Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Biography- King of Work

In History there were very few persons who were themselves remain uneducated, but know the value of education. Here, I am sharing biography of the man who remained uneducated but became the reason for the education of millions of children.

In 1909, after participating in the Shikshan Prasarak Mandal in Dudhgaon, he started “Rayat Shikshak Sanstha”. The intention of Bhaurao behind it was to educate rural areas.

Brief Information of Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil

Factors	Information
Identity	Social Reformer
Birth	On the day of 22nd September 1887, Bhaurao Patil was born at Kumbhoj, Kolhapur, Maharashtra in British India.
Parents	Father: Paigonda Devgonda Patil, Mother: Gangabai
Wife	Laxmibai Bhaurao Patil
Achievements	The Government of India awarded him the “Padma Bhushan” Award in 1959.

Family of Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil

He was born in Kumbhoj of Hatkanangale Taluka in Kolhapur district. The name of his mother was Gangabai, and the name of his father was Paigaunda Patil. “Bhau” was his childhood nickname.

As he grew up, people called him “Bhaurao.” He had three brothers named Tatya, Balgonda alias Balwant, Badendra alias Bandu and also two sisters, Dwarkabai, Tarabai.

Childhood of Bhaurao Patil

His father, Paigaunda Patil, passed the civil examination. He worked as a clerk in the revenue department. Gangabai had to stay in the hut when Paigaunda Patil went to work.

Therefore, for the sake of safety, he had to live in the house of his grandfather. His grandfather was living in Kumbhoj.

He was the most pampered family member of the Patil family. Therefore, he was more attentive to sports and wandering rather than studying in class.

Satyappa was known for his rebellion against untouchability. Socially, he identified as a helper to the poor. When he was childish because of his association with Sattyappa, his mind also became fearless.

Rebel attitude of Bhaurao against injustice

Two ancestors of him, Nemgonda, and Shantanagonda, were Chief (Pitthacharyas) of the Jain monastery at Nandani and also a Jain Muni (sage) of Digambar creed.

Therefore, even though he had the Sannyasin (saint) attitude, and he had rebellion against injustice from a very young age.

Education of Bhaurao Patil

At the age of eighth, he was taken admission to Marathi Primary School No. 1 in Dahiwadi on 7th February 1979. In 1949, his father sent him, along with his brother Tatya to Kolhapur to study in English medium.

Likewise, he studied at Rajaram Middle High School in grades 1st to 3rd. After that, he attended Rajaram High School.

Unforgettable events of his Educational Life

During his stay at the Palace of Shahu Maharaj. Bhaurao failed in the Mathematics subject while he was in 6th class. After telling this story to Shahuji Maharaj, Shahuji called the mathematics teacher named Shri Bhargavaram Kulkarni.

Shahuji talked to the teacher to pass Bhaurao into mathematics. Shahuji also requested the teacher to push him into the next upper class.

But, Shri Bhargavaram was very sincere. He told Shahu Maharaj that, “Once I will push the bench of him to the next upper class, but not to Bhaurao.”

At that time, Shahu Maharaj saw his sincerity. Then, teacher Shri Bhargavaram was promoted to the better post. He always remembered the words of Kulkarni Guruji (Master) throughout his life.

Later, by telling this story to the children of the hostel, he used to ask them to study hard. After failing in the 6th standard, his father called him back to Koregaon.

Most of the readers will see the failure of the Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil here. But during his stay at Shahu Palace in Kolhapur, gave him that inspiration. Last year, whatever the association of Shahu Maharaj taught him was priceless. Therefore, he was motivated to work as a social reformer in the future.

That is the reason he contributed so much to the educational field. He cares about people exactly like Chhatrapati Shivray.

He always thought that education was the only way to get rid of social problems. Education can solve issues, including poverty, intolerable social practices such as untouchability.

The ideal of the entire nation, Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje also against such issues. Therefore, he really gave a salutation to Shivaji Maharaj.

How did Bhaurao Patil start his social work?

One of the fascinating facts about Bhaurao Patil is that he started his social work right from childhood. This is clear from an incident that happened when he was still a little boy. Bhaurao saw one man denying people to drink water just because they were from a different caste.

As young as he was, he still perceived this act wrong, and he broke the well and beat up the man. This shows that he could notice discrimination and discourage it even in his childhood.

One of the biggest influencers was Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. His way of thinking always gave him the motive to work hard all his life.

In addition, Maharaj gave him full support. He got quite attached to Satyashodhak Samaj, also referred to as the “Truth-seekers’ Society.”

This was one of the most prominent Social Reform organizations in the 18th century. Bhaurao Patil worked with this society for the well-being of the people.

For the love of serving people and promoting education, Bhaurao Patil started private tuition in the early 90s. A few of his friends made this possible. Starting private tuition was his first mega move on his journey to promoting social work.

In September 1911, he finally got confirmation for a Bahujan education society. He did this affirmation in Kale village from the Satyashodhak Samaj Parishad.

However, on October 4, 1919, he established “Rayat Shikshan Sanstha” in the Satara kale community. “Rayat” is a Marathi phrase that refers to “masses”.

He was among the most influential figures in history to pioneer the “Learn and Earn” system. Students from the Bahujan Samaj became self-sufficient and independent as a result of this framework.

His Expanded Institutions

In 1921, he re-established Vasatigruh in the taluka of Valva. People of all castes and religions were welcome. People of all castes and religions were welcome.

