Google today celebrated the 101st birth anniversary of veteran Marathi writer Purushottam Laxman Deshpande with a doodle by artist Sameer Kulavoor.
The artist has themed the doodle on a famous Marathi song. "There is a subtle reference to the song I remember from my schooling days, 'Naach re Mora', and his colourful persona," stated Sameer Kulavoor while talking about the idea behind his doodle.
Widely known by his Marathi initials “Pu La”, Deshpande was known for his signature style of joyful humour and satire.
Deshpande brought smiles to the faces of countless readers and audiences with his multifaceted contributions to Marathi literature and the performing arts.
He was born on this day in 1919 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. He earned a master’s degree and served as a college lecturer before he began to pursue a career in music. A master of the harmonium (also known as the reed organ), he played as an accompanist for acclaimed vocal artists of the day and released his own hit recordings as well. But music was far from Deshpande’s only creative talent, and in the late 1940s, his writing premiered in Bombay magazine.
Throughout a long and varied career, Deshpande produced a prolific collection of writing which included novels, essays, comedy books, travelogues, children’s plays, and one-man stage shows—much of which saw massive popularity, particularly in his home state of Maharashtra. In addition, Deshpande acted in dozens of films, many of which he directed himself.
