12 Facts About Annabhau Sathe

Annabhau Sathe is credited as a founding father of Dalit Literature and played vital role in Samyukta Maharashtra Movement.

Annabhau Sathe was influenced by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and wrote songs about him.

Annabhau Sathe was one of early people from India who sung songs of Shivaji Maharaj crossing the boundaries of sea and land in Russia.

Annabhau Sathe was born on 1 August 1920, in Wategaon village, part of present-day Maharashtra's Sangli district, to a family that belonged to the Matang caste.

Annabhau Sathe migrated from Satara to Bombay, present-day Mumbai, in 1931, on foot, over a period of six months, following a drought in the countryside.

In spite of having no formal scholastic training, Annabhau Sathe wrote 35 novels in the Marathi language.

Besides novels and short stories, Annabhau Sathe wrote a play, a travelogue on Russia, 12 screenplays, and 10 ballads in the Marathi powada style.

In Fakira, Annabhau Sathe portrays Fakira, the protagonist, revolting against the rural orthodox system and British Raj to save his community from utter starvation.

Annabhau Sathe was a significant figure in the Indian People's Theatre Association, which was a cultural wing of the Communist Party of India, and in the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, which sought the creation of a separate Marathi-speaking state through a linguistic division of the extant Bombay State.

Annabhau Sathe used his stories to amplify the life experiences of Dalits and workers.

Annabhau Sathe was commemorated with the issue of a special postage stamp by India Post on 1 August 2002.

In 2022 a statue of Annabhau Sathe was installed at the Margarita Rudomino All-Russia State Library for International Literature in Moscow.