Vinod Bhatt, the Writer Who Made Us Smile, Leaves for Heavenly Abode

Gujarati biographer, humourist and author Vinod Bhatt passed away on May 23 at age 80. Bhatt authored 45 books in Gujarati, Hindi and even Sindhi, during his prosperous literary career. PM Modi and the literati are saddened by his passing away. 

When writer Vinod Bhatt passed away on May 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him a “master of words” whose “works will continue to bring smiles on many faces”, as he expressed his sadness over his demise on Twitter. Such is the affection that Bhatt has always got for his  words and works. A recipient of the Ramanlal Nilkanth Hasya Paritoshik, the Gujarati humour essayist fought a prolonged battle with kidney problems before leaving for his heavenly abode at his residence in Ahmedabad. He was 80. As per his wishes, his body is now in safekeeping for medical research purposes.

Shri Vinod Bhatt was a master of words. Humour and satire came naturally to him. His works will continue to bring smiles on many faces. His demise is saddening. My thoughts are with all his admirers in this sad hour.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 23, 2018

Author of more than 45 books, the biographer and satirical Gujarati writer was born in Nandol near Dehgam, in Gandhinagar district, in 1938. He studied to become a tax consultant and worked in this role for many years. He simultaneously pursued writing, being the creative wordsmith that he was at heart. Former president of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, Bhatt wrote multiple columns for various local dailies, including Gujarat Samachar and Divya Bhaskar. Out of his repertoire of published books, the multilingual writer drafted ten in Hindi and one in Sindhi.

Honoured with awards on multiple occasions, Bhatt was a Gaurav Puraskar recipient at the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi, a Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak laureate, and he also received the Kumar Chandrak and Sanskar Chandrak. His most famous works are his biographies which have a satirical touch. They are Charlie Chaplin, Narmad Ek Character, Swapnadrashta Munshi, Hasyamurti Jyotindra Dave, Great Showmen George Bernard Shaw, and Anton Chekov. The man who always made people smile has left us with teary eyes!