Bard of Maharashtra Shahir Krishnarao Sable passes away

March 21, 2015

Bard and Marathi folk legend Krishnarao Ganpatrao Sable passed away on 20 March 2015 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 92.
He had brought Maharashtra’s folk singing and theatre traditions to the centre stage and his songs enriched Maharashtra’s culture.

About Krishnarao Ganpatrao Sable

He was popularly known as Shahir Sable and was born in a small village Pasarni, in the Wai taluka of Satara district, Maharashtra in 1923.
Shahir Sable was an accomplished singer, writer, playwright, performer, Loknatya (Folk Theater) producer-director.
Singing career- He was trained under the guidance of Shahir Shankarrao and had changed the traditional form of ‘Lok Natya’ (folk theatre) and created a new form called ‘Mukta Natya’ (free drama).
He had penned the evergreen patriotic song ‘Garjaa Maharashtra Majha, Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha’
Shahir Sable was President of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natya Sammelan (1990) held in Mumbai and President of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Shahir Parishad (1990), Mumbai.
Participation in Freedom struggle- Apart from folk singing he had actively participated in various freedom movements such as the ‘Quit India’ movement, Goa liberation struggle and Hyderabad ‘liberation’ and the Samyukta Maharashtra movement.
He also had fought for social causes such as anti-liquor campaigns, financial welfare of folk artists and rejuvenation of folk music.
Awards- He was conferred with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1984), Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar (1990), Padma Shri award (1998) for his dedication in the field of Arts.