Hometown still awaits his memorial

Amravati Bureau

The genius of Suresh Bhat, the delicacy and depth of his poetry and enormity of his literary work is applauded across the world. However, in his own native place of Amravati, efforts to keep alive his memories through a memorial or an auditorium have remained fruitless. On his 91st birth anniversary, as people will pay tributes to the great poet on Saturday, city’s literary community reiterates the demand for announcement of at least a policy for construction of his memorial. Born in Amravati on April 15, 1932, he completed his education in Amravati and got a BA degree in 1955. After completing his education, he took up teaching in rural area of Amravati and continued writing poems.

Bhat published his first collection of poems, ‘Roopgandha’ in 1961. In 1974, he published his second collection, ‘Ranga Maazhaa Wegalaa’ and in 1983, he self-published a collection named ‘Elgaar’. Other collections of his poems include ‘Zanjhaavaat’ and ‘Saptaranga’. ‘Roopgandha’ and ‘Ranga Maazhaa Wegalaa’ were the recipients of many State Literary Awards given by Government of Maharashtra. His poems, generally classified as Marathi ‘ghazals’, gained greater popularity after they were set to music by Hridaynath Mangeshkar, and were sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. His poem ‘Maayboli’ was composed by music director Kaushal Inamdar as the ‘Marathi Abhimaangeet’ as a song featuring more than 450 singers.

Bhat was instrumental in popularising ghazals in Marathi. Not just Marathi poetry-lovers, but Hindi and Urdu-speaking connosiers were also enthralled by Suresh Bhat’s ghazals. Famous ghazal singer like Bhimrao Panchal, Prof Dr Rajesh Umale and others often present Suresh Bhat’s ghazals from their programmes. To such a great legend, responsible for popularising Marathi language, the city of Amravati, his birth place, has nothing to remember him by. Suresh Bhat Pratishthan was established with the initiative from Late Someshwar Pusatkar and through it various programmes were organised in the memory of Late Suresh Bhat. But after the demise of Late Pusatkar, that attraction has lost is charm. There is a long pending demand to have a memorial of Suresh Bhat at his birthplace here. Vishnu Solanke, noted poet, litterature and writer is taking pain for fulfilling this demand of Amravatians for many years now. He is pursing the demand for a memorial and Study Centre in Bhat’s name at Sant Gadgebaba Amravati University.

He also has also submitted a memorandum to government. Besides, there is also an demand of auditorium named after Suresh Bhat. According to Vishnu Solanke, a memorial will permanently solidify the memory of the legendary poet in Amravati. To the new generation and to everyone visiting Amravati, that memorial can serve as a torchbearer of the fine literary tradition of the city, opined Solanke while reiterating demand for a memorial of Late Suresh Bhat in Amravati.