Rohidas Shirodkar

Rohidas Shirodkar is a screenplay writer, dramatist, poet and director. He started writing since 1973, his first piece of writing being a Konkani poem titled Mhoji Ayee (My mother). In the same year, he wrote a Konkani drama titled Kotador which is based on a court bailiff. In the Rashtramat Marathi daily, he published his poems such as Pakle Aile, Pakle Gele (Foreigners came, Foreigners left), Ramrajeantle Xevnnem (The bird from Good Governance), Chandragupta (which got submerged into the sea), and New Year. He took a hiatus for ten years and started to write again for local Marathi dailies such as Navaprabha, Gomantak and Tarun Bharat. He went on to write screenplays, which were relayed on Doordarshan such as Ken'na Koxem (When and how), Na Konn Konnacho (No one is anyone’s) Awart Vadal (Periodic storm), Amche Nahim Amchea Pashi (We don’t have ours with us), Praychit (Penance), Vishwa Hech Mazhe Ghar (World is my home) and Shree Ganesh Vandana (Veneration to Shri Ganesh). 

He produced the Konkani film Rinn Tern Farikponnachem (Debt which is to be repaid, 2008) in 35 mm cinemascope. The story of the film is based on adult literacy, love for parents and the evils of drinking. The names of dramas penned by him are All In One, Bhayankrut Ware (Terrible Wind) which shows how we can avoid  AIDS, Te Aile (They  arrived) which is based on a salesgirl who is killed by a politician, Ken'na Koxem (When and how) which is based on an orchard worker who wins a lottery, Badlapur based on how politicians hop from one party to another for their selfishness, Kal Ani Aiz  (Yesterday and today) which compares the old and new days, and Sting Operation on how migrants have taken over their hold on business and Goans have left their land for another place. His poetry volume Antrang (Intimate) relates to human characters. Similarly, he has conducted a programme named Surashree based on the Sare Gama singing competition, which he produced in the year 2005. Besides writing he has acted in dramas and films.

As a social worker, Rohidas Shirodkar was the President of the Goan unit of the Samajvadi Party. He is also the President of Robashi Arts, ex-Council member of Goa Kala Akademi, ex-President of the Motion Pictures Production Association (Goa), ex-President of the AITUC Goa, ex-President of the Utkarsh Mandal, Borim, and ex-executive member of the Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir.

He was awarded the Best Writer award for his Tyag (Sacrifice) telefilm at the Second Goan Film Festival.