Ratnakar Matkari


Ratnakar Ramkrushna Matkari was a Marathi writer, a movie and play producer/director, and a self-taught artist from Maharashtra, India.

Life

Matkari was born on 17 November 1938 in Mumbai. After earning a degree in economics from Mumbai University in 1958, he worked at the Bank of India for the next twenty years. Since 1978, he devoted his time exclusively to writing & production/direction of movies and plays. He was married to artist Pratibha Matkari. He died on 17 May 2020 in Mumbai, having tested positive for COVID-19 the week before.

Literary career

Matkari's first work, the one-act play Wedi Manase, was presented in 1955 on All India Radio in Mumbai. His play Pahuni was presented the next year at another venue.
Matkari worked as a columnist for newspapers and magazines in the 1970s. He wrote the column Soneri Savalya in Apale Mahanagar for four years.
Matkari's 98 works thus far include 33 plays, 8 collections of his one-act plays, 18 books of his short stories, 3 novels, a book of poems for children, and 14 plays and three collections of plays for children. His works include Gudha Katha --mysteries—for adults which maintain realism. Matkari wrote a few plays in Indian languages other than Marathi.
Many of Matkari's novels have been adapted for the stage.
His plays include:
Matkari's plays for children include:
The musical play Char Diwas Premache has been presented to the public more than 850 times, and its translated versions in Hindi and Gujarati have also been presented. His play "Lokakatha 78" was presented in Marathi and Hindi.

Theatrical career

Matkari acted in his own plays like Prem Kahani", Vinashakadun Vinashakade", "Lokakatha 78", and Sate Lote. He also presented popular one man shows like "Adbhutachya Rajyat.
Matkari notably promoted art house theatre. Thus, in 1972, he established Sootradhar, an institution which has produced thus far 12 art house plays.
Besides producing and directing plays for adults, Matkari notably established in 1962 Bal Natya Sanstha, which has thus far produced 22 plays for children, most of them being one-act plays. He performed as an actor in many of these plays, including Sangati, "Sharvari, "Chitratale Ghar", and "Tumachi Goshta''.
NIKHARE THE NEW PLAY

Filmography

Matkari presented a number of stage shows involving presentations of stories in front of Marathi audiences in India, Maskat, and, in 1986, the US. In 1999, he presented for different institutions 51 readings of the essay Tumhi Tithe Asayala Have, which was a Marathi translation of Arundhati Roy's English essay titled Greater Common Good.
Matkari directed a few TV serials. He presented on TV channel Mumbai Doordarshan 13 episodes of Sharadache Chandane, which comprised interviews of some prominent Marathi writers. During 1976–78, he presented 25 monthly shows of Gajara, also on Mumbai Doordarshan.
For some years, Matkari served as a member of the advisory committee of All India Radio, and as a member of the film scrutinising committee during 1988–91.
He presided over Nirbhay Bano movement in 1995, Konkan Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Mumbai branch in 2001, and Balkumar Sahitya Sammelan in Pune, also in 2001.
As an artist, Matkari prepared drawings for some stage crafts and drapery, and oil paintings for Narmada Andolan. He designed covers of a few books.

Accolades

During 1983–84, Matkari received a two-year scholarship from the Directorate of Culture and Education of Government of India for being an artist with social awareness.
Matkari received thus far 21 awards from different institutions. They included: