HYDERABAD: Hyderabad art and literary circle lost its gem Vijay Marur, 66, on Wednesday. He was one of the founder members of Little Theatre, a communication professional, theatre artiste, food writer, poet and advertising professional.
Other than being actively involved with several theatre groups, Vijay Marur used to do voice-overs and into making ad films.
“He was a journalist’s delight. Ask him anything and he would immediately help with numbers. He was such a credible source,’’ says Swati S, a food writer.
Vijay had started literary and cultural evenings at the Gallery Cafe, Banjara Hills, where he conducted book launches, poetry readings, open mics and interesting food and art events. It used to come alive on Wednesdays with his presence, who had a gift of gab and a great sense of humour.
Amita Desai, one of the directors of Hyderabad Literary Festival, wrote on her timeline, “Gone too soon, Vijay Marur. Leaving your voice, your precious smile. A world full of friends.”
He was known to encourage young talent and made sure that the budding artists met each other at art and literary platforms.
His association with traditional Hyderabadi food was well-known. He was one of the first restaurant reviewers of Hyderabad known for writing interesting pieces for reputed newspapers. He had tremendous knowledge about food.
His initial days were spent in Calcutta studying at St Lawrence, Ballygunge. Reminiscing him Sabyasachi Roychaudhuri, a food writer says, “He studied in my school.
Of course, he was my senior. He took an active interest in cultural events of Bengal.
He even wrote articles for Bengalis in Hyderabad (BIH) magazine published annually; such a multifaceted personality he was.”
He is survived by his wife and two daughters.