[2] Phadnis was born on 29 July 1925 in the village of Bhoj, Belgaum district, Bombay Presidency (now in Karnataka).

On Antarkar's instructions, Phadnis created a full-page coloured illustration that was published on the cover of the June 1951 issue of the magazine.

This was the time when the covers of the Diwali magazines traditionally featured images of beautiful young ladies or popular film actresses.

[5] While working in Mumbai, Phadnis felt that the climate and lifestyle of the city did not suit him, so he set up his studio in Kolhapur for a few years.

Even though the monthly magazine of Mohini has been discontinued, the cover of its Diwali issue continues to feature the work of Phadnis, which is published annually.

[3] Phadnis drew political and social cartoons based on the events of the time for the Marathi weeklies Manoos and Sobat between 1963 and 1975.

Moreover, he also drew cartoons for books on subjects that were not linked to humour, such as science, banking, grammar, management, law and philosophy.

In the twenty years since their publication, numerous copies of these illustrated books in eight languages have spread across far-flung villages.

[5] In his cartoons, Phadnis depicts events that take place in the life of a middle-class household with protagonists who face the adverse situations and difficulties playfully.

Phadnis also helped establish the law via the court-office that the painter owned the copyright of their paintings and its prints.

[3] Along with his wife Shakuntala, Phadnis created a program called Chitrahas, which introduced cartoons with the help of demonstrations and coloured slides as an alternative to an exhibition.