jagdish khebudkar

Renowned Marathi poet, lyricist and writer Jagdish Khebudkar passed away in a private hospital here Tuesday following a kidney ailment, an aide said. He was 79.He is survived a by two sons - Abhang and Muktachand - and two daughters - Kavita and Angai, an aide said.Decorated with 11 state awards in different categories, Khebudkar had been ill since quite some time, the aide said.The poet is survived a by two sons, Abhang and Muktachand, and two daughters, Kavita and Angai.In his career spanning over six decades, Khebudkar penned over 3,750 poems, 2,500 songs for Marathi and Hindi movies, four teleserials for Doordarshan, five telefilms, several plays and other literature.He started his career in literature and films in the early 1950s and penned his first Marathi song in 1960.Among his noted songs were for movies like "Pinjra," and Marathi versions of "Roja" and "Hey Ram" among 325-plus other movies.Khebudkar worked in tandem with the top names of Marathi film industry like V. Shantaram, Dada Kondke, Bhalji Pendharkar and many others.The writer had a rare versatility in his poetry. He could pen hymns, bhajans and devotional songs with the same ease as penning raunchy "laavni" songs, love songs or Marathi disco numbers.Besides writing lyrics, Khebudkar also sang and composed music for some of his songs and wrote what is considered the longest Marathi poem.   jagdish khebudkar