Rakshit Sonawane was born in Mumbai on 13 May 1957. He is a first-generation learner from an erstwhile untouchable family that converted to Buddhism. His father, Dhondiram, worked as a watchman and was a foot soldier in Dr B.R. Ambedkar's social movement, while his mother, Runjabai, worked as a maidservant. The family initially lived in Wadala and then shifted to Ghatkopar. After completing his schooling, Sonawane worked in a factory as a casual labourer for two years. Post this, he joined the Bombay Port Trust (now Mumbai Port Authority) as a tally clerk, recording cargo operations for seven years. Simultaneously, he attended college, securing a bachelor's degree (in 1979) and, later, a postgraduate degree (in 1981) from Bombay University's Department of English. He also studied journalism and law, and became a newspaper reporter in 1985. Since then, he has worked in several English newspapers like Mid-Day, The Indian Express, The Times of India, the Lokmat Times and The Free Press Journal. He has also written articles for various periodicals and contributed to online news portals like the Firstpost and News 9.