Anand Patil

Anand Balwant Patil (born 1945) is a Marathi and English creative writer, postcolonial, comparatist, culturalist translator –scholar from Maharashtra –Goa, India. Starting with his debut rural novellas and research on the ‘Western Influences on Marathi Drama 1818-1947’ Patil set new trends in rural fiction. His Icchamarnis the compendious epic novel on a village. It is regarded as a masterpiece of gramin (rural) fiction. He is the recipient of four Government of Maharashtra Awards for extraordinary literary works and also other thirteen literary awards. He is the founder of Aranyanand Shikshan, Sahitya va Sanskriti Pratisthan and Anand Granthsagar Prkashan.

Patil was born on 3 July 1945 in a remote village in the range of Sahyadri Mountain in Maharashtra. He joined the ‘Earn and Learn’ scheme of Karmveer Bhaurao Patil and received Merit scholarship for M.A. in Entire English from shivaji university Kolhapur, Maharashtra. The UGC Teachership and British council visitorship enabled him to submit the meritorious Ph.D. dissertation which was published both in English and Marathi.

Dr. Patil has contributed immensely in field of education and literature. His contributions are shortly elaborated here.

Teaching

Patil taught English language and Literature in various colleges of Rayat Shikshan Sanstha for 24 years and later comparative Literature and creative writing in Department of English, Goa University and school of Languages and Literature in Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded. After retirement he was the visiting Professor of Delhi University, Patan and Nagpur University.

Literary career

Patil’s first short story ‘Khep' published in the most prestigious periodical ‘Satyakatha’(1971) and novellaKagud in 'Mouji' (1984) earned him the nickname ‘Kagudwala’ Patil given by stalwart fivtionistShankar Patil. Anand Patil become a name to be conjured with in rural fiction. His autobiographical element and mastery of rural language was so powerful that he was described as a rising sun of Marathi rural writing.

Once after he joined the Goa University as a Reader in English he has reached to the new heights. He reached where Maharashtrian writers have reached seldom including publishing articles in Ariel, comparative and culture studies, Oxford and Cambridge Companions in the Western countries. Patil ventured where no Marathi Marathi writer had ever treaded . He was turned down by those so called scholars who had never published a single book in Maharashtra. This cultural tuen made him the leading comparatist and culturalist in India who went abroad for seven times on the academic tours. His book on 'Comparative Literature :Theory and practice' translated in to Hindi is a text book all over India. Whatever genre he tried he madehis work. For example, his ‘Patalachi Londanvari’ translated in to Kannada and Hindi is considered the first true travel writing of the marginal Indian, and ‘In search of my Kolhapur’ the first travel of a District, ‘Granthani Rachlela Mahapurush’ a first literary biography and so on. As a creative writer he is Ngugi wa Thiong'o of Marathi and as a culturalist –comparatist he is Raymond Williams of India.

Awards

1. H.N. Apte Award for Kagud ani Savali: Government of Maharashtra H.N. Apte Award ,M.S. Parishad, Pune H.N .Apte Award. Best novel of the Decade Selection by Maharashtra Times (1986)
2. Pune Nagar Wachanalay S.J. Joshi Awards, for Icchamaran. Balapur Library Kondaji Patil Purskar (2008)
3. SKK Purskar. Taulanik Sahitya: Nave Siddhant ani Uptojan. Government of Maharashtra SKK Purskar.
4. M.V. Gokhale Award. Marathi Natkawaril Ingraji prbhav, Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad Pune M.V. Gokhale Award (1998)
5. S.M. Paranjpe Award. British Bombay ani Portuguese Govyatil Wangmay .Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad Pune S.M. Paranjpe Award
6. Tulav: Tulanik Nibandh, Jansahitya parishad Amravati Award and Vidharbh Sahitya Sangh ugawani awards (1999)
7. Srajanatamak Lekhan, Government of Maharashtra Kusumavati Deshpande Award 2005
8. Teekvastraharan . Govt of Maharashtra SKK Awards and Dakshin Maharashtra Sahitya sabha R. Shahu Award 2008
9. Sahitya Vimarsh Maranam. Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, H. S. Shenolikar Award 2011
10. Granthani Rachlela Mahapurush: Yashwantrao Chavan, Vidhrbh Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Nagpur, Freedom fighter Balaji Huddar Award. SouthMaharashtra Sahitya Sabha Kolhapur Annabhau Sathe Award, Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad Pune Phaltan branch Yashvantrao Chavan SahityaGaurav Purskar. Jaysingpur ,Kavita Sagar Prkashan Rashitriya Award (2017)

1. Patlachi Londonwari: Kahi Drashtikshep ed: Shailesh Tribhuvan (2003)
2. Patlachia Phad: Samagra Samikshed . ed. Shrikrishna Asud (2011)
3. Anand Parva: Tulanik Sahityaani ani Sanskriti Samiksha, Ed Srikrishan Adsul(2014)