Yusufkhan Mohamadkhan Pathan (Devanagari: युसुफखान मोहमदखान पठाण) (b. 1930) is a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India.[1]
He has a doctorate in Marathi literature, which he obtained in 1958 from Pune for his thesis on "Marathi bakharitil Pharasiche-swarup ("Use of Persian language in Marathi bakhar), for which he won the Paranjape award for the best dissertation in Marathi. He served as a college professor for some years and moved on to head, first, the department of Journalism and then during 1979-90 the department of Marathi in Ambedkar Marathwada University at Aurangabad.
Pathan was born in Muslim faith, and studied Quran in his childhhood. He later translated into Marathi parts of that book, and assisted in the publication of Marathi Divya Quran (दिव्यकुराण). He has also written scholarly books on Marathi sant literature.
He has written literary criticisms, and published collections of his short stories and travelogues. In some of his writings, he has brought out the plights of downtrodden Muslims in India.
In 1959, Pathan published an edited copy of Bhausahebanchi Bakhar (भाऊसाहेबांची बखर), which was probably an eye witness account of the 1761 Third Battle of Panipat written by one Krushnaji Shamrao.
He has translated into Marathi Al Biruni's Arabic classic Kitab-ul-Hind, naming the translation as Al Birunicha Bharat (अल्बरुणीचा भारत).
Pathan chaired in 1990 Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (मराठी साहित्य सम्मेलन), which was held in Pune.
Pathan's Sant Sahitya Chintan won the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishat Award in 1984. Pathan received in 2004 a Certificate of Honor from the Government of India for Persian scholarship. In 2007, he received a Padma Shri award from the Government of India for excellence in literature and education.