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Purushottam Laxman Deshpande (Marathi: पुरुषोत्तम लक्ष्मण देशपांडे) (November 8, 1919 - June 12, 2000) was a noted Marathi writer from India. He was also famous as an orator and performing artist. He wrote as Pu La Deshpande, and was popularly and affectionately known as just Pu La.

Purushottam Laxman Deshpande
Known as	Pu La
Life Span	8 November 1919 (Mumbai) To 12 June 2000 (Pune)
Spouse	Sunita Deshpande (married in 1946)
Education	M.A., L.L.B
Area of Work	Drama, Literature, Music Humour, Philosophy and Broadcasting
Awards	Padmashri Padmabhushan Maharashtra Bhushan Sahitya Academy Sangeet Natak Akademi

Contents 1 Personal Life 2 His Work 2.1 Translations or Adaptations 2.2 Original Works 2.3 Humorous 2.4 Travelogues 2.5 Serious 2.6 Cinema 3 Awards and Recognitions 4 External links

Born in Mumbai to Laxman and Lakshmibai Deshpande, he was educated at Pune's Fergusson College and Willingdon College, Sangli. He worked as a lecturer and teacher before making his move into literature in the 1940s. In 1946, he married Sunita Deshpande née Thakur, who is herself an acclaimed author.

Apart from his literary contributions, Pu La also had a deep interest in the Hindustani classical music and musical theatre in Maharashtra. He vividly described it in his writings, popularised it and ultimately became a part of it. He played the harmonium and was a talented singer. Moreover he was a good music and film director as well as a great actor.

Pu La died on June 12, 2000 at the Prayag Hospital in Pune. His death was mourned throughout the country.

As a writer, Pu La's work spans a variety of genres from short stories, essays to profiles and beautiful novels.

Pu La liked to call his adaptations as Bhaavaanuvaad or "translating expressions" rather than just words. He translated several noted works to produce absorbing Marathi plays. Some of them are:

• Eka Koliyane - Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea,
• Ti Fulrani - George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion
• Teen Paishyacha Tamasha - Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera
• Kaay Vattel Te Hoil - Helen and George Papashvily's Anything Can Happen
• Ammaldar - Nikolai Gogol's Inspector General
• Sophocles's Oedipus Rex.

His original works include some of the classics in Marathi literature.

Pu La is more remembered in the newer generation for his humorous works. Number of his books have been illustarted by Vasant Sarwate

• Batatyachi Chaal (बटाट्याची चाळ)
  • A hilarious look on life in Mumbai's chawls. He also used to perform it as a one-man show.
• Asa mi Asami (असा मी असामी)
  • The fictional autobiography of a middle-class Marathi man.
• Vyakti and Valli (व्यक्ती आणि वल्ली)
  • A collection of fictional but quintessential Marathi profiles
• Tujhe aahe tujapaashi (a drama)
• Varyavarchi Varat (वार्‍यावरची वरात)
• Amhi Latike Naa Bolu
• Bigari Te Matric (बिगरी ते मॅट्रिक)
  • A hilarious look at the author's educational life from pre-school to matric (10th Standard). He describes his favourite subjects, his hated teachers, friends and more. It is a humorous look at journey from the eyes of a child to the point where he steps into the man.
• Hari Tatya (हरी तात्या)
  • Pu La describes Hari Tatya - a character that lived life in history.
• Punekar, Mumbaikar ka Nagpurkar
  • Pu La takes a farcical look at the defining traits of people three Marathi cities - Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur.
• Mhais (म्हैस)
  • Pul La describes an accident of a State Transport bus with a bufallo and humours events that follow.
• Mi ani maza shatrupaksha (मी आणी माझा शत्रुपक्ष)
  • Pu La criticizes people who bore others by telling them accounts of their travels, showing them pictures of holidays or discussing their housing construction plans.
• Paliv Prani (पाळीव प्राणी)
  • Pu La discusses the accounts of people who have Dogs and Cats as their pets. He also describes the behaviour of Crow, Parrot, Sparrow, Pigeon, Peacock and Swan,
• Paanwala (पानवाला)
  • Pu La draws attention to the now almost extinct profession of the Paan vendor.
• Kaahi Nave Grahayog (काही नवे ग्रहयोग)
  • Pu La uses his own version of Astrology to describe people and their behaviour
• Khogir Bharati
• Majhe Poustik Jeewan (माझे पौष्टीक जीवन)
  • Pu La describes his encounters with the Indian Postal Department.
• Peston Kaka (पेस्तन काका)
  • Pu La describes a Parsi character he meets on the train with this name.
• Post Office (पोस्ट ऑफ़िस)
  • A hilarious look at the traditional India post office.
• Rao Saheb (राव साहेब)
  • Pu La describes the lively character of KrishnaRao Harihar of Belgaum who is affectionately referred as Rao Saheb
• Sakharam Gatne (सखाराम गटणे)
  • Pu La describes the lively character of one teenager who is obsessed with Marathi literature (and his own i.e Pula's literature) and speaks very pure Marathi.
• Namu Parit
  • Pu La describes his laundry man, a character who does lots of wrong things without any feeling of guilt.
• Urla Surla (His last book)

