Dhondo Keshav Karve (धोंडो केशव कर्वे)(18 April 1858 – 9 November 1962), popularly known as Maharshi Karve (महर्षी कर्वे), was a social reformer in India in the field of women's welfare. He advocated widow remarriage and he himself married a widow. In his honour, Karvenagar in Pune was named after him & Queen's Road in Mumbai (Bombay) was renamed to Maharshi Karve Road. Karve was a pioneer in promoting widows' education. He founded the first women's university in India - SNDT Women's University .[1] The Government of India awarded him with the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1958, the year of his 100th birthday.
The appellation Maharshi, which the Indian public often assigned to Karve, means "a great sage".
Early life
Dhondo Keshav Karve was born on 18 April 1858, at Sheravali, in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. He belonged to a lower middle-class Brahmin family and his father’s name was Keshav Bapunna Karve.[2]
Career as a college professor
During 1891–1914, Karve taught mathematics at Fergusson College in Pune, Maharashtra.[3]
Autobiographical works
Karve wrote two autobiographical works: Ātmawrutta (1928) in Marathi, and Looking Back (1936) in English.
Depictions in popular culture
The Marathi play Himalayachi Saavli (हिमालयाची सावली) (literal meaning, "The Shadow of the Himalayas". Contextually it means, under the cover of Himalaya) by Vasant Kanetkar, published in 1972, is loosely based on the life of Karve. The character of Nanasaheb Bhanu is a composite character based on Karve and other Marathi social reformers of the late 19th and early 20th century. The play itself depicts the tension between Bhanu/Karve's public life as a social reformer and his family life due to the social backlash and economic hardships his children and wife had to endure.
The Story of Dr. Karve is a 1958 documentary film directed by Neil Gokhale and Ram Gabale. It was produced by the Government of India's Films Division.[4]
The 2001 film Dhyaas Parva (ध्यास पर्व) by Amol Palekar, based on the life of Karve's son Raghunath, also depicts the Karve family, and their social reformation projects.[5] Taluka Dapoli, a research based initiative, made a documentary on life of Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve in 2017.[6]
Awards and honours
- 1942 – awarded Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.) by Banaras Hindu University
- 1951 – awarded D.Litt. by Pune University
- 1954 – awarded D.Litt. by S.N.D.T. University
- 1955 – awarded Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India[7]
- 1957 – awarded LL.D. by University of Mumbai
- 1958 – awarded Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India, by the Government of India[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Remembering Maharshi Karve, the man who set up India's first university for women India Today. 18 April 2016.
- ↑ Dhondo Keshav Karve – The Great Indian Social Reformer who.... www.beaninspirer.com(2018-04-18). Retrieved 2022-01-11.
- ↑ Fergusson College Department of Mathematics web page. Retrieved 11 August 2006.
- ↑ Documentary films and Indian Awakening{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Publications Division(1990). ISBN 978-81-230-2363-2
- ↑ Amol Palekar, Actor & Film-Maker on his latest film Dhyaas-Parva's | Lucknow News - Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ↑ Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve | Taluka Dapoli. www.talukadapoli.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Padma Awards Directory (1954–2007). Ministry of Home Affairs. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
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