Shivaji Sawant (31 August 1940 – 18 September 2002) was an Indian novelist in the

Marathi language Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state o ...

. He is known as Mrutyunjaykaar (meaning Author of ''Mrutyunjay'') for writing the famous Marathi novel - ''Mrutyunjay''. He was the first Marathi writer to be awarded with the

Moortidevi Award The Moortidevi Award is an Indian literary award annually presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a literary and research organisation. The award is given only to Indian writers writing in Indian languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Con ...

in 1994. He wrote a book '' Mrutyunjay'' (English: ''Victory Over Death'') based on

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...

, one of the leading characters of the epic

Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuru ...

. This book was translated into

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

(1974), English (1989),

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

(1990),

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

(1991),

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

(1995) and received numerous awards and accolades. His novel ''Chhava'', published in 1980, is based on the life of

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Sambhaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing ...

. He held the post of the vice-president of Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad since 1995. He was president of ''Baroda Sahitya Sammelan'' of 1983. He was not only a historical writer but also a political writer.

Early life

He was born in a small farmer family of Ajara village in

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is ...

district in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

. He finished his school education in 'Vyankatrao High School Ajara'. He worked with Rajaram Prashala,

as a teacher for 20 years and afterwards as editor with

education department's monthly magazine ''Lokshikshan'' for six years in Pune (1974–1980).

Work

Books

* ''Mrityunjay'' (Novel) * ''Chhava'' (Novel) * ''Yugandhar'' (Novel) * ''Kavadase'' * ''Kanchan Kan'' * ''Ladhat'' * ''Ashi Mane Ase Namune'' * ''Krantisihachi Gavran Boli'' (compilation) * ''Purushottamnama''-Annasaheb P.K.Patil

Dramas

* ''Mrityunjay'' * ''Chhava'' * ''Glimpse of the Past''

''Mrityunjay''

''Mrityunjay'' is a novel very famous in the Marathi compositions . It is based on

, one of the great warrior in the epic of

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

. It was awarded with many of the prizes and awards given by the Jnanpith (Moorti Devi Award). ''Mrityujaya'' was translated in many other languages. Dr P K chandran & Dr Jayashree translated the book in to

( Karnan), which won Kendra Sahitya Akademy Award for translation in the year 2001

''Yugandhar''

''Yugandhar'' is another Novel of Shivaji Sawant based on the life of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

, a great hindu god in Mahabharata and other narrative epics as well as the God of the Hindus.Yugandhar is one of the best and most famous Novels of Marathi language and it is awarded with many of the prizes and awards given by the

Sahitya Academy The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

. And he also wrote Contemplation on Yugandhar. Kadambini Dharap has written an English translation of the book.

Personal life

Sawant was married to Mrinalini. He has a son Amitabh and daughter Kadambini.

Death

On 18 September 2002, Sawant died at the age of 62 of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possi ...

in Goa. He was campaigning for the post of President of 76th All India Marathi Literary Conference.

References

External links

Rasik Library Index

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawant, Shivaji Marathi-language writers 1940 births 2002 deaths Indian male novelists People from Kolhapur district Indian schoolteachers Indian magazine editors 20th-century Indian novelists Novelists from Maharashtra Educators from Maharashtra 20th-century Indian male writers Recipients of the Moortidevi Award He can be well known for old generation