Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

Baburao Govindrao Shirke (1918–2010) was an Indian businessman, and the founder and chairman of BG Shirke Construction Technology Private Limited (BGSCTPL).

Early life and education

B G Shirke was born on 1 August 1918, at Pasarni village in Wai taluka of Satara district. Shirke hailed from a humble family background and completed his formal education through 'earn and learn' scheme of the government. In 1936, despite lack of money and educational facilities, he passed his matriculation from Dravid High School at Wai. He obtained BE degree in Civil Engineering from the Government College of Engineering, Pune, (then affiliated to

Mumbai University University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. It was est ...

) and became the first Civil Engineer from the Pasarani area.

Career

Shirke started Supreme Constructions in 1944, and gained recognition as an efficient builder for building Kolhapur's Jail house in 1945. His business prospered after 1953. 1972 onwards, Shirke expanded to the Persian Gulf region via his officially registered company, Siporex. Between 1962 and 1981, Shirke was involved in several projects undertaken by the

Kirloskar Group Kirloskar Group is an Indian Conglomerate (company), conglomerate, headquartered in Pune and manufacturing plant in Kirloskarvadi. The group exports to over 70 countries over most of Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe. The flagship and holding c ...

. Some of the prominent projects he completed include the Mumbai-Bangalore highway, the

Mumbai Cricket Association The Mumbai Cricket Association (formerly Bombay Cricket Association) is the governing body for cricket in Mumbai and surrounding regions such as Thane, Navi Mumbai. Its headquarters is situated at Wankhede Stadium in Churchgate. It governs M ...

Bandra Kurla Complex Ground Bandra Kurla Complex Ground is a cricket ground in Bandra, Maharashtra. The ground normally hosts charity matches and some local matches. It also is home to the Mumbai Cricket Association. Overview In 2007, Mumbai Cricket Association installed ...

, the Hinjewadi IT park and the Wipro IT park in Chennai, to name a few. The Shirke group has built many government projects in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Example includes the 1994 construction of

Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex The Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, also known as Balewadi Stadium, is a sports complex located in Pune, India. The complex is situated about 15 km from downtown Pune and 5 km from Hinjawadi. This complex was a venue for the 200 ...

Balewadi Balewadi is a residential suburban town of Pune, located in the city's Western Metropolitan Corridor. It is famous for the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex which had hosted both the National Games in 1994 and the 2008 Commonwealth Youth ...

for the National Games.

Awards and recognition

* B G Shirke was awarded Padma Shri award for his dedication in the field of Science & Engineering in 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirke, Baburao Govindrao 1918 births Businesspeople from Pune Marathi people Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering People from Satara district Indian industrialists 2010 deaths