Baloo was born in Dharwad, taking the family name of Palwankar from the village of Palwan from where his family had originated.
Baloo played for the Hindu side in the famous 1906 and 1907 matches against the Europeans of the Bombay Gymkhana, in which the Hindus defeated the Europeans by 109 runs and 238 runs respectively.
Baloo combined his experiences of discrimination in cricket to further the political interests of the Harijan, untouchable caste.
Baloo was employed at the Poonacricket ground and his duties included rolling and marking the pitch and erecting nets.
Baloo helped to negotiate the Poona Pact with Gandhi in September 1932, which allowed for more members of the Harijan caste to be represented in the Indian legislatures.
