Indorikar Maharaj | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nivrutti Kashinath Deshmukh 9 January 1972 Indori, Akole taluka, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra |
| Other names | Nivrutti Maharaj Indurikar |
| Education | Until B.Ed |
| Alma mater | Gokhale Education Society's College of Education, Sangamner, Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1994-present |
| Known for | Kirtans (In Marathi) |
| Spouse | Shalinitai Deshmukh |
| Children | 2 |
Nivrutti Kashinath Deshmukh (born 9 January 1972) is an Indian kirtankar and social educator from Maharashtra, India. His shows typically involve humorous routines that poke fun at societal ills and malpractices. [1] [2]
Indurikar was born on 9 January 1972 to a kirtankar father. [3] [4] [5] He grew up in Indori village in Akole taluka of Ahmednagar district and adopted the demonym Indorikar/Indurikar as part of his stage name. [6] [7] Indurikar earned a B.Ed. degree from the Gokhale Education Society's College of Education in Sangamner, Ahmednagar district. [8] [9] He initially worked as a teacher and started performing Kirtans at the age of 22. [4] [10]
Indurikar is known for interlacing humorous relatable examples in his kirtans and thus is able to quickly strike a cord with the audience. First cassette of his kirtan was released in 2003 and soon became famous over the social media. [11] Indurikar, along with a group of associates, employ musical instruments Taal and Mridang , but their usage is minimal.
According to Sadanand More, a historian as well as a kirtan writer, Indurikar does not fit within the hierarchy of Sant Parampara and Warkari sampradaya. He added that Indurikar's objectification of women and substandard jokes are indicative of base-level mediocrity. [12] [13] [14]
He has been accused of promoting superstition. [15]
Teachers unions in Maharashtra expressed displeasure at swipes taken by Indurikar accusing teachers of being lazy. [10]
Indurikar has made several controversial statements about woman. Some examples of these statements are: [16]
In February 2020, Indurikar received strong backlash for one of his statements that his made during his sermon in Ozar (budruk) in Ahmednagar. The preacher had reportedly said that "If a woman has intercourse on the even date, a boy is born. If a woman is on an odd date, a girl is born .... If intercourse is done at an inauspicious time, the child that is born would bring a bad name to the family. If the timing (of intercourse) is missed, the quality of output (child) will be sub-standard." [17] [18]
An Anti-superstition NGO Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti sought to file case against Indurikar claiming his remarks on timing of intercourse and gender of child violated the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act as well as the anti Black-Magic Act. [19] [20] His kirtan in Kolhapur was abruptly cancelled. [21] [22] Women's rights activist Trupti Desai threatened to throw ink on his face if a case wasn't filed against him soon. [23]
Indurikar apologized in a handwritten note saying he was tendering an apology if anyone's sentiments were hurt by his remarks. [24] [25] [26] [27] He added that some people unhappy with his work were causing additional trouble for him. [28] While answering a notice from the health department, Indurikar flip-flopped claiming that he made no such statements and there was no event held on dates in question. [29]
State minister Bachchu Kadu announced that there will be no charges filed against Indurikar. [30] [31]
On 19 June 2020, a First information report was registered in a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Sangamner, Ahmednagar. [17] [27] He was summoned to be present in court in August. [32]
Indurikar lives in Ozar (Bk) in Sangamner taluka in Ahmednagar district with his wife Shalinitai Deshmukh and two children. [4] He is the founding president of Dnyaneshwar Mauil Bahu-uddesiya Sevabhavi Sanstha in Ozar (Bk), Sangamner. [5] [24] [33] He runs a school in the village and is a known philanthropist in his region. [33] [34]
In 2019, there was a brief speculation that he may join politics with the Bharatiya Janta Party, [35] but he quickly clarified that he won't ever contest in elections. [36] [37]