Bakibab Borkar

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Balakrishna Bhagwant "Bakibab" Borkar (; 30 November 1910 – 8 July 1984), also known as Ba-ki-baab, was an Indian poet. He started writing poems at an early age. Writer Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar was an early champion of Borkar's poetry. Borkar joined Goa's liberation movement in the 1950s and moved to Poona, where he worked for the radio. Most of his literature is written in Marathi, though his Konkani output is also considerable. He excelled as a prose writer as well. His long poems Mahatmayan, an unfinished poem dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, and TamaHstotra are famous. One of his famous poems is "Mazha Gaav", meaning "My village". After Borkar's death, fellow Marathi writer Pu La Deshpande and his wife Sunitabai performed public readings of Borkar's poetry.

Life and career

Balkrishna Bhagwant Borkar was born on 30 November 1910 in the village of Borim, Goa situated on the banks of the Zuari river. The atmosphere in his house was very pious and there used to be recitals of bhajans, kirtans, holy scripts and songs of saints of Maharashtra. As a household rule every child was supposed to learn new Abhang s by heart.

It is said that Borkar once forgot to learn a new Abhang and when it was his turn to recite, he composed an Abhnag on the fly. People who were listening were astonished and could not believe that young Borkar could have done this and he was asked to compose one more Abhang. He surprised them again by composing one more Abhang and ended it with the verse "Baki Mhane" (so says Baki).

Borkar's mother tongue was Konkani and he did his schooling till the second grade in Marathi medium. Goa at that time was under the colonial rule of the Portuguese and Baki had to complete his further education in Portuguese language. He acquired a Portuguese Teachers Diploma. He went on to complete the tough teachers’ training course at the Escola Normal in 1936, where he was exposed to world literature, thanks mainly to his Goan teacher, the scholarly Dona Propercia Correia Afonso. He could not continue his formal education beyond that point because of lack of funds and had to find himself a job. He worked as teacher in various schools in Goa from 1930 to 1945. Later he left for Bombay (Mumbai) where he edited Konkani periodicals Amacha Gomatak and Porjecho Awaj. In November 1955 he joined Aakashwani (All India Radio). A stint at the Panaji Akashvani Kendra followed in post-liberation Goa from 1962 till his retirement in 1970.

Literature "Ba. Bha. Borkar: Vyakti and Vangmay" – Manohar Hirba Sardessai 1992, Gomantak Marathi Academy, Panaji "Mandovi"- Kavivarya Ba.Bha. Borkar 60th birthday special issue, 1970, Editor: Shriram Pandurang Kamat, Goa.

Awards 1934 – Gold Medal Marathi Sahitya Samellan for Poetry 1950 – Gold Medal Gomantak Marathi Sahitya Samellan for Novel "Bhavin" 1950 – President – Konkani Sahitya Samellan 1957– President – MarathiKavi Samellan, Solapur 1961-President – Tagore Centinary Sahitya Shakha 1956 -President – Gomantak Marathi Sahitya Samellan 1963-President Sahityakar Sansad, Allahabad 1964–1970 – President- Institute Menezes Braganza, Panaji, Goa 1963 – Member of the Sahitik Shistamandal to Sri Lanka 1967 – Padmashri – Government of India 1968 – President – Akhil Bharatiya Konkani Parishad 1970– President-Second Marathi Sahitya Parishad's Sahitya Samellan, Mahabaleshwar 1970-President- 20th Mumbai Subarban Sahitya Samellan 1970 – President- 72 nd Annual Function of Mumbai Marathi Granthasangralaya