Hail the brave reformers of Maharashtra

The golden jubilee celebrations of the formation of Maharashtra, which began last year and will conclude today, have been muted. Understandably so, since the Congress cannot celebrate what it opposed so fiercely. After all, it was the Left unions and socialist leaders who spearheaded the movement for Maharashtra, with Mumbai as its capital.

But that is not what I want to write about today. Completion of 50 years is an occasion to take stock of what we achieved and what we could do next. We can’t look 50 years into the future simply because technology is progressing by leaps and bounds and no one can really predict what will be the shape of things in the next five years, let alone 50.

It is time, therefore, to reflect on those who shaped Maharashtra’s social thinking and who held the lantern high for the state. It was Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, who argued with Tilak that freedom is nothing without social reforms; Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, who took on the British Empire over farmers’ issues and pushed for the education of women; and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who fought fiercely for the rights of Dalits. There were scores of others who left their own imprints on the social map of this state. They include Vitthal Ramji Shinde, Mahadeo Govind Ranade, Shahu Maharaj, and Maharishi Dhondo Keshav Karve among others. Yes, there were also Guru Golwalkar and VD Savarkar who provided their own thoughts that impressed several millions. But, by and large, Maharashtra remained faithful to liberal thoughts.

That was before the Independence. It was the time when Maharashtra and Bengal provided the intellectual edge to the social churning going on in the country. After Independence, what have we got to show?

There have been few thinkers, frankly. But thankfully, the state has not been completely void of them. And more importantly, there have been more doers who have worked relentlessly among the poor and neglected.

There has been Baba Adhav who led the ‘Ek Gaon, Ek Panavtha’ movement, which ensured that Dalits had access to water in villages. Then there are the Amtes. Baba Amte worked with leprosy patients. His son Vikas is holding the torch at Anandvan and another one, Prakash, is treating tribals in the Naxal-infested Gadchiroli. They never asked for any government help, nor did they turn to the civil society. They just did what they thought had to be done.

There will be many who won’t accept it, but let’s face it — it was Medha Patkar who forced us to think  afresh about how we rehabilitate project-affected people. Living in the cities, we hardly cared for them. She brought out the harsh reality of their plight as she related the issues to the urban poor.

As Maharashtra enters its 52nd year, I salute the doers in this state. I hope you will join me.