Tukaram, known by his nickname Anna, was born to Bhaurao and Valubai in a settlement on the outskirts of Wategaon in Sangli district, Maharashtra. He spent his childhood in the Warna valley amidst social and economic struggles. Without formal education or a family tradition of learning, he educated himself in the 'school of experience' and ushered in a new era in Marathi literature.

Driven to Mumbai by drought, Anna Bhau worked at various jobs and experienced workers' lives at close quarters. Immersing himself in their world, he was influenced by Marxist thought. The poet and extraordinarily gifted Shahir within him came alive. Turning his pen and Daf into weapons against exploitation, Comrade Anna Bhau took Marathi literature directly to the huts of the working class. Guided by ideological commitment, he explored Povada, Lavani, songs, stories, novels, travelogues, plays and Loknatya. Through his writing, he revealed the marginalized world unfamiliar to Marathi literature. Transforming Tamasha into Loknatya, he gave it seriousness, prestige and social recognition. During the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, his Lavani and Shahiri ignited a revolutionary spark among the Marathi people. His 'Lal Bavta Kalapathak' travelled from village to village, mobilizing thousands. Anna Bhau travelled to Russia on the strength of his writing and brought honour to Marathi literature.

Breaking Marathi literature's traditional framework, Anna Bhau portrayed a hero from a marginalized community fighting injustice in his stories and novels. Using art for public education and social awareness, he was a radiant 'Red Star' in Maharashtra's literary and cultural landscape.