Nagnath Naikwadi (1922–2012), popularly known as Krantiveer Nagnath anna, was an

Indian independence activist The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of a many methods. This is a l ...

, social worker, politician and educationist, known for his revolutionary activism during the

Indian independence struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

. He was an associate of

Nana Patil Nana Patil, popularly known as ''Krantisinh'' ( lit. 'revolutionary lion'), was an Indian independence activist (freedom fighter) and Member of Parliament for the Communist Party of India representing Beed District of Marathwada region. He was a ...

during the

Quit India movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

and together they established ''Prati Sarkar'', a parallel government, in Satara-Sangli region of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

and indulged in armed struggle against the British. After the Indian independence, he was involved in electoral politics and was a member of the

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha or the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the legislature of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated in the Nariman Point area of South Mumbai in the capital Mumbai. Presently, 288 me ...

, representing

Sangli Sangli () is a city and the district headquarters of Sangli District in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. It is known as the Turmeric City of Maharashtra due to its production and trade of the spice. Sangli is situated on the banks ...

. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, in 2009, for his contributions to Indian society.

Early life

Naikwadi was born on 15 July 1922 in a farmer's family in Walwa, a village in

Sangli district Sangli district (Marathi pronunciation: aːŋɡli is a district of Maharashtra state in India. Sangli city is the district headquarters. It is bordered by Satara district, Solapur district to the North, Karnataka state to South-East, by Kolh ...

near

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

in the western Indian state of

to Ramchandra Ganapati Nayakawadi and Laxmibai, After early schooling at local schools in Walwa and Ashta, he joined Rajaram High School, Kolhapur and completed matriculate studies in 1948, though there was a break in studies due to his involvement in the

. Later he joined

Rajaram College Rajaram College, Kolhapur ( Marathi: राजाराम महाविद्यालय, कोल्हापूर) is a government college affiliated to Shivaji University in Kolhapur. It offers junior college-level courses such as 11th ...

for higher studies. During this period, he got involved in the

and joined '' Rashtra Seva Dal'', a forum of freedom activists which gave him an opportunity to become an associate of

Independence activist

During the early 1940s, Naikwadi and his colleagues resorted to armed conflict against the British colonial authorities. In order to raise funds for the movement, his group robbed a government treasury in

Dhule Dhule is a city located in the Dhule District in the northwestern part of Maharashtra state, India known as West Khandesh. Situated on the banks of Panzara River, Dhule is the regional headquarters of MIDC, RTO, and MTDC. The city is mainly kn ...

and supported the insurgency against the

Nizam of Hyderabad The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

. During one of his skirmishes with the British police, he was caught after being injured by a bullet. While in custody at Satara jail, he staged a jailbreak with his fellow activists. The British colonial government announced a reward on his head but Naikwadi managed to stay underground for four years. In 1943, along with Nana Patil, Kisanrao Ahir and a few others, he declared a parallel government, ''Prati Sarkar'', which operated in around 150 villages in the western Maharashtra region which included Satara and

Social work after Indian independence

After the Indian independence in 1947, Naikwadi shifted his focus to social work. He founded a number of educational institutions such as ''Kisan Shikshan Sanstha'' which runs a college of education and an upper primary school, Hutatma Kisan Ahir Vidyalaya, a junior college and Hutatma Nanaksing Hostel. In 1950, after his marriage to Kusum, he worked alongside ''Shetamajur Kashtkari Shetakari Sanghatana'' reformers and was involved in the ''Sanyukta Maharashtra'' movement. Entering electoral politics in 1957, he successfully contested the Assembly elections and served as a

Member of Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...

till 1962. Once the tenure as an MLA was over, he returned to his social work and founded Jijamata Vidyalaya and Savitribai Phule Girls' Hostel. The next two decades of his life was associated with the cooperative movement and sugarcane farming, starting with the implementation of ''Kisan Lift Irrigation Scheme'' in 1972 and culminating in the establishment of ''Hutatma Kisan Ahir Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana'' in 1984. In between, he contested another Assembly election which he lost; he would lose again in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections later. He was also involved in the Latur earthquake relief activities and in the establishment of a ''Pani Parishad'' for the drought affected areas.

Awards and honors

Shivaji University Shivaji University, established in 1962, is a state university located at Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. The university, with a campus spread over , is named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. It was inaugurated ...

honored Naikwadi with the degree of DLitt (

honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

) in 2008 and the Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the

in 2009. He was also a recipient of several other awards and honors. He died on 22 March 2012, at the age of 89, succumbing to age-related illnesses at

Lilavati Hospital The Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre is a private hospital located in Bandra, Mumbai, India. The hospital was established in 1978 by the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. History In 1978, Kirtilal Manilal Mehta—a diamond ...

Bandra Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre ( �aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate north of River Mithi, which separates B ...

, Mumbai, survived by his wife, Kusum, two sons, Vaibhav and Kiran and two daughters, Vishakha and Pragati. The sugar factory founded by Naikwadi in Walva, ''Hutatma Kisan Ahir Sahakari Sakhar Kharkhana'', has since been renamed as ''Padambhushan Krantiveer Dr. Nagnathanna Naikwadi Hutatma Kisan Ahir S. S. K. Limited'' in his honor. The Government of Maharashtra has constructed a memorial for him at his native place, at a cost of 150 million and with a constructed area of 18,000 sq.ft which houses a hall and a museum.

References

External links