Writer Ratnakar Matkari to get state govt award posthumously

Marathi writer and playwright Ratnakar Matkari will be posthumously honored with the Natvarya Prabhakar Panshikar award for lifetime contribution to theatre, the Maharashtra government said on Thursday. Matkari (81), a recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy and Sahitya Academy awards, died due to coronavirus infection in Mumbai on May 17.

Marathi writer and playwright Ratnakar Matkari will be posthumously honored with the Natvarya Prabhakar Panshikar award for lifetime contribution to theatre, the Maharashtra government said on Thursday. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs five lakh, citation, and a memento.

Matkari was selected for the award for the year 2019- 20 by a committee headed by culture minister Amit Deshmukh but the announcement got delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown, said a release from the minister's office. Matkari (81), a recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy and Sahitya Academy awards, died due to coronavirus infection in Mumbai on May 17.