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Vitthal Ramji Shinde
Vitthal Ramji Shinde
Born	Vitthal Ramji Shinde; 23 April 1873; Maharashtra, India
Died	2 January 1944
Citizenship	Indian
Occupation(s)	Writer, Researcher
Known for	Social Reformer, Missionary

Vitthal Ramji Shinde (23 April 1873 – 2 January 1944) was a revered social reformer, researcher, writer, and proponent of anti-untouchability activism and religious unity in Maharashtra, India. He played a prominent role among liberal thinkers and reformists before India gained independence. Shinde is recognized for his tireless efforts in fighting against the practice of ‘untouchability’ and advocating for support and education for ‘untouchables,’ including Dalits.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Early life

He was born on 23 April 1873 in the princely state of Jamkhandi in what is now Karnataka, India. He hailed from a Marathi-speaking family of Maratha origin. His early childhood was shaped by a liberal family environment, where friends and acquaintances came from diverse religious and caste backgrounds. He was raised with the belief that religion extended beyond blind faith and empty rituals; it meant engaging personally, and emotionally in the service of God.

His spiritual awakening began through his reading of Sant Tukaram, Sant Eknath, and Sant Ramdas from Maharashtra. His intellectual growth was influenced by the writings of thinkers such as Hari Narayan Apte, Principal Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, John Stuart Mill, Herbert Spencer, Max Müller, Chief Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, and Sir R. G. Bhandarkar.

Education

In 1898, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fergusson College in Pune, India. He had also completed the first year of law studies and relocated to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) to prepare for the LL.B. examination. However, he abandoned this course to pursue other callings in his life. During the same year, he joined the Prarthana Samaj, where he found inspiration from notable figures such as G.B. Kotkar, Shivrampant Gokhale, Justice Mahadev Govinda Ranade, Sir Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, and K.B. Marathe. Becoming a missionary for the Prarthana Samaj, he was later selected to study comparative religion at Manchester College, Oxford, in 1901. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda, a progressive and reformist ruler, provided financial assistance for his travels abroad.

Adult life

After returning from England in 1903, he dedicated his life to religious and social reforms.^[4] He continued his missionary work for the Prarthana Samaj. His efforts were devoted mainly to the removal of untouchability in India. In 1905 he established a night school for the children of untouchables in Pune, and in 1906 he established the Depressed Classes Mission in (Bombay). Also in 1910, he founded Murali Pratibandhak Sabha, and in 1912 organised an "Asprushata Niwaran Parishad". In 1922, the mission's Ahalyashram building was completed in Pune. In 1917 he succeeded in getting the Indian National Congress to pass a resolution condemning the practice of untouchability.

From 1918 to 1920, he went on to convene all the Indian untouchability removal conferences. Some of these conferences were convened under the presidency of Mahatma Gandhi and Maharaja Sahyajirao Gaekwad. In 1919 he gave evidence before the Southborough Franchise Committee, asking for special representation for the untouchable castes. In 1923 he resigned as the executive of the Depressed Classes Mission since some of the members of the untouchable castes wanted their own leaders to manage the Mission's affairs. His work and association with the Mission continued even though he was disappointed by the separatist attitude of the leaders of the untouchables, especially under the leadership of B.R. Ambedkar. Like Mahatma Gandhi, he wanted unity amongst the untouchables and the Hindu caste, and feared that the British rule would take advantage of such divisions within Indian society and exploit them for its own benefits.^[5]

In 1930 he participated in the Civil Disobedience movement of Mahatma Gandhi and was imprisoned for six months of hard labor, in the Yerawda Central Jail (prison) near Pune.

In 1933 his book Bhartiya Asprushyatecha Prashna ("India’s untouchability question") was published. His thoughts and examination of the Hindu religion and social culture were similar to those of Dayananda Saraswati. In his writings, he opposed the caste system, idol worship, and inequities against women and depressed classes. He opposed meaningless rituals, the dominance of hereditary priesthood, and the requirement of a priest to mediate between God and his devotees.

Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde died on 2 January 1944.

Depressed Class Mission

Shinde was a prominent campaigner on behalf of the Dalit movement in India who established the Depressed Classes Mission of India to provide education to the Dalits.^[6] He laid the foundation of Depressed Class Mission on 18 October 1906 in order to work against untouchability at the national level.^[1]^[6] Aims of this mission were:

To try to get rid of untouchability.
To provide educational facilities to the untouchables.
To start schools, hostels, and hospitals for the untouchables.
To solve their social problems.

References

^ ^a ^b Patnekar, Mrunal (2018), "Relocating caste: The politics of communalism in early twentieth-century Bombay", Re-searching Transitions in Indian History, doi:10.4324/9780429487569-12, S2CID 242029679, retrieved 2 March 2023
^ Narayan, Badri (18 April 2014). Kanshiram: Leader of the Dalits. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-5118-670-0.
^ Ganachari, Aravind (2005). "First World War: Purchasing Indian Loyalties: Imperial Policy of Recruitment and 'Rewards'". Economic and Political Weekly. 40 (8): 779–788. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4416244.
^ "Vitthal Ramji Shinde". veethi.com. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
^ "British raj | Imperialism, Impact, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^ ^a ^b Kshīrasāgara, Rāmacandra (1994). Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956. M.D. Publications Pvt (. Ltd. p. 128. ISBN 81-85880-43-3. Retrieved 7 January 2008.

Dr. G.M. Pawar, English translation by Sudhakar Marathe "The life and work of Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde", Sahitya Academi 2013, ISBN 978-81-260-4064-3
Gore, M.S.; Vitthal Ramji Shinde, An Assessment of his Contribution (book in English language), (1989), Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay, India.
Pawar, G.M.; Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde, Jeevan wa Karya (book in Marathi language), (2004), Mumbai (Bombay), India. ISBN 81-88284-37-8.
Katare.maharashtra history (2013) edition