Govind Purushottam Deshpande
Encyclopedia
Govind Purushottam Deshpande (Devanagari
: गोविंद पुरुषोत्तम देशपांडे) (b. 1938 Nashik) is a Marathi
playwright and academic from Maharashtra
, India
. He is also known as GoPu (his Marathi initials), or GPD.
He taught at the Center for East Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University
in New Delhi
for many years. Currently retired, he lives in Pune
with his wife Kalindi, a women's movement activist. He writes a column in the Economic and Political Weekly, Mumbai
.
He received the Maharashtra State Award for his collective work in 1977, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
for playwriting in 1996.
His collection of essays on culture and politics, Dialectics of Defeat: Problems of Culture in Post-Colonial India (Seagull, Kolkata) was published 2006), and he has recently published a collection of poems, Ityadi Ityadi Kavita (Etc. etc. poems).
He is also the editor of the anthology of Indian plays in translation, Modern Indian Drama, published by Sahitya Akademi
, 2004.
The U.S. Library of Congress
has acquired twelve of his books, including a few on Chinese foreign policy. Some of his works have been translated into English.
Some of his plays, in English translation, are available from Seagull books, www.seagullindia.com/books.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: गोविंद पुरुषोत्तम देशपांडे) (b. 1938 Nashik) is a Marathi
Marathi people
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
playwright and academic from Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is also known as GoPu (his Marathi initials), or GPD.
He taught at the Center for East Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University, also known as JNU, is located in New Delhi, the capital of India. It is mainly a research oriented postgraduate University with approximately 5,500 students and a faculty strength of around 550.-History:...
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
for many years. Currently retired, he lives in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
with his wife Kalindi, a women's movement activist. He writes a column in the Economic and Political Weekly, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
He received the Maharashtra State Award for his collective work in 1977, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
for playwriting in 1996.
His collection of essays on culture and politics, Dialectics of Defeat: Problems of Culture in Post-Colonial India (Seagull, Kolkata) was published 2006), and he has recently published a collection of poems, Ityadi Ityadi Kavita (Etc. etc. poems).
He is also the editor of the anthology of Indian plays in translation, Modern Indian Drama, published by Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, 2004.
The U.S. Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
has acquired twelve of his books, including a few on Chinese foreign policy. Some of his works have been translated into English.
Notable plays
- Udhwastha Dharmashala (published in English as A Man in Dark Times), directed by Shyamanand JalanShyamanand JalanShyamanand Jalan was an influential Kolkata-based Indian thespian, theatre director, and actor. He is credited for the renaissance period of modern Indian theatre and especially the Hindi theatre in Kolkata from the 1960s to 1980s...
(Padatik) in 1982 - Andhar Yatra (A Journey in Darkness)
- Satyashodhak (The Truth Seeker) on the life and times of the 19th-century social reformer Jotiba Phule Performed by Jan Natya Manch.
- Antim Divas [ Film-Chak de India fame Shilpa ShuklaShilpa ShuklaShilpa Shukla is an actress known for playing the role of Bindiya Naik, a member of the Indian women's national hockey team, in the sports-oriented movie Chak De India, starring Shahrukh Khan...
(Bindia Nayak)and Shalini Vatsa (film- Peepli LivePeepli LivePeepli Live is a 2010 Indian comic satire that explores the topic of "farmer suicides" and the subsequent media and political response. It is written and directed by Anusha Rizvi in her directorial debut, and produced by Aamir Khan Productions...
) acted in it with director Arvind GaurArvind GaurArvind Gaur , Indian theatre director, is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant theatre. Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues...
,2001] - Music System
- Raastey directed by Arvind GaurArvind GaurArvind Gaur , Indian theatre director, is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant theatre. Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues...
and Satyadev DubeySatyadev DubeySatyadev Dubey is an Indian theatre director, actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film actor and director. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1971....
Some of his plays, in English translation, are available from Seagull books, www.seagullindia.com/books.