Dhondo Keshav Karve (18 April 1858 – 9 November 1962) (), popularly known as Maharshi Karve, was a social reformer in India in the field of women's welfare. He advocated widow remarriage, and he himself remarried a widow as a widower. Karve was a pioneer in promoting widows' education. He founded the first women's university in India, the

SNDT Women's University SNDT Women's University, also called by its full name Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University, is a women's university in the city of Mumbai, India. The university headquarters are at Churchgate in South Mumbai, while the ma ...

in 1916. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

awarded him with the highest civilian award, the

Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna (; ) is the highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distin ...

, in 1958, the year of his 100th birthday. He organized a conference against the practice of

devdasi In India, a devadasi is a female artist who is dedicated to the worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. The dedication takes place in a ceremony that is somewhat similar to a marriage ceremony. In addition to taki ...

. He started 'Anath balikashram' an orphanage for girls. His intention was to give education to all women and make them stand on their own feet. Through his efforts, the first women university was set up in 20th century. The appellation ''

Maharshi Maharishi (, ) is a Sanskrit word used for members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, popularly known in India as "seers", i.e., those who engage in research to understand and experience nature, divinity, and the divine context of exis ...

'', which the Indian public often assigned to Karve, means "great sage".

Biography

Early life and education

Dhondo Keshav Karve was born on 18 April 1858, at Sheravali, in

Ratnagiri district Ratnagiri district (Marathi pronunciation: �ət̪n̪aːɡiɾiː is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The administrative headquarter of the district is located in the town of Ratnagiri. The district is 11.34% urban. The district ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. He belonged to a lower middle-class family and his father's name was Keshav Bapunna Karve. In 1884, he graduated with a degree in mathematics from

Elphinstone College Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1856, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the edu ...

Career

During 1891–1914, Karve taught mathematics at

Fergusson College Fergusson College is an autonomous public-private college offering various courses in the streams of arts and science in the city of Pune, India. It was founded in 1885 by Vaman Shriram Apte, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vishnushashtri Chiplunkar, Mah ...

Pune, Maharashtra Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

. In 1929, he visited Europe, America and Japan. During these travels, he met

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

. During this world tour, he also raised funds for the university.

Autobiographical works

Karve wrote two autobiographical works: ''Ātmawrutta'' (1928) in Marathi, and ''Looking Back'' (1936) in English.

Depictions in popular culture

The Marathi play ''Himalayachi Saavli'' (हिमालयाची सावली) (literal meaning, "The Shadow of the Himalayas". Contextually it means, under the cover of Himalaya) by

Vasant Kanetkar Vasant Shankar Kanetkar (20 March 1922 – 31 January 2000) was an Indian Marathi-language playwright and novelist from Maharashtra. He was born in the town of Rahimatpur in Satara District, Maharashtra. His father, Shankar Keshav Kanetkar, ...

, published in 1972, is loosely based on the life of Karve. The character of Nanasaheb Bhanu is a composite character based on Karve and other Marathi social reformers of the late 19th and early 20th century. The play itself depicts the tension between Bhanu/Karve's public life as a social reformer and his family life due to the social backlash and economic hardships his children and wife had to endure. ''The Story of Dr. Karve'' is a 1958 documentary film directed by Neil Gokhale and

Ram Gabale Ram Gabale (died 9 January 2009) was an Indian filmmaker. He is well known for a number of cinematic works including social documentaries, children's films, and television serials. He started directing films in 1947. Gabale worked with critica ...

. It was produced by the

Films Division The Films Division of India (FDI), commonly referred as Films Division, was established in 1948 following the independence of India. It was the first state film production and distribution unit, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcastin ...

. The 2001 film ''

Dhyaas Parva ''Dhyaas Parva'' ( ''An Era of Yearning'') is a 2001 Indian Marathi-language biographical drama film about Raghunath Dhondo Karve, written by Chitra Palekar and directed by Amol Palekar. The film stars Kishor Kadam in the lead role, with See ...

'' (ध्यास पर्व) by

Amol Palekar Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema. Early life and education Palekar was born to Kamlakara and Suhasini Palekar in a Marathi language, Marathi speaking middle-class family ...

, based on the life of Karve's son Raghunath, also depicts the Karve family, and their social reformation projects. Taluka Dapoli, a research based initiative, made a documentary on life of Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve in 2017.

Awards and honours

*1942 – awarded

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

(D.Litt.) by

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

*1951 – awarded D.Litt. by

Pune University Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Pune, is a public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshkhind. The uni ...

*1954 – awarded D.Litt. by S.N.D.T. University *1955 – awarded

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ( , lit. "Lotus Grandeur") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons w ...

by the Government of India *1957 – awarded LL.D. by

University of Mumbai 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 ...

*1958 – awarded

, the highest civilian award of India, by the Government of India In his honour, Karvenagar in Pune was named after him & Queen's Road in Mumbai (Bombay) was renamed to Maharshi Karve Road.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karve, Dhondu Keshav Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in literature & education 1858 births 1962 deaths Hindu revivalists Indian men centenarians Women's education in India People from Ratnagiri district Indian social reformers 19th-century Indian educators 20th-century Indian educators Activists from Maharashtra Educators from Maharashtra People from Dapoli