Prabhakar Narayan alias Bhau Padhye (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental syste ...

: प्रभाकर नारायण उर्फ भाऊ पाध्ये; 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 language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

. 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 Ancient Era Maharashtri Prakrit was the southern Prakrit tha ...

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 Republic of India has 22 officially recognised languages. The earliest works of Indian literature were o ...

, 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 also ...

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

World Literature World literature is used to refer to the total of the world's 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 lit ...

". 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 (

: वासूनाका) polarized critics in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. Writers including

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

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 philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

. On the other hand, critics like

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

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

University of Mumbai The University of Mumbai is a collegiate university, collegiate, State university (India), state-owned, Public university, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the un ...

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

labour union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

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

Dadar Dadar ( ̪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. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mumbai’s first planne ...

, L. Kaduri High School at

Mazgaon Mazagaon, also spelled Mazgaon and Mazagon (Portuguese rule Mazagão), and pronounced by the Catholics as 'Mazgon' or 'Maz-a-gon' and the Marathi-speakers as Mazhgav, is one of the seven islands of Mumbai. References ;Notes {{reflist ;Sou ...

, 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 — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, 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 locality 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 like ...

in Mumbai before starting his career as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, 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 (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

. 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 (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivi ...

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