Batatyachi Chal
| Purushottam Lakshman Deshpande | |
|---|---|
Stamp commemorating Deshpande, issued 16 June 2002 by India Post
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| Born |
8 November 1919 Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Died | 12 June 2000 (aged 80) Pune, Maharashtra |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | M.A., LL.B. |
| Occupation | Writer, actor, music composer, film and television producer, film director, music director |
| Spouse(s) | Sunita Deshpande |
| Website | puladeshpande |
Purushottam Lakshman Deshpande (8 November 1919 – 12 June 2000), popularly known by his initials ("Pu. La.") or as P. L. Deshpande, was a Marathi-language writer and humorist from Maharashtra. He was also an accomplished film and stage actor, music composer, harmonium player, singer, and orator. He was often referred to as "Maharashtrache Laadke Vyaktimatva" (roughly translated as "Maharashtra's beloved personality").
Purushottam Lakshman Deshpande was born on 8 November 1919 in Gaodevi area (Krupa Hemraj Chawl) in Mumbai in a GSB-Gaud Saraswat Brahmin family to Lakshman and Lakshmibai Deshpande. The family used to stay at Kenway house (opposite Robert Money School), Proctor road, Grant Road. His family then moved to Jogeshwari where he stayed at the newly formed Saraswati Baug Colony till he was 8 years old. His first 8 years and Saraswati Baug is nicely described in his story "Balpanicha Kaal Sukhacha" in his book Purchundi. The family then moved to Vile Parle. He lived in many places like Pune, Belgaum, Varli, Santacruz, Delhi. Finally, Pu La Deshpande settled in Pune.
Purushottam Lakshman Deshpande studied at Parle Tilak Vidyalaya. He received his college education at Fergusson College in Pune and Willingdon College in Sangli. He also took lessons in playing harmonium from Dattopant Rajopadhye of Bhaskar Sangitalaya.
His first wife (the former Ms. Sundar Divadkar from a family in Karjat) died soon after the wedding in the early 1940s. On 12 June 1946, Deshpande married his second wife Sunita Thakur, an accomplished writer herself, in Ratnagiri. Sunita-bai outlived him. He died on the 54th anniversary of their wedding ceremony.
Both P L Deshpande and his wife served as teachers in Orient High School, Mumbai. He also worked for some years as a college professor in Rani Parvati Devi College Belgaum, Karnataka and Kirti College, Mumbai. He also worked for newly founded Doordarshan, the state owned Indian TV. He was the first person to interview the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on Indian television. He was deputed to the BBC in UK for a year-long training. After which he spent some time in France and in West Germany. It was this specific period and stays in these countries that his later travelogue "Apoorvai" was to be based upon. His other travelogue "Poorvarang" is based upon his journeys in South East Asian countries.
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