Govind Ballal Deval
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Govind Ballal Deval was a leading figure in Marathi Sangeet Natak for three decades. He joined Kirloskar Natak Mandali soon after its inception and became its taalim-master (director). He had Kirloskar's trust, and he wrote padas (songs) for the character Shakuntala in the drama named after her. Annasaheb Kirloskar had not written songs for the main character when he wrote the drama but indicated situations in the manuscript where he wanted songs inserted.
After Kirloskar's early death, Deval's responsibilities increased. His plays "Shap-sambhram", "Mruchha-katik" , "Sharada", "Sanshaykallol" (aka 'Zunzarraoanche Lagna' in its prose form) became very popular. After a quarrel with Shankarrao Mujumdar, the other main figure at Kirloskar Natak Mandali, Deval left the company, vowing never to rejoin it. When Bal Gandharva formed his own Gandharva Natak Mandali in 1913, Deval joined it as its director. But he died an early death a few years later.
Deval's elder brother, Krishnaji Deval, had a close association with Abdul Karim Khan. Krishnaji used to deliver lectures on shrutis (musical notes) and Khansaheb used to help him by demonstrating Deval's concepts through singing.
