Ratilal Borisagar
A Gujarati humour writer and teacher from Savarkundla, author of Marak Marak and many books of light essays, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Ratilal Borisagar has been making Gujarati readers laugh for nearly fifty years. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of literature and education, from Gujarat [1].
Teacher
Borisagar was born on 31 August 1938 in Savarkundla, Amreli district [2]. He holds an MA, a BEd and a PhD [2]. From 1957 to 1974 he taught at primary, secondary and college level in Savarkundla, and then joined the Gujarat State Board of School Textbooks, retiring as deputy director (academic) in 1998 [2].
Years later, in 2011, his former students set up a foundation in Savarkundla, which in 2015 opened a hospital that treats patients entirely free [2].
Writer
He began writing around 1955, first short stories and then light essays [2]. After his first book, Marak Marak (1977), he wrote only humour [2]. His books include Anand Lok, Sambhavami Yuge Yuge, Enjoygraphy and Bhaj Anandam [2]. He also revised 33 of Hariprasad Vyas’s classic Bakor Patel children’s books for today’s young readers [2], and was joint editor of the Gujarati monthly Akhand Anand from 1999 to 2005 [2].
His honours include the Jyotindra Dave humour prize for Marak Marak and several Gujarat Sahitya Akademi prizes [2]. He still teaches good Gujarati usage at Vishwakosh in Ahmedabad [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Ratilal Borisagar — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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