Laxman Mane

Laxman Bapu Mane (Marathi: लक्ष्मण बापू माने) (born June 1, 1949) is a Marathi writer and a social activist from Maharashtra, India. Mane came to sudden fame after publishing his autobiography Upara, (An Outsider), in 1980. Upara was considered as a milestone is Marathi Dalit literature and received Sahitya Akademi Award in 1981 and Padma Shri in 2009. He is a former member of Maharashtra's legislative council.

Early life

Mane was born on 1 June 1949 in a small village Somanthali, Phaltan (Maharashtra) in a nomadic tribe in India. He wrote his autobiography (Upara) in 1980, for which he received the Sahitya Akadami award in 1981.

After Upara

His autobiography Upara (उपरा) brought to the attention of the public in Maharashtra the problems of nomadic tribes arising out of their social and economic conditions. Under a two-year grant from the Ford Foundation for field work among nomadic tribes in Maharashtra, Mane wrote in 1984 his second book Band Darwaja (Closed door, 1984).

Conversion to Buddhism