Quintessential Marathi Poet Mangesh Padgaonkar passes away

Akherache yetil maajhyaa hech shabd othhi
laakh chukaa asateel kelyaa, keli pan preeti…….

Iconic Marathi poet and Padma Bhushan recipient Mangesh Keshav Padgaonkar passed away here today after a brief illness. He was 86.
He started writing poems at the age of 14. “Tuz pahile tav pahile, he pushpa rudayatale” was his first poem. He has written poems for more than 70 years. He is an unblushing romantic poet and his description of his alter ego as a gypsy is appropriate.
Born on March 10, 1929 in Vengurla, Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, he received a Master of Arts degree in Marathi and Sanskrit from the University of Bombay.
Sung by Arun Date, his songs “Ya Janmawar, Ya Jaganyawar Shatada Prem Karawe”, “Bhatukalichya Khelamadhali” and “Shukratara Mand Wara” are well known. He had 40 publications to his credit. The US Library of Congress has acquired 31 of his publications. He has written a collection of essays and published it under the title ‘Nimbonichya Zaadamage’. translated works of Mirabai and published a book ‘Mira’ in 1965. He also translated works of Kabir and Surdas in Marathi alongwith Shakespeare’s plays ‘The Tempest’, ‘Julius Ceasar’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’. His translations of ‘Bible: The New Testament’ was published in 2008.

Some of his popular Marathi songs-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu10VgPSK-w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMSFA4vLAAk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4lznz6E8oo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJKMFEcePK4