Phadke was born in 1901 and educated in East Khandesh, India. His clinical medical training was received at University College Hospital. London, and he graduated in 1927. Returning to India he became surgeon at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Bombay, an appointment he held until his retirement, but continued as consulting surgeon until his death. He had an extensive practice in Bombay, was honorary surgeon to the Bombay Hospital and National Hospital, and was honorary surgeon and director to the Family Welfare Bureau of Bombay. He was President of the Association of Surgeons in India in 1957 and chairman of the Association's urology section in 1962. Phadke was a member of the Senate of the University of Bombay, and a member of Faculty of the University of Maharashtra. He was an examiner for the Master of Surgery degree in five universities - Bombay, Maharashtra, Nagpur, Gujarat, and Madras. One of India's most pressing problems - family planning - gave him great concern and he played a vital part in trying to solve this problem. He became a member of the Family Planning Board of the State of Maharashtra, the Central Family Planning Board of the Government of India, and the Scientific Committee of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. He published papers advocating sterilisation of the male, and devised a simple operative procedure for this, thus making mass vasectomy possible on a country-wide scale. He won the Bhansali award of the Bombay Medical Union in 1961. Phadke was unassuming and charitable; his recreations were Indian music, Marathi literature, and golf. He lived at Vadoda, East Khandesh and died on 14 September 1964, survived by his wife, daughter and son who was a surgeon.