India, Oct. 30 -- Gangaram Gavankar wrote several plays of which 'Vastraharan' brought him on the centrestage of Marathi performing arts, as he deftly wove mythology, music and Malwani, the coastal dialect of Maharashtra, into a captivating theatrical experience.

The narrative holds a mirror to a sleepy Konkan village populated by knaves, Good Samaritans, idlers and pesky uncles - all fallible and hence affable. The play-within-play device adds fun to the farce.

That between 1980 and 2025, 'Vastraharan' should clock over 5,300 performances is a testimony to Gavankar's skill as playwright, said theatre scholar Arun Naik. Stating that 'Vastraharan' was a sensational hit, Naik said, "The play strikes a fair balance between Vijay Tendulkar'...