As a traveller, he visited many Eastern countries in southeast and East Asia, United States Of America and Europe. The writer in him created magnificent narrations of these journeys with a unique touch of humour.

• Apoorvai - talks about travel experiences in The U. K., France and Germany
• Purvarang shows colours of eastern and far eastern countries (Purv means east in Marathi).
• Jave Tyancya Desha is about his visit to the United States Of America, Italy and Hungary.
• Vanga Chitre is about his visit to West Bengal

• Ganagot (गणगोत)

An account of known and / or noted personalities which he himself (Pu La) came across / befriended.

• Sundar Mi Honar

Sundar Mi Honar meaning 'I will be beautiful' is a serious drama highlighting the struggle of a middle aged lady who is unable to walk due to some ailment. The protagonist is a daughter of a King or Zamindar of a princely state in India. It also captures the conflict between the protagonist's father and her brothers and how life has changed after the government over took their territory. In the end a poet who is the protagonist's pen friend helps her gain confidence which gives her the power to walk.

• Ti Fulrani
• Teen Paishyacha Tamasha

Teen Paischya Tamasha is an adaption of The Three Penny Opera which also means the same in Marathi

• Tujhe aahe tujapaashi
• Nanda Pradhaan

• Kuber (कुबेर, 1947) - Actor
• Bhagyaresha (भाग्यरेषा, 1948) - Actor
• Vandemataram (वंदेमातरम्, 1948)- Actor
• Jaaga Bhadyane Dene Ahe (जागा भाड्याने देणे आहे, 1949) - Screenplay, Dialogues
• Manache Paan (मानाचे पान, 1949) - Story, Screenplay, Dialogues and Music with Ga Di Madgulkar
• Motthi Manase (मोठी माणसे, 1949) - Music
• Gokulacha Raja (गोकुळचा राजा, 1950) - Story, Screenplay and Dialogues
• Jara Japoon (जरा जपून, 1950) - Screenplay and Dialogues
• Johar Maaybaap (जोहार मायबाप, 1950) - Actor
• Navra Bayko (नवरा बायको, 1950) Story, Screenplay, Dialogues and Music
• Pudhche Paool (पुढचे पाऊल, 1950) - Actor, Screenplay and Dialogues with Ga Di Madgulkar
• Var Pahije (वर पाहिजे, 1950) - Actor and Dialogues with Achyut Ranade
• Dev Pawala (देव पावला, 1950) - Music
• Doodh Bhaat (दूध भात, 1952) - Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, Lyrics and Music
• Ghardhani (घरधनी, 1952) - Screenplay, Dialogues, Lyrics and Music
• Sandesh (संदेश, 1952, Hindi) - Story, Screenplay, Dialogues (translated by Mir Asgar ali)
• Gulacha Ganapati (1953) - Actor, Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, Lyrics and Music
• Phool aur Kaliya (फूल और कलियाँ, 1960, Hindi) - Story and Screenplay
• Aaj aur Kal (आज और कल, 1966, Hindi) - Story and Screenplay
• Devabappa - everything

• Sahitya Akademi Award
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award(one of the handful to get both)
• The first interviewer to interview Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru - the Prime Minister of India, for the then newly founded Doordarshan.
• P. L. Deshpande Kala Academy at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai, is a cultural centre named after him.

• Pula Deshpande Official Site
• Pula Deshpande: A tribute
• Kathakathan-Recital of his works by himself
• Obituary: P. L. Deshpande in The Independent, London.