Suresh Bhat (15 April 1932 – 14 March 2003) was a Marathi poet from the state of

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Personal life

Bhat was born in a Karhade Brahmin family in

Amravati Amravati (/Marathi phonology, əmᵊɾɑʋᵊt̪iː/) is a city in Maharashtra located in the Vidarbha region. It is the ninth largest city in Maharashtra, India & second largest city in the Vidarbha region in terms of population. It is the ...

to Shridhar Bhat, a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

. His mother was fond of poetry and made young Bhat often read famous Marathi poems. He later acknowledged this practice to be a key influence in the development of his poetic abilities. He earned the B.A. degree in 1955. Poems comforted him as he battled bitterness and depression throughout his life finally accepting Atheism. After completing his education he took teaching jobs in rural areas of

and continued writing poems. In 1964, he married Pushpa Mehendale, who hailed from Pune, but worked as teacher in Madhan, Amravati. He converted to

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

in presence of Bhante Surai Sasai and Bhau Lokhande. Dr. Ambedkar was an ideal to him. Bhat died of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

on 14 March 2003, at the aged of 70.Popular gazal writer Suresh Bhat expires - The Times of India
/ref> He is survived by his son, Chittranjan Bhat and daughter. The famous ghazal writer Ilahi Jamadar was his student.

Works

Bhat published his first collection of poems, ''Roopgandha'' in 1961. In 1974, he published his second collection, ''Ranga maazhaa wegalaa'' and in 1983 he self-published a collection named ''Elgaar''. Other collections of his poems include ''Zanjhaavaat'' and ''Saptaranga'' ''Roopgandha'' and ''Ranga maazhaa wegalaa'' were the recipients of the state literary awards sponsored by the

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the executive branch of the Indian states of india, state of Maharashtra. The government is led by the List of chief ministers of Maharashtra, chief minister (currently Devendra Fadnavis since 5 December 2024) ...

in their respective years of publication. Poet Ilahi Jamadar was his student in Pune. His famous song on B. R. Ambedkar 'Bhimraya Ghe Tuzya Ya Lekranchi Vandana' (father Ambedkar, take these offerings from your children). Bhat's poems are generally classified as Marathi '' ghazals''. Bhat's best-known verses gained popularity after they were set to music by

Hridaynath Mangeshkar Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar (Marathi pronunciation: �ɾud̪əjnaːt̪ʰ məŋɡeːʃkəɾ born 26 October 1937) is an Indian music director and occasional singer. He is the only son of musician Deenanath Mangeshkar and younger brother of ...

, and were sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

and

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; ; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the ...

. Bhat's poem 'Maayboli' was composed by music director Kaushal Inamdar as the Marathi Abhimaangeet as a song featuring more than 450 singers.

List of poetry collections

* ''Roopgandha'' * ''Ranga maazhaa vegalaa'' * ''Elgaar'' * ''Zanjhaavaat'' * ''Saptaranga'' * ''Rasvanticha Mujara'' * ''Kaflaa''

References

External links

www.sureshbhat.in - a site dedicated to Suresh Bhat and Marathi ghazals (in Marathi)An interview with Suresh Bhat (in Marathi)
* http://www.sureshbhat.in/
Suresh Bhat: BookGanga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhat, Suresh Marathi-language poets Writers from Nagpur 1932 births 2003 deaths 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian Buddhists 21st-century Indian Buddhists Converts to Buddhism from Hinduism Navayana Buddhists Indian male poets Poets from Maharashtra 20th-century Indian male writers