Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: City's veteran theatre artist, playwright and writer Prabhakar Lonikar (86), passed away on Sunday morning after a brief illness.
He who retired from the Revenue Department as a tehsildar basically hailed from Loni (Pathri, Parbhani). Prabhakar Lonikar performed more than a hundred plays and one-act plays. He played a leading role in the Marathi film "Dista Tasa Nasta."
He received many awards for best actor and best direction for plays. The then president of Akhil Bhartiya Sahitya Sammelan (1995), Narayanrao Surve, honoured him with a special Rangkarmi Award.
More than 100 houses were given to revenue employees under the Housing Society for Revenue Employees in Parbhani due to his efforts, and he was the president of that Revenue Housing Society for 10 consecutive years.
The veteran playwright also worked in various positions in the Revenue Employees' Association. The last rites were performed on him this evening. Prabhakar is survived by a son (senior Ayurveda doctor Rahul Lonikar), daughter-in-law, two daughters, sons-in-law and extended family.