There, he began a new yojana renowned as “must fund. Here, everyone adds to that Vasatigruh in the form of harvests, and no one person is responsible for the money.

Dr. Nagnath Anna provided him with financial assistance after instituting Rayat Shikshan Sanstha.

In a community meeting of the Independence Campaign in 1921, he was impacted by Gandhiji. This made him live the remaining years as Gandhi.

On February 25, 1927, he set up another hostel, which Mahatma Gandhiji personally officially opened. It was called “Chhatrapati Shahu Boarding Accommodations.”

He faced many financial challenges while constructing these accommodations. His wife decided to give up her jewelry to assist her husband. Afterward, starting from 1933, Gandhiji himself chipped in to support the project.

He donated 500 rupees every month through his trust “Harijan Sevak Fund.”  Following that, he named 101 schools after Mahatma Gandhi.

In 1940, he established the Great Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad School, a free and residential institution.   It began in Satara, and there was a school where the idea of “Earn and Learn” was born.

Eventually, in his wife’s name, he established the “Laxmibai Monument Fund,” which assists Bahujan samaj students in obtaining loans.

He founded 38 Cosmopolitan boarding schools, 578 charitable schools, six training colleges. In addition, he established 108 secondary schools and three colleges established over the course of his career.

Wife of karmaveer Bhaurao Patil

He married to Laxmibai but after marriage it took a while for Laxmibai to adapt with new environment. We identified her as the icon of sacrifice, because she made the equal contributions in the work of husband.

As Laxmibai was from a rich family, she came with gold jewelry and ornaments. But, after he started the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, there were several incidents where the hostel students had no grocery to make food.

In such an adverse situation, there was the big-hearted Laxmibai who gave her ornaments as security.

I remembered the unforgettable incident when there was a day before Gudi Padava. Gudi Padava is the festival celebrated especially in Maharashtra.

That day, there were no sweets for hostel students to eat. After she was aware of the situation, she removed her last ornament, called “Mangalsutra.”

Someone who is not from India may not be familiar with this ornament.

So let me explain it first, a Mangalsutra is the necklace which is used to wear with the hands of a husband during the ritual of marriage. Hindu people consider it sacred and wear as a symbol of marriage.

It has great significance in Hindu culture, and Indian women don’t remove it before death of that woman or death of husband.

“Education Through Self Help is Our Motto.”

– Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil

Karmaveer met Gandhiji in meeting in Bombay

According to kbpimsr.ac.in, Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil also met Mahatma Gandhi in Bombay (Mumbai). Another great coincident was the freedom movement of Gandhiji and the Mass-education movement of Bhaurao Patil both held in the same year, 1920.

In year 1921, there was a public meeting arranged. At that time, Bhaurao saw Gandhiji first time in a single piece of cloth. He was amazed after listening to him.

After the event, the question raised in his mind how he could live such simple with extraordinary thoughts. His personality really impressed and motivated him.

Speech of Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil

Ladies and gentlemen,

I’m here to talk about the remarkable life and contributions of Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil. He was a visionary educationist and social reformer. People know him for his dedication, determination, and relentless pursuit of educational equality for all. Commitment of Bhaurao Patil to educate the underprivileged has created a long-lasting effect on society.

Bhaurao Patil was born in the small village of Kumbhoj in Maharashtra on September 22, 1887. He encountered many obstacles during his early life. However, he recognized the power of education to uplift oneself and bring about a transformative change in society. This belief drove him to embark on a lifelong mission to educate the marginalized sections of society.

Bhaurao Patil firmly believed that education was not a privilege, but a fundamental right. So regardless of their social and financial background, education should be accessible to everyone. With this conviction, he established the Rayat Education Society in 1919, aiming to bring education to the masses. While leading the Rayat Education Society, he used to travel a lot to raise a fund for educating poor children. He opened many schools and colleges, especially in rural areas. His aim was to educate children of communities that had limited access to educational opportunities.

One significant achievement of Bhaurao Patil was the creation of the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha school for farmers’ children. This institution gave both educational and vocational training in agricultural and other rural occupation. Bhaurao Patil wanted to equip students with practical skills for self-reliance and contributing communities.

Bhaurao revolutionized education with a focus on experiential learning, character-building, and social consciousness. Bhaurao advocated for a balanced education that focused on physical, intellectual, and moral growth. He firmly believed we should not limit education to textbooks, but should also focus on building responsible citizens.

His relentless efforts to educate all did not go unnoticed. His work received widespread recognition, and he was honored with the prestigious title of “Karmaveer” (the hero of work) by Kurmi Khyatriya Sabha himself. Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest honors, for his work in education and social upliftment.

Every institute he built even today it thrives on the legacy of Bhaurao. Rayat Shikshan Sanstha opened many schools and colleges. These educate thousands of students in Maharashtra and the surrounding areas.

People remember and honor him with the title Karmaveer for his unwavering determination and commitment to education. Let us strive to carry forward his vision of a society where education is not a privilege for a few but a right for all. Bhaurao Patil’s life shows us that with passion and determination, anything is possible.

Before I stop, I remember his words for the field of education. He said, “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom, happiness, and progress.” Let us come together to ensure that every individual has access to quality education regardless of their background. Because education can truly transform lives and build a better tomorrow.

Thank you.

Featured Image Credits: Rayat Shikshan Sanstha

Sources

http://www.dpcollege.in/KarmaveerBhauravPatil/KarmaveerBhauravPatil.aspx

https://digjainwiki.org/wiki/karmaveer-bhaurao-patil-jain/