Uttam Tupe (28 December 1932 – 26 April 2020) was a writer and poet from

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He wrote several hundred

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

and 16

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s. One of his books was made into a successful

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

, and another into a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

. Tupe also wrote about the social ills of the

caste system A caste is a fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (endogamy), foll ...

and issues with

Devadasi In India, a devadasi is a female artist who is dedicated to the worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. The dedication takes place in a ceremony that is somewhat similar to a marriage ceremony. In addition to taki ...

. The Discourse of Devadasi Subject in Literary Vernacular: Contextualizing Resistance in Uttam Bandu Tupe’s ''Zulwa''
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Early life

Tupe wrote a series of novels with a Devadasi

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...

that were released into the

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

scene in the 1980s. Tupe began writing in the rustic

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

of his native Satara district. He crafted a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

on the evils of the

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

system. It was immediately published, and a few months later, Tupe got Rs 501 as a cash prize from the

Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad is a literary institution situated in the Indian state of Maharashtra for the purpose of the "furtherance of Marathi language and literature". It was established in Pune in 1906. ''The Encyclopedia of Indian Literat ...

Works

*''Katyavaraci pota'' – Mehata Pablisinga Hausa; 3. avrtti edition (2001) *''Jhulava'' (झुलवा) *''Katyavaraci pota'' – 2001 *Kalasi – 1988 *''Andana'' – 1986 *''Jhavala'' – Publisher: Mehata Pablisinga Hausa; Prathamavrtti edition (1991) *''

Zulwa Uttam Tupe (28 December 1932 – 26 April 2020) was a writer and poet from Pune, India. He wrote several hundred short stories and 16 novels. One of his books was made into a successful play (theatre), play, and another into a feature film. ...

'' – 1986, 2005 *''

'' – The book Zulwa was adapted into a play by

Chetan Datar Chetan Datar was a playwrighter based in India. His first play, Zulva (play), was based on Uttam Bandu Tupe's book Zulwa which was written about the Devadasi In India, a devadasi is a female artist who is dedicated to the worship and service ...

for

theatre. The play was an adaptation of the novel by Uttam Bandu Tupe who spent two years in a colony of jogtis to research the novel.

Reception

Other authors have called Tupe a "noted subservient writer". Naik goes on to say that Tupe as well as Sri Patange, Texas Gaekawad, and Namedeo Kamble all "are harmful in the sense that they depict life artificially and deliberately and mislead life."

Social cause

In all his works Tupe was concerned with the crushing burden poor villagers carry. ''Zulva'', the most popular novel, deals with the plight of devadasis. Other themes include: Villagers

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic (supernatural), magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly app ...

murders, and the problems of unemployed youth and

migrants Migrant is a term that may refer to: Human migration *Human migration, including: **Emigration, leaving one's resident country with the intent to settle elsewhere. 1988 Webster's Definition. One who migrates, esp. from 1 region to another in sear ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tupe, Uttam Bandu Writers from Pune 2020 deaths 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian male writers 21st-century Indian short story writers 21st-century Indian novelists Indian male short story writers Indian male novelists People from Satara district 21st-century Indian male writers Novelists from Maharashtra Poets from Maharashtra 1932 births