Pandurang Sadashiv Sane
Encyclopedia
Pandurang Sadashiv Sane (24 December 1899 to 11 June 1950), affectionately known as Sane Guruji (Guruji means "Teacher") to his students and followers was a famous Marathi
author, teacher, social activist, and freedom fighter from Maharashtra
, India
. He is referred as National Teacher of India
town, in Ratnagiri district
of the Konkan
region of rural Maharashtra
. He was their second son and third child. Sadashivrao was a broker (called khot in Marathi) who evaluated and collected village crops on behalf of the government and got to keep 25% of those collections as his share. The family was relatively well off during Sane's early childhood but their financial condition rapidly deteriorated, leading to their house being confiscated by government authorities.
to live with his maternal uncle for further education. However, he did not like his stay in Pune and returned to Palgadh to stay at a missionary school in Dapoli
, about 6 miles from Palgadh. While at Dapoli, he was quickly recognized as an intelligent student with good command over Marathi and Sanskrit
languages. He was also interested in poetry. While he was in school at Dapoli, the financial condition at home deteriorated rapidly and he could not afford to continue his education. Like his elder brother, he considered taking up a job to help with the family finances. However, on the recommendation of one of his friends, and with support from his parents, he enrolled at the Aundh Institution which provided free education and food for poor students. Here at Aundh he suffered many hardships but continued his education. However, a plague broke out in Aundh and all students were sent back home. Back in Palgadh, one night he overheard his parent's conversation in which his father suspected his dedication to education. Enraged and hurt by his father's suspicion, he immediately traveled to Pune and enrolled as a student at the Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya
.
Life was not easy for Sane in Pune either, and he had to subsist on limited meals. However, he continued to excel in academics and graduated 10th grade in 1918 after which he enrolled for further education in New Poona College (now known as Sir Parshurambhau College
). He completed his B.A. and M.A. degrees from New Poona in Marathi and Sanskrit literature.
Sane's father was a freedom fighter. Sane Guruji was also very much influenced by his mother. He graduated with a degree in Marathi and Sanskrit and earned a Master's degree in philosophy
,then he decided to opt for teaching profession. Guruji worked as teacher in pratap high school in Amalner town. He chose to teach in the rural schools, forgoing a perhaps larger salary he could have earned by teaching wealthier students. He also worked as a hostel warden. Sane was a gifted orator, captivating audiences with his impassioned speeches on civil rights and justice. While in school he published a magazine named Vidyarthi which was very popular among the students. He inculcated cultural and moral values in the student community. Sane guruji was very popular in students. Students loved him a lot and guruji loved students a lot.
After the Dandi March conducted by Mahatma Gandhi
in 1930, he resigned as a teacher and joined the Indian nationalist movement. He was imprisoned by the British
in the Dhule
Jail for more than 15 months for his work in the Quit India Movement
. Sane recognized the importance of the movement, and worked tirelessly for independence, often closely with Gandhi himself. Vinoba Bhave
was in the same jail where Sane was imprisoned. Bhave used to deliver a lecture on the Bhagavad Gita
on each Sunday morning. Sane took notes and wrote the famous book Geeta Pravachane.
In Tiruchi Jail he learned Tamil and Bengali. He recognised the importance of learning Indian languages, particularly in the context of the problem of national integration; and started the Antar Bharati movement.
He has about 73 books to his credit.Mostly He wrote For Chieldren His famous works in Marathi literature
include Shyamchi Aai
(Shyam's mother), Dhadapadanari Mule (Struggling Children) and Shyam.
The Rashtra Seva Dal has built a national memorial in the name of Sane at Vadghar Taluka Mangoan, Raigad district
, Maharashtra. It is being developed as a camping ground for students since 2001.
Dalits (untouchables) were not allowed then to enter temples and worship. Sane fought for the right of Dalits to worship in temples. Sane became incredibly disillusioned with Indian societal rigidities by the time of his death. A street in Mumbai
has since been named in his honor, and an Indian stamp has been created bearing his portrait.
He died on 11 June 1950. It is commonly believed that he had been depressed for some time and took his own life.
Marathi people
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
author, teacher, social activist, and freedom fighter from Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is referred as National Teacher of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Early life
Sane was born on December 24, 1899 to Sadashivrao Sane and Yashodabai Sane in PalgadhPalgadh
Palgadh is a village in Dapoli taluka, Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra state, India, between Mandangadh and Khed, best known as the boyhood home of Pandurang Sadashiv Sane....
town, in Ratnagiri district
Ratnagiri District
Ratnagiri district is one of the 35 districts of Maharashtra state in western India. Ratnagiri is the district headquarters of the district. The district is 11.33% urban. The district is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Sindhudurg district to the south, Raigad district to the north and...
of the Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
region of rural Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. He was their second son and third child. Sadashivrao was a broker (called khot in Marathi) who evaluated and collected village crops on behalf of the government and got to keep 25% of those collections as his share. The family was relatively well off during Sane's early childhood but their financial condition rapidly deteriorated, leading to their house being confiscated by government authorities.
