Dhananjay Keer

Anant Viththal Keer (Devanagari: अनंत विठ्ठल कीर),^[1] known by his alias Dhananjay Keer (धनंजय कीर)(1913–1984^[2]) was an Indian biographer who profiled many high-profile politicians and social activists. He had written biographies of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, B.R Ambedkar, V.D Savarkar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak,^[3] Jyotiba Phule,^[4]: 194 Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj and Mahatma Gandhi.^[2]

Anant Viththal Keer
Native name	अनंत विठ्ठल कीर
Born	(1913-04-23)April 23, 1913 Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India
Died	12 May 1984 (1984-05-13) (aged 71)
Pen name	Dhananjay Keer
Occupation	Biographer
Language	English
Period	1950-1980
Genre	Biography
Notable awards	Padma Bhushan

Early life

Keer was born in Ratnagiri on 23 April 1913. His father's name was Vithal and his mother's was Devaki; he was married to Sudha and had six children.^[5]: 136 K. N. Jadhav writes that the revolutionary atmosphere in Ratnagiri in the early 1920s had a great influence on him. He migrated to Mumbai in 1938 to work with the Education Committee of the city's Municipal Corporation. He began writing in "Free Hindustan". His first biography, that of Savarkar, was first published in 1950.^[2]: 159 Later he wrote biographies of Ambedkar and Tilak. Resigning from his job, he wrote biographies of Phule, Shahu and Gandhi.^[2] He was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan in 1971^[2]: 159 and was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Shivaji University in 1980.^[2]

Keer had worked with Savarkar in the building of a temple in Ratnagiri.^[6]

Books

Marathi

• Mahatma Jotirao Phule: Amchya Samajkrantiche Janak
• Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (1966)
• Lokmanya Tilak ani Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj: Ek Mulyamapan (1971)
• Vishwabhooshan Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Manas Ani Tattvavichar
• Mahatma Phule : Samagra Wangmay (1969) (Coeditor S. G. Malshe)
• Krushnarao Arjun Keluskar: Atmacharitya va Charitya
• Rajarshi Shahu Chattrapati
• Krutadnya Mi Krutartha Mi (autobiography)
• Lokhitkarte Babasaheb Bole
• Teen Mahan Saraswat (1979)
• Hyani Itihas Ghadawila (1980)

English

• Veer Savarkar / Savarakar and His Times (1950)

• Keer added disclaimer on this book that it is based on "a plethora of material which was kindly made available to me by Savarkar himself and his kind interviews".^[7]

• Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission (1954)
• Lokmanya Tilak: Father of Indian Freedom Struggle (1959)
• Mahatma Jotirao Phule: Father of Indian Social Revolution (1964)
• Mahatma Gandhi: Political Saint and Unarmed Prophet (1973)
• Shahu Chattrapati: A Royal Revolutionary (1976)