Iconic Marathi poet and Padma Bhushan recipient Mangesh Keshav Padgaonkar passed away here today after a brief illness. He was 86.

Born on March 10, 1929 in Vengurla, Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, he received a Master of Arts degree in Marathi and Sanskrit from the University of Bombay. He taught Marathi at Ruia College for some years, and then during the 1970-1990 period served as an editor at the US Information Service, both in Mumbai.