Vyakti Ani Valli: A Classic Collection Of Character Sketches By P.L. Deshpande
Vyakti Ani Valli: A Classic Collection of Character Sketches by P.L. Deshpande
Vyakti Ani Valli (Person and Vine) is a book by P.L. Deshpande, one of the most popular and beloved Marathi writers. The book consists of 20 stories that portray different aspects of human nature and society through vivid and humorous character sketches. The stories were written over a span of more than 20 years, from 1944 to 1968, and reflect the author's keen observation and witty style.
Vyakti Ani Valli: A Classic Collection of Character Sketches by P.L. Deshpande
The characters in Vyakti Ani Valli are drawn from real life and include a variety of personalities, such as Bhaiyya Nagpurkar, a wealthy Brahmin who admires Gandhi but has a bad reputation; Narayan, a matchmaker who also ensures that the weddings go smoothly; Paropkari Gampu, a generous man who helps everyone in need; Namu Parit, a washer-man who breaks buttons, wears his customers' clothes and never delivers on time; Sakharam Gatne, a school boy who speaks classical Marathi and is addicted to books; Lakhu Risbud, a disillusioned writer who works as a sub-editor in an obscure magazine; and many more.
The stories in Vyakti Ani Valli are not only entertaining but also insightful and thought-provoking. They reveal the ironies, contradictions and complexities of human life and society. They also showcase the author's mastery of language, humor and satire. Vyakti Ani Valli is considered as one of the best works of P.L. Deshpande and has won him several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1966.
If you are looking for a classic Marathi book that will make you laugh and think at the same time, you should definitely read Vyakti Ani Valli. You can download the ebook version for free from this link or buy it from Amazon.
About the Author: P.L. Deshpande
P.L. Deshpande, also known as Pu La or Bhai, was born on 8 November 1919 in Mumbai. He belonged to a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin family and his maternal grandfather, Vaman Mangesh Dubhashi, was a Marathi poet and writer. He translated Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali into Marathi as Abhang Gitanjali. Pu La studied at Parle Tilak Vidyalaya, Ismail Yusuf College, Fergusson College and Government Law College. He also learned to play the harmonium from Dattopant Rajopadhye of Bhaskar Sangitalaya.
Pu La married his colleague Sunita Thakur on 12 June 1946. She was also a writer and they did not have any biological children. They raised Sunita's nephew, Dinesh Thakur, as their own son. Pu La wrote about Dinesh in his book Gangot. Pu La and his wife worked as teachers in Orient High School and Rani Parvati Devi College in Mumbai and Belgaum respectively. Pu La also worked as a college professor in Kirti College and for Doordarshan, the state-owned TV channel. He was the first person to interview Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, on Indian television.