Acclaimed English-Marathi journalist and writer Kiran Nagarkar died in Mumbai on Thursday after a brief illness at the age of 77. He had been admitted for treatment of brain haemorrhage to a private hospital where he breathed his last.
Born in a middle-class Maharashtrian family, he was educated in Pune and Mumbai. Nagarkar's first Marathi novel was Saat Sakkam Treychalis (1974) at the age of 32, which was later translated in English as Seven Sixes are Forty.
Then followed Ravan and Eddie (2004) and Cuckold (1997) which won him the 2001 Sahitya Akademi award and catapulted him among the most respected modern post-independence Indian writers in English. Cuckold told the story of 16th century saint Meerabai’s husband, who is known for her love songs to the deity Krishna.
His other works include God's Little Soldier (2006) and the sequel of God's Little Soldier and Ravan and Eddie - The Extras (2012) and Rest in Peace: Ravan and Eddie (2015), and in that same year, Bedtime Stories and then, Jasoda (2018). His most recent work was The Arsonist (2019).
Apart from books, Nagarkar also wrote plays and screenplays. He also worked in academia, journalism and advertising.
He also won the HN Apte Award for the best first novel, and also the Dalmia award. According to this website, he also received a Rockefeller grant and was awarded a scholarship by the city of Munich.
He is survived by his partner of many decades, Tulsi Vatsal.
The noted writer was accused of sexual harassment by three women during last year’s Me Too movement. At the time, he denied the allegations. However, his contract for his book The Arsonist with Penguin Random House was cancelled, which was then published by Juggernaut books.
With IANS inputs