Vitthal Ramji Shinde - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 of 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitthal_Ramji_Shinde

Vitthal Ramji Shinde

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mahrshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde (April 23, 1873 January 2, 1944) was one of the most important social and religious
reformers in Maharashtra, India. He was prominent among the liberal thinkers and reformists in India, prior to her
independence. His greatest contribution was to remove the practice of untouchability and bring about equality to the
depressed classes in Indian society.

Contents
1 Early life
2 Education
3 Life work
3.1 Depressed Class Mission
4 Sources

Early life
He was born in 1873 in the princely state of Jamkhandi in Karnataka, India, a member of a Marathi-speaking Maharashtrian
family. His early childhood was influenced by a liberal family environment. The family friends and acquaintances came
from all religions and castes. He was brought up to think that religion was not just a matter of a blind faith and meaningless
rituals or pujas, but meant getting personally and emotionally involved in the service of God.
He was influenced by the writings of many intellectuals such as Mahatma Jotiba Phule, John Stuart Mill, Herbert Spencer,
and Max Mller.

Education
In 1898 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Fergusson College at Pune, India. He had also studied and passed
the first year law and moved to Mumbai (Bombay) for the LL.B. examination; however, he gave up this course to attend to
other compelling callings in his life. This same year he joined the Prarthana Samaj, where he was further inspired and
influenced by G.B. Kotkar, Shivrampant Gokhle, Justice Mahadev Govinda Ranade, Sir Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar
and K.B. Marathe. He became a missionary for the Prarthana Samaj.
The Prarthana Samaj selected him to go to England in 1901, to study comparative religion at Manchester College, Oxford,
which had been founded by the Unitarian Church. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, of Baroda, a progressive and reformist,
provided some financial help for his travels abroad.

Life work
After returning from England in 1903, he devoted his life to religious and social reforms. 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 Mumbai (Bombay). In 1922 the missions Ahalyashram building was competed at 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 convening all the India untouchability removal conferences. Some of these conferences
were convened under the president-ship of Mahatma Gandhi and Maharaja Sahyajirao Gaekwad.
His written communications with the Mahatmaji are noteworthy.

4/3/2012 11:57 PM

Vitthal Ramji Shinde - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2 of 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitthal_Ramji_Shinde

In 1919 he gave evidence before the South borough Commission, asking for the 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 its own leaders to manage the missions 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 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Like the Mahatma Gandhi, he wanted
unity amongst the Harijans (untouchables) and the Hindu caste, and feared that the British rule would take advantage of
such divisions within Indian society.
In 1930 he participated in the Civil Disobedience movement of Mahatma Gandhi and was imprisoned for six months of
hard labor, in the Yerawda prison near Pune.
In 1933 his book Bhartiya Asprushyatecha Prashna ("Indias untouchability question") was published.
His thoughts and examination of the Hindu religion and social culture were similar to Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Dayananda
Saraswati. In his writings, he rejects the caste system, idol worship, and inequities against woman and depressed classes. He
rejected meaningless rituals, the dominance of hereditary priesthood, and the requirement for a priest to mediate between
God and his devotees.
Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde died on January 2, 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. [1] He laid the foundation of Depressed Class Mission in order to work
against untouchability on national level.It was established on October 18, 1906. Aims of this mission were:
1.
2.
3.
4.

To try to get rid of untouchability.

To provide educational facilities to the untouchables.
To start schools, hostels, and hospitals for them.
To solve their social problems.

Many schools and hostels were founded by this mission.[2]

Sources
1. ^ Kshrasgara, Rmacandra (1994). Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956 (http://books.google.com
/books?id=Wx218EFVU8MC) . M.D. Publications Pvt (. Ltd.. pp. 128. ISBN 8185880433. http://books.google.com
/books?id=Wx218EFVU8MC. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
2. ^ Study books of Nathe, K'Sagar and Chanakya mandal publications.

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.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vitthal_Ramji_Shinde&oldid=478466973"
Categories: 1873 births 1944 deaths Dalit activists
This page was last modified on 23 February 2012 at 18:44.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See
Terms of use for details.
Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

4/3/2012 11:57 PM