Bapat received a master's degree in Marathi and Sanskrit literature from Sir Parshurambhau College in Pune in 1948.
[1] He has penned 30 poetry books, including immensely popular Bijlee , Sethu, Akrav Disha, Sakina and Manasi.
The trio of poets Bapat, Vinda Karandikar and Mangesh Padgaonkar provided for many years public recitals of their poetry in different towns in Maharashtra.
[2] He was also a member of a Marathi literary group, “Murgi club”, loosely fashioned after the Algonquin Round Table.
In addition to Bapat, it included Vinda Karandikar, Mangesh Padgaonkar, Gangadhar Gadgil, Sadanand Rege and Shri Pu Bhagwat.
For many years, he was a member of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, also in New Delhi, and Sangeet Natak Academy in Maharashtra.