PADMASHRI VITHALRAO VIKHE PATIL.

BIOGRAPHY
AKSHAY KOTHARI

Ahmednagar, Oct 15: When one thinks of the cooperative movement, the name of Padmashri Vithalrao Vikhe Patil comes to mind. The Pravara co-operative movement, which was a result of his efforts, caught the attention of the first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and he decided to observe personally the functioning of Asia's first cooperative sugar factory, a farmers owned venture. Nehru paid his visit to Pravara Cooperative Sugar Factory (presently known as Padmashri Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd.) on May 15, 1961. During his visit, he said, ``I had heard of this cooperative sugar factory and had some idea of it, but a visit here and learning more about it, has been a revelation. Ten years of growth since this was first started has not only shown marked growth but has begun to change the countryside. I would like people from other states to come here and see how a real cooperative is organised and run. This is an example for all India.' The cooperative movement has played a significant role in the development of socio-economic fields in Maharashtra. The movement was welcomed with great enthusiasm, so also it has become the target for criticism. Nevertheless, this movement taught the ordinary farmer, downtrodden community and landless labourers to live with prestige and self-respect. The credit for launching this endeavour goes to Padmashri Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil. In the rural areas, way back in 1930, the farmers were illiterate and distressed by poverty. There were adversities, helplessness, famines, indebtedness and oppression by money lenders and exploitation by owners of private sugar factories. Such was the

picture in 1930 in rural Maharashtra. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil had closely observed these sorrowful condition. He himself was born in a farmer family in 1901, at Loni village in Rahata taluka of Ahmednagar district. He studied hardly upto the fourth standard. In his younger age, he was deeply influenced by the freedom movement and the the thoughts of stalwart freedom fighters and social reformers affected him.

The successful socialist revolution in the then Soviet Union impressed him to a great extent because it was concerned with poverty.He was distressed by the plight of the poor and illiterate farmerry. He finally came to the conclusion that only collective action through cooperative movement would redeem the farmers financially as well as socially. This conviction pushed him to form multi-cooperatives with the aim of freeing farmers from the clutches of money lenders. These initial steps later paved the way to the organisation of sugar producers' cooperatives and finally to manufacture sugar in their own sugar factory. He was so much involved in his mission that he was asked to lead and guide other diverse fields. He believed in all-round development of the rural areas could only be achieved through the cooperative movement, through unity, loyalty and cohesion of membership. Vikhe Patil entered the cooperative field when he was 22 years of age, in the year 1923. He established Loni Multipurpose Cooperative Credit Cooperative Society at Loni village. He

formed cooperative labour societies for labourers of the backward class. The Second World War brought a spurt in the prices of many agricultural commodities including sugar. As a result, the newly established and settled sugarcane growers in the canal areas as well as the private sugar factory owners reaped considerable economic gains. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil was convinced that if local farmers could organize themselves for establishing a cooperative sugar factory, economic betterment of farmerry could be achieved. He was the moving force behind organisation of a series of farmers' gatherings during the year 1945-46. This led to the awareness of the possibility of establishing a cooperative sugar factory by obtaining supply of sugarcane from small farmers. After the country's independence, national leaders reaffirmed their faith in the cooperative action as a vital instrument for economic development and as a vehicle of social change, distribution of income and wealth. Leaders like Vaikunthbhai Mehta and influential academic like Dr. Dhananjayrao Gadgil pledged their whole-heartedsupport for the cooperative movement. In 1945, Dr. Gadgil was chairman of the Deccan Canal Bagayatdar Conference. Vikhe Patil became a member of this conference. Having determined to start a cooperative sugar factory, Vikhe Patil began to collect advance shares capital from prospective members so that supportive funds could be mobilised from banks and other financial institutions. It was a challenging task, in the backdrop of poverty of farmers. But due to Vikhe Patil's confidence and leadership abilities, the task was accomplished. After overcoming various rejections from the government authorities and procedural difficulties, the sanction

was obtained for starting the sugar factory in the year 1948. The factory started production in 1950. The factory's production capacity was 500 M.T. per day. For all this adventure, Vikhe Patil had to wander from village to village on horse, or walking without caring for his health or the insults by the people. Many rich land owners, gurh manufacturers or merchants laughed at him and passed insulting remarks at his sincere efforts. They tried to discourage him in his task. It was quite natural, because, in those days to start a sugar factory with the farmers' collective was considered impossible. The order for the plant and machineries was placed for Rs. 2.26,000. To raise this huge amount, Vikhe Patil and his colleagues, Dhumal, Tekawade and some of his friends had to mortgage their own properties. Vikhe Patil knew that assured sugar cane supply was essential for the success of the sugar factory. And for assured sugarcane growing, there should not be a water problem to the sugarcane growers. Therefore, he helped in distributing water blocks to the land holders in the range of from one to three acres. He started lift schemes and other water supply schemes in the areas of operation. When the factory achieved success beyond imagination, many people came to seek his advise and he helped them. Taking inspiration from this first cooperative sugar factory, within six years, i.e. in 1960, so many other sugar factories started functioning. Vikhe Patil was honoured with the Padmashri award in the year

1961. In 1968, He was elected chairman of Ahmednagar District Central Cooperative Bank. He opined that the district cooperative banks should assist to cater the financial needs of the farmers belonging to the non-irrigated areas, also farmers and students from such areas, and to the undeveloped areas. This reveals his concern downtrodden community. Some of his outstanding characteristics are that he was never attracted by or ran for posts. In 1943, he was a member of District Local Board of Ahmednagar. At this time, the government increased the water cess. Vikhe Patil registered his protest against the decision by resigning from the post. He led a very simple lifestyle. During his old age, he handed over his mantle to his eldest son, Balasaheb Vikhe Patil. When he was 80 years old, he breathed last, with a content mind having done good to all, having shown the path of progress through the cooperative movement. A biography of Vithalrao Vikhe Patil will always be a model for rural leadership.