Noted litterateur and Padma Shri awardee N.D. Mahanor, known as Maharashtra’s ‘nature poet’, passed away on August 3 at a private hospital in Pune, aged 80.
He had been admitted to the city’s Ruby Hall Clinic for the past few days after suffering from a kidney ailment, sources said.
A versatile literary figure who was also a progressive farmer, Namdeo Dhondo Mahanor, affectionately known as ‘Na Dho’, was an acclaimed novelist, songwriter and lyricist besides stamping his authority as a nature poet par excellence.
He also served as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) where he addressed issues pertaining to agriculture and the plight of farmers with great eloquence and sensitivity.
Born in a small village in Aurangabad (now called ‘Sambahajinagar’), one of Mr. Mahanor early works, the novel Ajintha (1984), detailing a 19th century love story about the English soldier-antiquarian Major Robert Gill (who copied the Ajanta cave frescoes) and a tribal girl, was later made into a film by acclaimed art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai, who incidentally passed a day before Mr. Mahanor.
‘Big loss to Maharashtra’s literature’
“His passing has filled a void in the field of Marathi poetry. It is a big loss to Maharashtra’s literature,” said eminent writer Dr. Sadanand More.
Dr. More said Mr. Mahanor brought a unique perspective to his poetry owing to the fact he was a farmer himself.
A personal friend of Sharad Pawar
Mr. Mahanor was closely associated with the politically influential Pawar family for more than 50 years, being a personal friend of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.
“He was my close friend. Known as a ‘wilderness poet’, he was born in a farmer’s family in Palaskhede in Aurangabad district. Apart from his dazzling poetry on seasons or his soulful songs, he was a person who took a keen interest in agricultural matters. He raised agricultural issues during his tenure as an MLC nominated by the Governor,” said Mr. Sharad Pawar, speaking in Delhi.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde condoling Mr. Mahanor’s passing while NCP MP Supriya Sule termed it “a personal loss for the Pawar family.”
“An important member of our family is no more. At times, he [Mr. Mahanor] used to compose some of his brilliant poetry just off-the-cuff. He had a great sense of humour and was a warm and lively person,” Ms. Sule said.
‘Wilderness poet’
Her cousin, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said Mr. Mahanor was a ‘wilderness poet’ in the true and literal sense of the term.
“He served literature by staying close to nature. He gave Marathi literature the smell of earth, showcasing the life of farmers’ and Maharashtra’s rural culture like no other, enriching Marathi folk literature,” said Mr. Ajit Pawar, paying fulsome tributes to the departed poet.
Mr. Mahanor’s last rites are to be performed in his native village of Palaskhede in Aurangabad district.
