान्होजी आंग्रे (Kanhoji Angre)(Translation of English novel "Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre" by Manohar Malgoankar)

Biography

• गांधीजी (Gandhiji) – 1970

Letters

• मुक्काम शांतिनिकेतन

Collections of life sketches

• गणगोत (Ganagot) – 1966
• व्यक्ती आणि वल्ली (Wyakti Ani Walli) – 1966
• गुण गाईन आवडी (Guna Gaeena Awadi) – 1975
• रवीन्द्रनाथ : तीन व्याख्याने (Ravindranath : Teen Wyakhyane)
• आपुलकी (Apulaki)
• मैत्र (Maitra)

Other works

• एक शून्य मी (Ek Shunya Mee)
• चित्रमय स्वगत (Chitramay Swagat)
• पु. ल : एक साठवण (Pu. La. : Ek Sathawan)
• दाद (Daad)
• द्विदल (Dwidal)
• चार शब्द (Char Shabd)
• पुढारी पाहिजे (Pudhari Pahije)

One-man stage shows

• बटाट्याची चाळ (Batatyachi Chaal)
• असा मी असामी (Asa Mi Asami)
• हसविण्याचा माझा धंदा (Hasawinyacha Majha Dhanda)
• वा-यावरची वरात (Waryawarachi Warat) – A large part of this play is one man show.

Speeches

• रसिकहो!
• सुजनहो!
• मित्र हो!
• श्रोते हो!
• रेडियोवरील भाषणे व श्रुतिका (भाग एक व दोन)

Awards and Recognitions

• पुण्य भूषण (Punyabhushan) – 1993
• पद्मभूषण (Padma Bhushan) – 1990
• महाराष्ट्र गौरव (बहुरूपी) (Maharashtra Gaurawa (Bahurupi) Award)
• पद्मश्री (Padma Shri) – 1966
• Sahitya Akademi Award (Marathi) – Vyakti Ani Valli (1965)
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship – 1979
• महाराष्ट्र भूषण (Maharashtra Bhushan)-1996
• P. L. Deshpande was the first interviewer to interview Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, for the then newly founded Doordarshan.

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Book Review: "Comedy of Errors"

Book Review: The Comedy of Errors

Author: William Shakespeare

Genre: Comic Play

This is one of the first literatures from the great legend “William Shakespeare”. All the work from William Shakespeare is literally a literature. His books are referred in syllabus in schools and colleges all over the world. He is in true sense a king of English literature. There are so many contemporary authors whose work is supposedly inspired by him. Frankly I never read any of his books so when I come across “The comedy of errors” and immediately grab it.

Although the title says it is a book review in this article I am rather expressing the feelings after reading the book. As for the book I had very big expectation from it, it doesn’t turn out that great that may be because of various reasons. First reason could be that the plot wasn’t new for me; there are so many books and movies which are made on same plot. There is movie made in bollywood called “Angoor” which by the way one of my favorite movies. It is brilliantly enacted by Sanjeev Kumar which was based on this play. Of course the director used his creative freedom to plant the story in Indian continent and did that effectively. I read somewhere idea for this play has not been originated from Shakespeare’s mind. He got the idea from some French play. Anyway the point here is the story wasn’t anything I never heard of.

And second thing is plays are always the medium for writers to depict the present political and social conditions. And Shakespeare must have written this book in as early as in 1500. Because of that some of the things are not as relevant or as funny today as they might have been at that time.

The book has story of two twin brothers and there twin slaves. It is a story of lot of coincidences and fun happen because of that. The story starts with a death threat hovering over a old merchant for breaking some silly rules. He tries to win duke’s sympathy by telling him the story how he lost his family i.e. his wife and his two twin sons and there twin slaves. And he brake the rule as he is in search of them. Coincidently one of his lost son and one slave was settled in same city for long time who’s been happily married. Another coincidence happens when other twin brother and slave also visit the city. And there happen lot of kayos which results in slapstick comedy as everyone in the city as well as there family mistook their identity as not only the set of twins has identical faces but they have identical names. So you can imagine now what the situation could be and Shakespeare utilized it to the fullest. And when things were going out of control he wisely ends the confusion and all the members of family reunite. So there is the happy ending for it.

It might not be a best work of Shakespeare but it is very good entertaining book. If I have to rate it I will give it 7/10.

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