The Author

Prof. Dr. Shrutishree Vadgabalkar — born Sulabha Madhukarrao Bhatambrekar on 5 August 1956 at Bidar, in Karnataka — is one of the most versatile voices in contemporary Marathi letters. Across five decades she has written novels, short stories, poetry, plays, one-act plays, personal essays, literary criticism, newspaper columns and children's literature. To date she has published 45 books and 8 one-act play booklets — 53 works in all.

Her schooling ran to the ninth standard at Nashik, and from the tenth to the second year of her B.A. at Parbhani. She took her M.A. at Dayanand College, Latur, and her B.Ed. at the Government College of Education, Ambajogai. After her marriage she read for her M.Ed., M.Phil., NET and Ph.D. at Shivaji University, Kolhapur. In the NET examination of 1991 only fifteen candidates qualified from the whole Kolhapur division; she was among them, from Solapur district. Her doctoral research was carried out under Dr. Neelam Ratnakar Hatekar, Head of the Department of Marathi at Kisanveer College, Wai.

Armed with an M.A. (Marathi), M.Ed., M.Phil., Ph.D. and NET, she taught for thirty years at A. R. Burla Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Solapur, where she headed the Marathi department as Associate Professor and served nine of those years as Acting Principal. As a recognised research guide of P.A.H. Solapur University she has guided seven students to their Ph.D. and two to their M.Phil.

In a rare distinction, her own writing has become a subject of study: doctoral research on “The Complete Literature of Shruti Vadgabalkar” is currently underway at Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

She remains at the heart of Maharashtra's literary life as Solapur District President and branch Chairperson of the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, Pune. Her columns have appeared for years in newspapers such as Sanchar, Tarun Bharat, Sakal, Kesari and Surajya, and her stories, essays and poems in magazines from Maher and Lalana to Milun Saryajani. She has been invited as chief guest and speaker to more than 200 literary, social and educational events across Solapur, Barshi, Pandharpur, Sangola, Pune and beyond.

Her husband, Dr. Shrinivas Krishnaji Vadgabalkar — M.Tech. (Geology), IIT Bombay — is a former Principal of Dayanand College of Arts and Science, Solapur, a senior geologist and water expert honoured for his work in the earth sciences; the Kirloskar Foundation, Pune, has conferred on him its Vasundhara award and the first Ram Nadi Sevak award. Their elder daughter, Dr. Sheetal Amey Kamat, holds a master's degree in physiotherapy and practises in Mumbai; the younger, Amruta Amit Kamat, is an IT engineer in Pune. Their two grandsons are Prabhav Amey Kamat, now in the eighth standard, and Anvit Amit Kamat, in the second.