Lahu Sambhaji Khade died on July 8, 2011 at Kavlapur village, District Sangli. He was 78 years old. Nobody knew Lahu Khade. However,thousands of his fans in villages across Maharashtra knew and loved Kaalu. Lahu Khade was the Kaalu of the Kaalu-Baalu Tamasha that he established along with his brother Ankush Khade.

Ankush was Baalu in a play that became so popular, had characters so true that their real names were forgotten. Kaalu- Baalu were identical twins. They wrote the scripts of their folk-plays together. And they developed a unique style of saying the same dialogue together, in perfect sync.They worked as one unit. It was not surprising that at the end of their lives, when a State Award was announced, it was to Kaalu-Baalu- as if they were one person.

The amount was Rs 20,000 to be shared equally! Rs 10,000 with an award which is supposed to help senior Tamasha artistes. Tamasha artistes who lived mostly hand-to-mouth from one show to another. Kaalu-Baalu wrote and performed for almost 60 years.

At the end of his days, Kaalu lived an anonymous, frugal life in Kavlapur village.Tamasha is so far away from us that we have no idea about the life of the people who spend their lives for it.That someone who drew so many crowds could be so poor, is unimaginable in the urban world where we associate crowded halls with crores of  box-office ‘collections’, music concerts with four figure ticket prices.

Then there are the misconceptions about the lives, the lifestyles of those who practise this art. Kaalu-Baalu were teetotallers. Alcoholism and the problems it creates in rural families were one of the many social causes that their scripts talked about. Trying to bring about changes in society and at the same time being a riot of entertainment. Despite the hard life, there are people who are drawn to this art, want to practise it. The children, some nephews and nieces, even grandchildren of Lahu and Ankush Khade perform folk-theatre and keep the name of the Kaalu-Baalu Tamasha Mandal alive.

Except one. One of my classmates at the medical college in Karad sang very well. He was shy, did not talk much. But nobody could sing the way he did. He is a practising medical doctor somewhere. We never stayed in touch. I do not even know his first name. “Just call me Khade,” he had said the first time we met in 1985.

I should have insisted. After all, the family does have some endearingly funny first names.

Kaalu  (Lahu Sambhaji Khade)… Tumhaala Maanacha Mujra.

 Nadi (Dr. Manasee Palshikar) was an MBBS doctor for 10 years when she went back to studying. A course in Women’s Studies at Pune University was followed by learning the art of Screenplay at FTII. Nadi lives in Pune with her husband and daughter.

Editor’s note: We could not find any pictures of Lahu Sambhaji Khade. If our readers have any, we invite them to share with us.