Bal Phondke is the nom-de-plume of Dr Gajanan Phondke, a leading writer in Marathi. His specialty is science literature (fiction and non fiction). He is credited along with Dr. Jayant Narlikar to have started the science fiction genre of writing in Marathi literature. He has worked as a nuclear biologist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre from 1962 to 1983. From 1983 to 1989, he was with the Times of India group serving 2 stints as the Editor of Science Today magazine and also as the science editor of The Times of India broadsheet. He later on served as the director of the Publications and Information Directorate of CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) from where he retired in 1999.
