The condition of the well-known Marathi poet and Sahitya Akademi awardee, undergoing treatment for liver cancer, deteriorated and he breathed his last at 10 am.
The special room on the eighth floor of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital wore a gloomy look as its occupant for six months, Kavi Grace alias Manik Sitaram Godghate, passed away on Monday.
The condition of the well-known Marathi poet and Sahitya Akademi awardee, undergoing treatment for liver cancer, deteriorated and he breathed his last at 10 am.
He was 75 and is survived by daughters Mithila and Madhavi and son Raghav.
A native of Nagpur, the poet was detected with throat cancer three years ago. However, he overcame the disease while being treated at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital.
About a year ago, he was tested positive for liver cancer. On the insistence of his close friend and well-known music composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar, the hospital became the poet’s abode six months ago. Dr Siddharth Kelkar, who was treating the poet, said that his condition started deteriorating three days ago and was shifted to the intensive care unit on Saturday. “He slipped into coma on Sunday,” Kelkar said.
Surrounded by his photographs, with some with Hridaynath Mangeshkar, in his room, Grace continued to write in the hospital. The authorities had to do away with hospital rules for this special guest who had visitors throughout the day.
Born on May 10, 1937, in Nagpur, Grace made his mark with his very first book ‘Sandhyakalchya Kavita’. It was published by Popular Prakashan in 1967 under their project Nave Kavi- Navi Kavita, which aimed to encourage new poets. The book won the state government’s ‘Kavi Keshavsut Award’.
He was a great admirer of Urdu and English poetry and served as lecturer in Nagpur. Undeterred by critics who called his work ‘obscure’, he continued writing prose and poetry. ‘Churchbell’, ‘Chandramadhavi Che Pradesh’, and ‘Sanjbhayachya Sajani’ are some of his well-known works.
While he lived with the grudge that his work was never recognised, it was in December 2011, when he had crossed 75, that he was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi for his prose collection ‘Waryane Halte Raan’. The prestigious award was presented to him in February 2012. His suffering and pain finds expression in his latest book ‘Olya Veluchi Basri’ that was released in January 2012 in the hospital itself. He continued writing till his last days.
His last rites were held in Nagpur on Monday.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}