P. Y. Deshpande- Makers of Indian Literature (An Old and Rare Book)

Purushottam Yeshwant Deshpande, popularly known as P. Y. was one of the foremost architects of the modern Marathi Novel and a major literary force during 1925 to 1945. Basically a thinker with a radical outlook and global vision, P. Y. had an entirely new approach to literature.

P. Y's turning to religious mysticism and J. Krishnamurti gave a new look and new edge to P. Y's writings as revealed in his varied commentaries; first 'Nasadiya Sukta and on Dnyaneshwar's 'Amritanubhav' and later on another Vedic Suktas called 'Manavopanishad'. His entirely new interpretation of 'Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, Buddha's discourses and the 'Gita' brought him international reputation.

Dr. Indumati Sheorey, the author of this monograph is a Marathi novelist, short story writer and scholar. She had remained on the editorial staff of 'Independent' - an English weekly for more than a decade. She was also connected with All India Radio as a producer and with 'Kesari' and 'Tarun Bharat', Marathi Dailies as their London correspon dent.

PURUSHOTTAM YESHWANT DESHPANDE, popularly known as P.Y. is a multifaceted personality in Marathi Literature. As a novelist and journalist, communist labour leader, a political activist and an M.P., finally a Krishnamurtiite thinker philosopher and a commentator of scriptures, he was one of the predominant literary forces in Maharashtra. His writings influenced its two generations. Gifted with a charismatic personality, P.Y. is rather a peculiar unusual phenomenon in Marathi literature.

P.Y. was neither a scholar of Marathi, nor a lover of it. He never dreamt that he would take to writing. As he tells us in MEE KALIHITO? (Why I write?), he did it quite accidentaly. But having once started he never stopped. He wrote ceaselessly and kept doing so literally till last breath of his life.

Though gifted with qualities that go to make a great writer, his novels never became popular in the sense that N.S.Phadke's and V.S.Khandekar's did. Yet they were thought-provoking and were discussed by Marathi readers and litterateurs alike. He was the first to introduce many new things in the Marathi novel. Thus he had many firsts to his credit. He gave his novels a new content, introduced psychoanalysis and symbolism in them. But with the heavy stuff they contained, they went beyond the ken of common readers. As the critics rightly say, his novels were really meant for a selected class of highbrows and intellectuals.

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