Noted poet Shantaram Nandgaonkar died in Mumbai on Saturday following prolonged illness. The funeral took place in the evening. He was 73 and is survived by wife and two sons.
Nandgaonkar was suffering from Alzheimer disease for the last one year and was being treated at the Bombay hospital where he breathed his last. He hailed from Nandgaon in Sindhudurg district. He wrote the lyrics of several Marathi and Hindi films songs.
“Datoona kanth yeto pahile na mi tula..." and “Pratham tula vandito....” from Ashtavinayak was very popular. Some of his other well known films include Dhoom Dhadaka, Navri Mile Navryala, Ashi hi banva banvi. He wrote the lyrics of Hindi film Doodh Ka Karz.
His song on Dr BR Ambedkar “Dalitancha raja, bhimrao majha” was also popular. Nandgaonkar was nominated to the Legislative Council in 1985 on a Shiv Sena ticket.