“Kolhyateche Por”
From an article in the Hindustan Times
Well-known Marathi author, Dr. Kishor Shantabai Kale succumbed to injuries he sustained when a tyre of the ambulance he was travelling in burst.
Kale’s story can be traced in his autobiography Kolhyateche Por released in 1994. The book, which created a storm in Marathi literary circles, tells the author’s struggle to break free of his disadvantageous background as the illegitimate son of a tamasha (folk dance) dancer.
Abandoned by his mother and ridiculed by his peers after he wrote the book, Kale went on to educate himself and become the first ever doctor from his community.
His book opened a door to the little known ‘Kolhati community’ of tamasha dancers and street performers.