Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar dies

New Delhi: Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar (80) died in a Pune hospital on Monday morning.

The 80-year-old veteran playwright was suffering from myasthenia gravis, a debilitating muscular disorder.

He had been undergoing treatment at the Prayag Hospital in Pune for the past five weeks, sources told PTI.

Vijay Tendulkar born on January 6, 1928 was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marathi.

Tendulkar won Maharashtra State government awards in 1956, 1969 and 1972 and Maharashtra Gaurav Puruskar in 1999.

He was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1970, and again in 1998 with the Academy's highest award for "lifetime-contribution", the Ratna Sadasya.

Known for some of the best screenplays of Hindi cinema such as Ardh Satya and Shyam Benegal's Manthan, he also received Padma Bhushan award in 1984 from the Government of India for his literary accomplishments.

For the past five decades, Tendulkar has been a highly influential dramatist and theater personality in Maharashtra.

President condoles death of Vijay Tendulkar

President Pratibha Patil condoled the death of leading playwright Vijay Tendulkar on Monday .

"Vijay Tendulkar was not only an acknowledged figure in Indian literature but also helped Marathi and all of Indian theatre attain recognition at the international level," Patil said in her condolence message.

The President also said his work expressed the realities of our times.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)