Renowned Marathi writer Anant Yashwant Khare, better known as Nanda Khare, passed away in Pune today due to prolonged illness. He was 76. Besides biographies, Mr Khare wrote 19 books on various topics like science, sociology, and geography with some of his most noted works being 'Antajichi Bakhar',  'Bakhar Antakalachi' and 'Udya'.<br />''<br />''He received numerous awards from foundations like Granthali, Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh, Lokmangal and Shabd: The Book Gallery.  In 2010, he received the state government's Bhai Madhavrao Bagal Award for his book 'Kahani Manav Pranyachi'. Mr. Khare was offered the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel 'Udya' in 2020  but he politely refused as by then he had decided not to accept any awards.<br />''<br />''Mr.Khare had also worked on the editorial board of 'Aajcha Sudharak' newspaper for close to eleven years and was a member of the Marathi Science Council. <br />''<br />''<br />