THE man who made Marathi language richer by several words as he roamed the dense jungles ofVidarbha for 45 years, noted litterateur and naturalist, Padma Shri Maruti Chitampalli left for heavenly abode at his hometown Solapur on Wednesday. He was 92. In the literary, social and forest circles, Chitampalli was known as ‘Aranya Rishi’. Highly respected as a wildlife conservationist and writer, Chitampalli spent more than four decades inVidarbha before leaving for his native place Solapur in 2020. Born on November 5, 1932 at Solapur, Chitampalli studied Sanskrit, German and Russian languages. A Forest Officer by training, he served in different forests and national parks. He retired as Deputy Director of Melghat Tiger Reserve in 1990.

 

His contribution in development of Navegaon National Park, Nagzira Sanctuary, Melghat Tiger Reserve and Karnala Bird Sanctuary was invaluable. After retirement, he was actively associated with various organisations and served on State Wildlife Conservation Advisory Committee, Marathi Curriculum Committee and MaharashtraTourism Development Corporation. He was President of the first Maharashtra Pakshimitra Sammelan held at Nashik in 1987. In his journey closely associated with the flora and fauna of forest-rich Vidarbha region, he walked around 3 lakh kilometres in search of new experiences. His seminal works, ‘Pakshikosh’ and ‘Pranikosh’, took 12 years and 6 years respectively to see light of the day.

 

When he left Nagpur, the draft of ‘Matsyakosh’ was ready. Chitampalli was elected President of the 79th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in 2006 in Solapur. Most of his books have been published by Sahitya Prasar Kendra, Nagpur. Many of them have won prestigious awards including Maharashtra State Literature Award for three books namely ‘Jangalacha Dena’, ‘Ranwata’ and ‘Ratwa’. He was honoured with several awards including Nagbhushan Award (2008), Jeevanvrati Puraskar of Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh (2003), and Vasundhara Sanman (2009). Besides earning the sobriquet of ‘Aranya Rishi’ (Sage of Forests) for his unparalleled dedication towards the cause of unravelling the forests, he blossomed into a litterateur who has gifted 1,00,000 new words to Marathi, many of which he collected from tribals.

 

Before moving to Solapur, Chitampalli stayed at Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha, for quite some time. Maruti Chitampalli had made a very thought-provoking observation in the introduction of his book‘ Jangalacha Dena’, “Stay in forest deepens one’s thinking. Feelings become purer... Jungle is a sacred centre of Indian philosophy of life. In that context, it has been our residence for ages.

 

In the recent past, we have not been able to preserve the precious gift of Nature.The feeling of thanklessness towards jungle is increasing in us, like an insolvent...” As was recorded by ‘The Hitavada’ in October 2020, Chitampalli had become emotional while leaving Nagpur. In a select gathering at the residence of renowned litterateur late Principal Ram Shewalkar, Chitampalli not only recollected some of his experiences, but also mentioned that his foray into the world of literature had started with the ‘spell’ cast by the riches of Nagzira forest.

 

He got acquainted with animals, birds, trees, and ‘life’, he had said. As his curiosity grew with each visit, he took notes in his diary, which, gradually became the foundation of his literary works. Chitampalli leaves behind a daughter Chhaya and a host of re;latives, friends and well wishers to mourn his loss. Last rites will be performed on Thursday, at Solapur. After news of the demise came in, his acquaintances in Nagpur and Vidarbha expressed deep sorrow. Devendra Fadnavis CHIEF Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis expressed deep shock over the demise of Maruti Chitampalli. He lauded the deep involvement of Chitampalli in his work at Forest department. According to Fadnavis, the example of Chitampalli is an ideal one as to how one gets engrossed in one’s own work. Chitampalli knew 13 languages and gave several new words to Marathi language. His demise left a void which can’t be filled. Nitin Gadkari “CHITAMPALLI’S death shocked me.

 

He was only writer who was connected to nature, forest, environment. He has written several books related to forest. If we take a pledge of conserving forest then it would be the real tribute to him. His death is a irreparable loss. May God give his family the strength to bear the loss,” Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said in his condolence message. Chandrashekhar Bawankule NAGPUR’S Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule in his condolence message called Chitampalli a great author who wrote on environment. He has developed a different style of writing and earned his name in the literary field.While working in the department of forest he got engrossed in his duty. He has put his heart into whatever he did. Due to his dedication he got Padma Shri. I pay my tributes to this great author