Ganesh Srikrishna Khaparde (also known as Dadasaheb Khaparde) (27 August 1854 – 1 July 1938) was an Indian lawyer, scholar, political activist and a noted devotee of

Shirdi Sai Baba Sai Baba of Shirdi (), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master considered to be a saint, and revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to accounts from his life, Sai Baba preached ...

and saint

Gajanan Maharaj Gajanan Maharaj was an Indian Hindu guru, saint and mystic. His origins remain uncertain. He first appeared at Shegaon, a village in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, as a young man aged 30, probably on 23 February 1878. He attained ''Sanjeevana ...

. Born in a

Deshastha Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hinduism, Hindu Brahmin caste, subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Brahmins a ...

family at Ingroli in

Berar Berar may refer to: *Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra, India, historically known as Berar * Berar Sultanate (1490–1596), one of the Deccan sultanates *Berar Subah (1596–1724), a subah (province) of the Mughal Empire *Berar Province ( ...

, Khaparde studied

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

before beginning law. He graduated with an LLB in 1884, which led him to Government service. He served as a Munsiff and an assistant commissioner at Berar between 1885 and 1890. Closely associated with

Bal Gangadhar Tilak Bal Gangadhar Tilak (; born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (pronunciation: eʃəʋ ɡəŋɡaːd̪ʱəɾ ʈiɭək; 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), endeared as Lokmanya (IAST: ''Lokamānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence ...

, he took a keen interest in politics and in 1890 resigned from service to begin his own law practice at

Amravati Amravati (/Marathi phonology, əmᵊɾɑʋᵊt̪iː/) is a city in Maharashtra located in the Vidarbha region. It is the ninth largest city in Maharashtra, India & second largest city in the Vidarbha region in terms of population. It is the ...

. Khaparde was the chairman of the reception committee at the Amravati

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1897. He attended, along with Tilak, the Shivaji Festival of the Congress at

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

in 1906. He was at this time associated with the "Revolutionary" camp within the Congress, led by

Lal Bal Pal Lal Bal Pal (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal) were a triumvirate of assertive nationalists in British India in the early 20th century, from 1906 to 1918. They advocated the Swadeshi movement involving the boycott of a ...

trio of

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 — 17 November 1928) was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known as ''Punjab Kesari (Lion of Punjab).'' He was one of the three members of the Lal Bal Pal trio. He died of severe tra ...

and

Bipin Chandra Pal Bipin Chandra Pal ( ; 7 November 1858 – 20 May 1932) was an Indian nationalist, writer, orator, social reformer and freedom fighter. He was one third of the " Lal Bal Pal" triumvirate. He was one of the main architects of the Swadeshi move ...

. A close ally and one of the most trusted lieutenants of Tilak, Khaparde's strong and singular personal influence in the Central Provinces earned him the epitaph of "the Nawab of Berar". Between 1908 and 1910, Khaparde travelled to England to conduct Tilak's appeal to the Privy Council. Intelligence reports indicate that along with Bipin Chandra Pal, he was at this time associated with the

India House India House was a student residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 at Cromwell Avenue in Highgate, North London. With the patronage of lawyer Shyamji Krishna Varma, it was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Brita ...

. Later, Khaparde was a founding member of Tilak's Indian Home Rule League in 1916, and was a member of the Congress's deputation to the

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

on constitutional reforms, with Vasukaka Joshi. Between May 1919 and January 1920, Khaparde was in England again as a delegate of the Home Rule League's deputation to the Joint Parliamentary committee. During his stay of seven months he made speeches in England. He became popular by way of his wit, humour and mannerism and hence some news-paper described him as ''

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

''. Following the inauguration of

Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms The Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms or more concisely the Mont–Ford Reforms, were introduced by the colonial government to introduce self-governing institutions gradually in British India. The reforms take their name from Edwin Montagu, the Sec ...

, he was selected a member of the

Imperial Legislative Council The Imperial Legislative Council (ILC) was the legislature of British Raj, British India from 1861 to 1947. It was established under the Government of India Act 1858 by providing for the addition of six additional members to the Governor General ...

. However, in 1920, Khaparde left the Congress anticipating Gandhi's

Non-cooperation movement Non-cooperation movement may refer to: * Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922), during the Indian independence movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule * Non-cooperation movement (1971), a movement in East Pakistan * Non-cooperatio ...

. Between 1920 and 1925, Khaparde elected a member of the

Central Legislative Assembly The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Indian Legislature, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometimes calle ...

. As noted in Shree Gajanan Vijay, he was devotee of

Shegaon Shegaon is a city and municipal council in the Buldana district, Buldhana district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Shegaon has become a pilgrimage centre due to the influence of Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj, w ...

. Many reference texts of his are available in the epic. G.S. Khaparde was also a noted devotee of

. His first interaction with Sri Sai Baba was in December 1910 when he sought refuge at

Shirdi Shirdi (; also known as Sainagar) is a town and pilgrimage site in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Shirdi is located in the Rahata taluka of Ahmednagar District. It is most well known for being the home of the 19th-century Indian saint Sai B ...

escaping the incarceration and purge of political dissidents in India at the time. Between 1910 and 1918, his ''Shirdi diary'' recording visits to Sai Baba shed much light on Baba's life, his routine, and his work. G.S. Khaparde died on 1 July 1938. He was survived by his son Balkrishna Ganesh Khaparde, also a lawyer and leader.

References

Sources

* *. *. *. *. *. *. {{DEFAULTSORT:Khaparde, G. S. Indian independence activists from Maharashtra India House 1854 births 1938 deaths People from Amravati Members of the Imperial Legislative Council of India Sai Baba of Shirdi History of Vidarbha