Pune, considered to be the cultural capital of Maharashtra, is known as "Oxford of the East" due to the presence of several well-known educational institutions in the city.
Pune one of the administrative headquarterswas once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire established by Shivaji Maharaj. Pune was an important centre in the social and religious reform movements of the late 19th century. Pune has effect of Prominent social reformers including Bal GangadharTilak, Vitthal Ramji Shinde, DhondoKeshavKarve, Mahatma JyotiraoPhule and Dr. Raghunath Karve.
Tukaram Bhaurao SatheT (1 August 1920 – 18 July 1969), popularly known as Annabhau Sathe was also one of them.
Being one of rich in cultural city and base of many mass movements in India, we decided to have ‘National Short Film Festival’ dedicated to Annabhau Sathe in Pune.
Tukaram Bhaurao Sathe (1 August 1920 – 18 July 1969), popularly known as Annabhau Sathe, was a social reformer, folk poet, and writer from Maharashtra, India. Annabhau Sathe was a Dalit born into the Mang community, and his upbringing and identity were central to his writing and political activism.
Sathe's use of folkloric narrative styles like powada and lawani helped popularise and make his work accessible to many communities. His stories helped to amplify the life experiences of Dalits and workers . We find Anna Bhau’s firsthand experience of the down trodden sections of rural, dalit and women folk reflected in his literature. Anna Bhau brought in the reflection of poor, rural and suffering communities in Marathi literature .
His fiction provided basis for many films like Vaijayanta, Tilalavte Miraktacha, Dongarchi Maina, Varnecha Waagh and Fakira. Annabhau Sathe wrote directly from his experiences in life, and his novels celebrate the fighting spirit in their characters who work against all odds in life. Tukaram Bhaurao alias Anna BhauSathe was famous not only as a Shahir (folk poet) but also a writer who handled short story and novel forms efficiently and effectively. He brought honour and status to the folk art of tamasha. He used the forms of poetry like powada, lawani and song to propagate his social ideas among the population of common workers. Sathe was an important mobilizer in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. He used the medium of powade to great effect in that movement.To generate social awareness, he organized stage performances of powade and tamasha, ethnic dances chiefly performed by women, which are popular in rural Maharashtra. He used his art and poetic genius in educating the masses and deprived society.
Annabhau Sathe decided to bought awareness among the masses against who imposed untouchability and virtually. His contribution made through his work as a shahir during the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement and Goa MuktiSangram is particularly significant.