Poets

Chintamani Tryambak Khanolkar (C. T. Khanolkar) (Devanagari: चिंतामणी त्र्यंबक खानोलकर) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India. He wrote poetry under the name “Arati Prabhu” and prose under his own name. He received Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1976) for his playwriting and Sahitya Akademi Award (1978) for his collection of poems 'Nakshatranche Dene'.

Early Life

Khanolkar was born on March 8, 1930 in the village of Baglanchi Rai near Vengurla in Maharashtra in a family with meagre means. He started writing poetry since 1950 and received acclaim for his poem 'Shunya Shrungarte' which featured in the February edition of then prestigious Marathi literary Journal Satya Katha in 1954. Khanolkar completed his education up to matriculation and began running the family business of 'Khanaval' (a small hotel). But the business did not do well and Khanolkar decided to leave his village for Mumbai in search of livelihood in 1959.

Initial Years in Mumbai

Khanolkar was known in the Marathi literary circles even before his arrival in the city due to his poems. He managed to get a job in Mumbai Akashwani (State Radio) with the help of another fellow poet Mangesh Padgaonkar, but he had to give up his job in 1961 because of his ‘eccentric behaviour’. This made his initial years in Mumbai full of financial difficulties.

Poetry

Jogva was his first published collection of poems in 1959..