The 135th birth anniversary of Sangeetsurya Keshavrao Bhosale warrants renewed attention from anyone facing the odds in the arts

A scene from Hach Mulacha Baal

“Just hearing the name Keshavrao would send a shiver down my spine.” Thus begins Bal Gandharva’s stirring recollection of sharing the stage with Keshavrao Bhosale — his fellow actor, rival in magnetism, and a performer whose sheer brilliance could eclipse even a legend. In fact he adds that advisors had warned him against a collaborative venture with Sangeetsurya Bhosale because the latter would definitely turn superior. At Bhosale’s funeral, Gandharva noted, prominent figures jostled to carry the 32-year-old genius. “Who knows what will happen at my death?” he added. “Will anyone even be there to carry me to my final abode?”

This memory, delivered with candour, is the most striking moment quoted in a slim new book, Sangeetsurya Keshavrao Bhosale by Dr Satish Pawade (available in Marathi, Hindi, and English), on theatre icon Keshavrao Bhosale’s life and legacy. The book’s relevance feels just right as we mark his 135th birth anniversary — a moment to reflect on this lost diamond who deserves more than a theatre named after him in Kolhapur, which incidentally was gutted in a fire last year. The rebuilding is underway, but at a slow and uncertain pace. 

Keshavrao Bhosale

Just a few months ago, I watched a spirited retelling of the backstory of Samyukta Manapaman, the iconic collaborative play that sparked Bal Gandharva’s nervous awe. In this updated staging, two young actors stepped into the formidable roles once played by Gandharva (1888–1967) and Bhosale (1890–1921) — one as Bhamini, the other as Dhairyadhar. That original energy hovered in the........

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