Pramod Sachchidanand Navalkar (23 Jan 1935 – 20 Nov 2007) was an Indian politician and member of the

Shiv Sena Shiv Sena ( IAST: ''Śiva Sēnā'') () was a right-wing to far-right Marathi regionalist and Hindu ultranationalist political party in India founded in 1966 by cartoonist Bal Thackeray. Originally emerging from nativist movements in Bom ...

political party. A legislator for over thirty years, he served as cabinet minister in the

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the state governing authority for the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a democratically elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the Vidhan Sabha for a five-year term. Maharashtra has a Maharashtra Legisla ...

from 1995 to 1999, holding the Cultural Affairs portfolio.

Career

Journalism

Navalkar began his career as a journalist and commentator while he was still a college student. In 1955, he began writing a weekly column titled Bhatkyaachee Bhramanti ("Man About Town") in the

Marathi language Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state o ...

daily ''Navshakti.'' He is known as ''"Bhramantikaar"'' in Literature. The column, which dealt with political, social and cultural issues, ran continuously for 52 years without a break, and ended only with his death. This consistency earned him a mention in the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for the longest-running

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. O ...

column in the world.

Politics

His career as a successful journalist and writer led him gradually to politics. Navalkar was one of the earliest members of the

. He joined that newly founded party in 1968, and remained with it till his death fifty years later, exhibiting a degree of steadfastness and loyalty which is rare in Indian politics. He was elected as a corporator to the

Bombay Municipal Corporation The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC; IAST: ), also known as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. It is India's richest municipal corporation. The BMC ...

on the Shiv Sena ticket from a ward in

Girgaum Girgaon, or Girgaum, is an area in southern Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is near the coast. A section of Marine Drive is located here. See also *Girgaum Chowpatti *Tanks of Bombay Although the tanks have long vanished, the city of Bom ...

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- ...

, in 1968. In 1972, he became a

state legislator A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...

after winning the assembly election to the

Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha or the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the legislature of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated in the Nariman Point area of South Mumbai in the capital Mumbai. Presently, 288 memb ...

from the

(

Opera House An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

) constituency in south

, winning by over 25,000 votes. After this, he consistently won the election to the upper house ( Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad) from the Mumbai Graduates’ constituency from 1986 to 2006. Between 1995 and 1999, he served as minister of cultural affairs when his party, the

, was in power 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 ...

. He was instrumental in projects like Nana Nani (for the elderly) parks.

Personal life

Navalkar was born into a middle-class Marathi-speaking family. His father's name was Sachchidanand Navalkar. At a young age (just short of 20), Navalkar was married to Vandana, a lady of his own community and similar background. The marriage, which was arranged by their parents in the usual Indian tradition, was harmonious and happy. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary about two years before Navalkar died. They were the parents of two daughters, Reshma and Shilpa, who are married to educated gentlemen and well-settled with their own families. Navalkar was a long-time diabetic. In 1995, just around the time he became a cabinet minister in the state government, Navalkar also underwent a heart by-pass operation. He died of a heart attack at his residence in Mumbai on Tuesday, 20 Nov 2007, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife of over 50 years and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Navalkar, Pramod Shiv Sena politicians 2007 deaths Indian columnists Writers from Maharashtra Members of the Maharashtra Legislative Council 1935 births Politicians from Mumbai State cabinet ministers of Maharashtra Leaders of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Maharashtra MLAs 1972–1978 Marathi politicians