Kusumagraj (1912-1999), whose real name was Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, was one among the leading figures of modern Marathi literature. He also made notable contributions to cinema and theatre.

Hailing from Pune, Shirwadkar published his first collection of poems, Jeevan-Lahiri, at the young age of twenty-one. After passing his B.A. with Marathi and English as the subjects he worked for sometime in the film industry. Writing the script for Sati Sulochana and playing an important role in it, the cinema experience enriched his creativity. He, however, turn to journalism soon after and worked in different newspapers like Prabhat, Sarathi, Dhanurdhari and Navayug.

The publishing of Vishakha, a collection of his poetry in 1942, was a turning point in his life. The publisher was V.S. Khandekar, a literary giant of Maharashtra. The book made an instant impact with the readers and was also the starting point of a long association between the two litterateurs. Kusumagraj's important works include the novel Vaishnav and the plays Doorche Dive and Natasamraat.

A gifted orator, Kusumagraj associated himself with many literary, academic and socio-political movements. Organisations like the Lokahitwadi Mandai and Sarvajanik Vachanalay of Nashik were fortunate to receive his patronage. He was an active presence in many Sahitya Sammelans and also a supporter of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement in the late 1950s.

Many awards and honours were conferred on him. These included the Ram Ganesh Gadkari Puraskar, the Sangeet Natak Acaderni Award, the Jnanpith Award and the Padma Bhushan.

The Department of Posts is happy to issue commemorative postage stamp in honour of Kusumagraj.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India