President mourns death of Marathi playwright

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil Monday mourned the death of noted Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar.

Tendulkar, 80, one of the greatest Indian playwrights of the post-Independence era, died Monday in a Pune hospital after prolonged illness. He had had been suffering from diabetes and myasthenia gravis, a disease affecting the muscles.

A Padma Bhushan awardee, Tendulkar was best known for his plays 'Ghashiram Kotwal' and 'Sakharam Binder'. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement.

In 1977, Tendulkar won the National Film Award for his screenplay of Shyam Benegal's movie 'Manthan'. He also wrote the screenplays for other critically acclaimed films like 'Nishant', 'Akrosh' and 'Ardh Satya'.