The Legacy Of Dr Bhalerao Lives On as Prof. Dr. Avinash Kolhe reflects on theatre, medicine, and institution-building, tracing a rich Marathi cultural history through memory, mentorship, and enduring contributions to stagecraft.

The Legacy Of Dr Bhalerao Lives On through an evocative recollection of Marathi theatre’s evolution, highlighting the contributions of Dr. Rajaram Amruti Bhalerao, the role of institutions like Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh, and the intersection of medicine and performing arts in Maharashtra.

Theatre lovers have a good habit of remembering the contribution of the old generation. On 11th April 2026, a small bust of Dr. Rajaram Amruti Bhalerao, better known as Bal, was garlanded by a gathering of Marathi literature’s stalwarts like Madhu Mangesh Karnik and Vishwas Patil. This was remembering the 85+ years of contribution of Dr. Bhalerao. Quite aptly, rare photographs were on display which took the viewers down memory lane when they saw Durga Khote as Aandibai in ‘Bhaubandaki’.

Doctors And The Marathi Stage

For years, theatre in Mumbai in particular and Maharashtra in general has been patronized by medical professionals. In Pune, we have Dr. Mohan Agashe and Dr. Jabbar Patel, who gave us ‘Ghashiram Kotwal’, the most important piece in the last fifty years. Then there were Dr. Shreeram Lagoo and Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar.
This is not to suggest that all medical professionals applied grease paint and performed in front of the audience. In many places in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, some doctors were institution-builders. Take the case of Dr. Rajaram Amrut Bhalerao [1933–2020], better known as Dr. Bal Bhalerao, a great patron of Marathi theatre. Though he was a practicing doctor and professor, his heart was in Marathi theatre.

At the same time, he had made a name in the field of medicine too. He had long and fruitful associations with the KEM and Hinduja hospitals in Mumbai. During this period, he published some 60 research papers and received innumerable awards. As a doctor, he was a recipient of the Dr. B. C. Roy Award instituted by the Medical Council of India, a statutory body under India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. He left his flourishing medical practice in the UK and headed back to India.

Reviving Marathi Theatre Traditions
In the year 1935, Dr. Bal’s father, Dr. A. N. Bhalerao, took the initiative and founded ‘Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh’ [MMSS] in Girgaum. Its objective was to revive Marathi theatre, which was reeling under the shock of talkies. Remember India’s first talkie ‘Aalam Ara’ was released on 14th March 1931 at the Majestic Theatre located in the same Girgaum? Later, Dr. Bhalerao felt that this body should produce good plays and woo viewers back. Out came ‘Ajab Nyay Vartulacha’, an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’. Dr. Bhalerao realized that such top-class shows would bring the people back. The MMSS staged ‘Ammaldar’ based on Nikolai Gogol’s ‘Inspector General’ and ‘Rajmukut’, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. These efforts paid results and Sahitya Sangh survived. In 1964, it built its own auditorium in Kelewadi, Girgaum, on the lines of London’s Old Vic Theatre. The MMSS also took active interest in Sangeet Nataks [musical plays]. They revived old, popular musicals, which is why theatre lovers thronged to the hall.

Nurturing The Next Generation

I think Dr. Bhalerao should also be remembered for a bold initiative. In 2013, he gave rent-free space to the Drama School, Mumbai [DSM] in the building of the MMSS. It was to ensure that the gen-next gets good training in theatre.
The old-timers like me would easily recall the various seminars and workshops conducted regularly by the MMSS. In June 2006, I personally attended a 10-day, four-hour daily workshop conducted by none other than the late Pandit Satyadev Dubey.

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