Noted Marathi critic and litterateur RG Jadhav has passed away at his residence due to prolonged illness at the age of 83. Born on August 24, 1932, at Vadodara in Gujarat, Jadhav served as a professor of Marathi literature in various colleges, including one in Amravati, Elphinstone College in Mumbai, and also at Milind College in Aurangabad. Jadhav presided over Marathi Sahitya Sammelan held at Aurangabad in 2004 and worked as chief editor of Marathi Vishwakosha between 2000 and 2002.

Recipient of many awards, Jadhav penned more than 45 books, including ‘Anandacha Doh’ (a study of saint Tukaram), ‘Nilee Pahat’ (a critique of Dalit literature) and ‘Bapu’ (a collection of 91 reflective poems on Mahatma Gandhi). He was also associated with Sadhana Trust and worked with rationalist and anti-superstition crusader Dr Narendra Dabholkar, who was killed in August 2013.

Did You Know?

• Marathi (मराठी Marāṭhī) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western India (Maharashtrians). It serves as the official language of the state of Maharashtra, with roughly ninety million fluent speakers worldwide.
• Marathi ranks 4th in India with respect to the number of people who claim it as their primary language. Along with Bengali, Marathi is the oldest of the regional literatures in Indo-Aryan languages, dating from about AD 1000.
• Marathi is at least fifteen hundred years old, and derives its grammar and syntax from Pali and Prakrit. The Marathi language was earlier known as Maharashtri, Maharathi, Malhatee or Marthi in ancient times.