Education
Sane completed his primary education in Palgadh in raigad district. After his primary education, he was sent to PunePune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
to live with his maternal uncle for further education. However, he did not like his stay in Pune and returned to Palgadh to stay at a missionary school in Dapoli
Dapoli
Dapoli is a small town in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra in India.-Geography:Dapoli is 215 KM away from Mumbai.It is also called the "Mini Mahabaleshwar" because of its cool climate throughout the year.dapoli is also the city which gave birth to many historic idols like Lokmanya Tilak, Sane...
, about 6 miles from Palgadh. While at Dapoli, he was quickly recognized as an intelligent student with good command over Marathi and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
languages. He was also interested in poetry. While he was in school at Dapoli, the financial condition at home deteriorated rapidly and he could not afford to continue his education. Like his elder brother, he considered taking up a job to help with the family finances. However, on the recommendation of one of his friends, and with support from his parents, he enrolled at the Aundh Institution which provided free education and food for poor students. Here at Aundh he suffered many hardships but continued his education. However, a plague broke out in Aundh and all students were sent back home. Back in Palgadh, one night he overheard his parent's conversation in which his father suspected his dedication to education. Enraged and hurt by his father's suspicion, he immediately traveled to Pune and enrolled as a student at the Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya
Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya
Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya is a school in Pune, Maharashtra, India. The school was founded on 1 January 1883. Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya consists of a high school and a junior college...
.
Life was not easy for Sane in Pune either, and he had to subsist on limited meals. However, he continued to excel in academics and graduated 10th grade in 1918 after which he enrolled for further education in New Poona College (now known as Sir Parshurambhau College
Sir Parshurambhau College
Sir Parshurambhau College is a college in Pune, Maharashtra, . Established in 1916, it is governed by the Shikshan Prasarak Mandali....
). He completed his B.A. and M.A. degrees from New Poona in Marathi and Sanskrit literature.
Sane's father was a freedom fighter. Sane Guruji was also very much influenced by his mother. He graduated with a degree in Marathi and Sanskrit and earned a Master's degree in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
,then he decided to opt for teaching profession. Guruji worked as teacher in pratap high school in Amalner town. He chose to teach in the rural schools, forgoing a perhaps larger salary he could have earned by teaching wealthier students. He also worked as a hostel warden. Sane was a gifted orator, captivating audiences with his impassioned speeches on civil rights and justice. While in school he published a magazine named Vidyarthi which was very popular among the students. He inculcated cultural and moral values in the student community. Sane guruji was very popular in students. Students loved him a lot and guruji loved students a lot.
After the Dandi March conducted by Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
in 1930, he resigned as a teacher and joined the Indian nationalist movement. He was imprisoned by the British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in the Dhule
Dhule
Dhule is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Dhule district in northwestern part of Maharashtra state, India. It is one of the very few well-planned cities of India before Indian Independence.-Geography:Dhule is located at...
Jail for more than 15 months for his work in the Quit India Movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
. Sane recognized the importance of the movement, and worked tirelessly for independence, often closely with Gandhi himself. Vinoba Bhave
Vinoba Bhave
Vinoba Bhave , born Vinayak Narahari Bhave often called Acharya , was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. He is best known for the Bhoodan Andolan...
was in the same jail where Sane was imprisoned. Bhave used to deliver a lecture on the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
on each Sunday morning. Sane took notes and wrote the famous book Geeta Pravachane.
In Tiruchi Jail he learned Tamil and Bengali. He recognised the importance of learning Indian languages, particularly in the context of the problem of national integration; and started the Antar Bharati movement.
He has about 73 books to his credit.Mostly He wrote For Chieldren His famous works in Marathi literature
Marathi literature
Marathi literature is the body of literature of Marathi, a Sanskrit-derived language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra and written in the Devanagari script.-Early Marathi Literature :...
include Shyamchi Aai
Shyamchi Aai
Shyamchi Aai is hailed as one of the greatest tribute to mother's love in Marathi literature. This book has been written by famous author and social activist Sane Guruji....
(Shyam's mother), Dhadapadanari Mule (Struggling Children) and Shyam.
The Rashtra Seva Dal has built a national memorial in the name of Sane at Vadghar Taluka Mangoan, Raigad district
Raigad district
Raigad District , also known as Raigarh District, is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the Konkan region. The district was renamed after Raigad, the fort which was the former capital of the Maratha leader Shivaji, and is located in the interior regions of the district,...
, Maharashtra. It is being developed as a camping ground for students since 2001.
Dalits (untouchables) were not allowed then to enter temples and worship. Sane fought for the right of Dalits to worship in temples. Sane became incredibly disillusioned with Indian societal rigidities by the time of his death. A street in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
has since been named in his honor, and an Indian stamp has been created bearing his portrait.
He died on 11 June 1950. It is commonly believed that he had been depressed for some time and took his own life.
Sources
- Lokrajya, (a Marathi periodical), June 2000 Issue.
- Mangalvedhekar, Raja. Sane Gurujinchi Jeevan Gatha. Sadhana Publication, Pune. 1974
- Redkar, Chaitra. Sane Guruji. Gandharv Ved Publications, Pune, 2011