Deaths on May 19

Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright and screenwriter (b. 1928)

Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar (6 January 1928 – 19 May 2008) was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi.Vijay Tendulkar is one of India’s greatest playwrights , whose hard-hitting Marathi plays established him as an irreverent but brilliant writer of plays with contemporary, unconventional themes. He is best known for his plays Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1967), Ghāshirām Kotwāl (1972), and Sakhārām Binder (1972). Many of Tendulkar's plays derived inspiration from real-life incidents or social upheavals, which provide clear light on harsh realities. He has provided guidance to students studying "play writing" in US universities. Tendulkar had been a highly influential dramatist and theatre personality in Mahārāshtra for over five decades.