Prabhakar Narayan alias Bhau Padhye (1926–1996) was an Indian writer who wrote in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

. Padhye is regarded as one of the foremost writers to have emerged in not just modern

Marathi literature Marathi literature is the body of literature of Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra and written in the Devanagari and Modi script. History Early history As a written language, Marathi is probably ...

but also

Indian literature Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India has 22 officially recognised languages. Sahitya Akadem ...

, at large.

Dilip Chitre Dilip Purushottam Chitre (17 September 1938 – 10 December 2009) was one of the foremost Indian poets and critics to emerge in the post Independence India. Apart from being a notable bilingual writer, writing in Marathi and English, he was als ...

once commented that Padhye is a writer "who deserves a permanent place in

World Literature World literature is used to refer to the world's total national literature and the circulation of works into the wider world beyond their country of origin. In the past, it primarily referred to the masterpieces of Western European literature. ...

". During his lifetime, Padhye had a long ending tussle with publication of his books. Nevertheless, his novels Barrister Aniruddha Dhopeshvarkar, Vasunaka, Rada are regarded as classics of modern Marathi literature. Padhye was also known for his short stories. A collection of his short stories was edited by Dilip Chitre. Another collection of his selected short stories was edited by Rajan Gavas. His third published novel Vasunaka (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: वासूनाका) polarized critics in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. Writers including

Vijay Tendulkar Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar (6 January 1928 – 19 May 2008) was an Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marathi. His Marathi plays established him as a writ ...

Durga Bhagwat Durga Narayan Bhagwat (10 February 1910 – 7 May 2002), popularly known as Durga Bhagwat, was an Indian scholar, socialist and writer. She studied Sanskrit and Buddhist literature and spent time in the jungles of Madhya Pradesh to study tribal ...

hailed the novel for its originality and its portrayal of

humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and Agency (philosophy), agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The me ...

. On the other hand, critics like

Acharya Atre Pralhad Keshav Atre () (13 August 1898 – 13 June 1969), popularly known as Āchārya Atre, was a prominent Marathi writer, poet, educationist, founder–editor of ''Maratha'' (a Marathi language newspaper), and above all a noted orator. Biogr ...

shamed the novel for its vulgarity. Padhye graduated in Economics from the

University of Mumbai University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. It was est ...

in 1948. During 1949-51, he worked as a full-time volunteer for a

labour union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

. He worked next as a teacher in King George High-school at

Dadar Dadar (Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. It is Mumbai's first planned area and i ...

, L. Kaduri High School at

Mazgaon Mazagaon, also spelled Mazgaon and Mazagon (Portuguese era Mazagão), and pronounced by the Christian Bombay East Indians as 'Mazgon' or 'Maz-a-gon' and Marathi-speakers as Mazhgav. It was one of the seven islands of Bombay. It is now a part ...

, and B. S. Ezikel High School at

Sandhurst Road Sandhurst Road (station code: SNRD) is a railway station serving Dongri area of South Mumbai, India, on the Central and Harbour Lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. It is the third stop from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Named after ...

, all in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, for a year each. Then he worked for four years as a clerk in Spring Mill at

Wadala Wadala (also spelled Vadala, formerly spelt Wuddala, �əɖaːɭa is a neighborhood in Mumbai. Wadala Road is a station on the Harbour Line of Mumbai's railway network. Overview Wadala has several schools and some renowned institutions ...

in Mumbai before starting his career as a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, sequentially in ''Hind Mazdoor'', ''Nava Kal'', and ''Nava Shakti'' dailies. His columns were published in different Marathi magazines, including ''Rahasyaranjan'', ''Abhiruchee'', ''Manoos'', ''Sobat'', ''Dinank'', ''Kridangan'', and ''Chandrayug''. In 1989, Padhye suffered an attack of

paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...

. He was married to Shoshna Mazgoankar, a labour union activist

Literary works

Novels

* ''Dombaryacha Khel'', 1960, Majestic Book Stall, Mumbai * ''Vaitag Vadi'', 1965, Sadhana Prakashan, Pune * ''Vasunaka'', 1965, Popular Prakashan, Mumbai * ''Barrister Aniruddha Dhopeshvarkar'', 1968, Popular Prakashan, Mumbai * ''Agresar'', 1968, G. M. Prabhu Prakashan, Mumbai * ''Homesick Brigade'', 1974, Amey Prakashan, Nagpur * ''Rada'', 1975, Forward Publication, Mumbai * ''Vanava'', 1978, Indraneel Prakashan, Mumbai * ''Ward No. 7 Surgical'', 1980, Dimple Publication, Vasai * ''Karanta'', 1981, Majestic Prakashan * ''Jailbirds'', 1982, Dimple Publication, Vasai

Story collections

* ''Ek Sunehara Khwab'', 1980, Dhaara Prakashan, Aurangabad * ''Murgi'', 1981, Dimple Publication, Vasai * ''Thalipeeth'', 1984, Dimple Publication, Vasai * ''Thodisi Jo Pee Le'', 1986, Saras Prakashan, Vasai * ''Bhau Padhye Yanchya Shreshth Katha'', 2009, edited by Dilip Purushottam Chitre, Lokvangmay Griha, Mumbai

Play

* ''Operation Chhakka'', 1969

Movie script

* ''Godam'' (1984). (Directed by

, the movie received in 1985 a Special Jury Award for direction at The France International Film Festival.)

Other writings

* ''Pichakari'', 1979, Dinapushpa Prakashan, Mumbai * ''Sajati Hai Yun Hi Mehefil'', 1981 * ''Gurudatt'', 1990, Lokvangmaya Griha, Mumbai

Literary accolades

Maharashtra State Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to the sou ...

Award for the novel ''Vaitag Vadi'' (1965) * Lalit Award for ''Barrister Aniruddha Dhopeshwarkar'' (1968) * Maharashtra State Literature and Culture Board Fellowship (1993)

References

External links

A blog about Bhau Padhye

{{DEFAULTSORT:Padhye, Bhau 1926 births 1996 deaths Journalists from Maharashtra Marathi-language writers University of Mumbai alumni Writers from Mumbai 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian journalists Indian newspaper journalists Novelists from Maharashtra