Acharya Pralhad Keshav Atre was a multi-faceted personality

Acharya Pralhad Keshav Atre was a multi-faceted personality and missionary of laughter. His identity has been linked to Humour and compassion, Laughter and Applause. He made Maharashtra to laugh for more than five decades through his all-encompassing Laughter and humour. He was an eminent writer, a poet, an educationist, a journalist, a political leader, a film  producer, director, script writer, actor, a dramatist and great orator and also a prolific and remarkable reader, appreciator and assimilator of Indian and Western literature.

From Yogesh Gogwekar

Born on 13th August 1898 in the town of Saswad, near Pune in Maharashtra, Atre completed his schooling education from Pune and obtained BA and BT degree from Mumbai University. Later, he persuaded for Teacher’s Diploma (TD) from London University and ranked first in the BT examination and has been praised by his British Professors at the London Day Training College of London University for his general work. He has always given importance to his teaching profession and considered teacher is the pillar of the society to bring secularist and humanitarian things in Education system. Through our his teaching profession ,he compiled a series of Marathi language textbooks for primary and secondary to bring progressive social order rooted in Equality, Secularism and Social justice. For this, he started text books like Navyug Vachanmala in Marathi which were widely used for several years. He was versatile teacher having great respect.

He was all time great literati of Marathi language. His Contribution towards Marathi literature is tremendous. He was an outstanding humorist and his writing was highly effective. He was first person to introduce Parodistic poetry to Marathi Language .Zenduchi Phule is a landmark collection of parodistic  poems in which he established the technique of creation of composite image of human relationships. It is an outstanding works and mile stone in literary history of Marathi language. His biographical writing about Oscar Wild, Jawaharlal Nehru and Ran Ganesh Gadkari are excellent.

He has written twenty two plays and all his plays received public acclaim. Some of his plays have humorous theme whereas some are serious one. He has written many of his plays in Shakespearian style to show human relationships between mother and sons, brother and sister etc. even though he was gripped by plays of Ram Ganesh Gadkari, Bernard Shaw and Noel Coward Through his drama, he has given important to women’s problems and also stood for Women liberation and fundamental rights of women. The creation of the Character of Lakhoba Lokhande in his popular Drama, ‘To Me Navech' is one of the best and universal Character Portrayal' of social criminals and cheaters

Similarly, he has received public acclaim for his biographical works Mee kasa Zalo and Kareche Pani. Both these biographies are nothing but memoirs  of his crowded life with affective events. It tells you how he became a poet, a parodist, a humorist, a teacher, an ‘Accused', a dramatist, an orator, a cinematic producer, a Journalist, a socialist in exploration way. In Mee kasa Zalo which is a self search, he mentioned about his life, how it was and how did he convert his personality into multi facet personality by remarkable achievements.

As a great play writer of Marathi theatre, his contribution in Marathi film industry is tremendous. He had written script for Dharmveer , Brandichi Batali, Payachi Dasi, etc..Later in he made the films under the banners of Atre Films. His film Shyamchi Aai was a tragedy film which is based on the books written by Sane Guruji. whose story was based on Mother- Son  relationship. This is very successful film which has broken all records and won Gold medal award in national film Award from President of India in 1953.His another film on social reformer Mahatma Phule also won silver medal in national film award in 1955..

As a journalist , he started Navyug a weekly magazine and Maratha a daily news paper. He was founder and editor of Marathi newspapers which ran in large circulations. Maratha was the mouthpiece of United Maharashtra Movement and through this newspaper; he addressed the movement to thousand of its readers.

As a Politician , he has been elected as member of Local municipal Board Pune in 1936 to 1938. He was the member of Sanyukta Maharashtra Samitee and elected member of Maharashtra Assembly from 1962 to 1967 from Dadar constituency. His ambition to become the member of Indian parliament did not fulfil. His major work in politics to fight for United Maharashtra Movement where he worked vigorously in the movement and his voice shook the New Delhi to form Maharashtra State on 1^st may 1960..

There is no doubt that Acharya Atre emerges as a genius humorist, literati Orator a cinematic, a socialist a mass leader, a dramatist, an accused and above all ‘A Teacher”.Such a great personality died on 13th June 1969.