Atmaram Ravaji Deshpande

Who was Atmaram Ravaji Deshpande?

Atmaram Raoji Deshpande was a Marathi poet from Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India. He wrote poems under the pen name Anil. He was born on 11 September 1901 at Murtijapur in Akola district of Central India. He was married to Kusum Jayawant in 1929 who took the name Kusumavati Deshpande, was also a Marathi writer.

Deshpande introduced free style --Muktachhand-- poetry to Marathi literature. He also introduced in Marathi Dashapadi, a new genre of sonnets comprising ten lines. His collection of poems with the same name Dashapadi received a Sahitya Akademi Award in 1977. He was elected for Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1979.

He presided over Marathi Sahitya Sammelan at Malvan in 1958.

Deshpande won several international honors. He was a member of the committee of literacy experts of UNESCO. He was leader of Indian delegation of literary experts to USSR. He was awarded UNESCO fellowship for studying social education schemes in various countries.

A collection of letters between Deshpande and his wife was published under the title Kusumanil in 1976.