Ravishankar Vyas, better known as Ravishankar Maharaj, was an Indian independence activist, social worker and
Gandhian
The followers of Mahatma Gandhi,one of the prominent figure of the Indian independence movement, are called Gandhians.
Gandhi's legacy includes a wide range of ideas ranging from his dream of ideal India (or ''Rama Rajya)'', economics, environ ...
from
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
.
Life
Ravishankar Vyas was born on 25 February 1884,
Mahashivaratri, in Radhu village (now in
Kheda district
Kheda District, known as Kaira District during British rule, is one of the thirty-three districts of Gujarat state in western India. It is part of the region known as Charotar, consisting of Kheda and Anand districts. Kheda was an administrativ ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
, India) to Pitambar Sivram Vyas and Nathiba, a Vadara
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
peasant family. His family was native of
Sarsavani village near
Mahemdavad. He dropped out after the sixth standard to help his parents in agriculture work.
He married Surajba. His father died when he was 19 and his mother died when he was 22.
He was influenced by
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj () is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda Saraswati founded the samaj in the 1870s.
Arya Samaj was the first Hindu ...
philosophy.
He met
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
in 1915 and joined his independence and social activism.
He was one of the earliest and closest associates of Gandhi and
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ''Vallabhbhāī Jhāverbhāī Paṭel''; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was an Indian independence activist and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime ...
, and along with
Darbar Gopaldas Desai,
Narhari Parikh and
Mohanlal Pandya, the chief organizer of nationalist revolts in Gujarat in the 1920s and 1930s. He worked for years for rehabilitation of
Baraiya Koli and Patanvadiya Kolis of coastal central Gujarat.
He founded Rashtriya Shala (National School) in Sunav village in 1920. He left his rights on ancestral property against wish of wife and joined
Indian Independence Movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed.
The first nationalistic ...
in 1921. He participated in Borsad Satyagraha in 1923 and protested against Haidiya Tax. He also participated in
Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928 and was imprisoned by British authority for six months. He participated in relief work of flood in 1927 which earned him recognition. He joined Gandhi in
Salt March
The Salt march, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March, and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of Non violence, non violent civil disobedience in British Raj, colonial India, led by Mahatma Gandhi. The 24-day march lasted from 12 March 19 ...
in 1930 and was imprisoned for two years.
In 1942, he also participated in
Quit India Movement and also tried to pacify communal violence in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
.
After independence of India in 1947, he devoted himself to social work. He joined
Vinoba Bhave
Vinayak Narahar Bhave, also known as Vinoba Bhave (; 11 September 1895 – 15 November 1982), was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. Often called ''Acharya'' (Teacher in Sanskrit), he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement. He ...
in
Bhoodan Movement
The Bhoodan movement (Land Gift movement), also known as the Bloodless Revolution, was a voluntary land reform movement in India. It was initiated by Gandhian Vinoba Bhave in 1951 at Pochampally village, Pochampally.
The Bhoodan movement attem ...
and travelled 6000 kilometres between 1955 and 1958. In 1960s, he organised and supported
Sarvodaya Movement.
Ravishankar Maharaj inaugurated Gujarat state when it was created on 1 May 1960.
He also opposed
the Emergency in 1975. Until his death, it was a tradition that every newly appointed
Chief Minister of Gujarat
The chief minister of Gujarat is the head of government, chief executive of the government of the Indian state of Gujarat. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose Cabinet (government), council of ministers are Cabinet collective respons ...
visit him for blessings after taking oath of office. He died on 1 July 1984 in
Borsad
Borsad is a town and a municipality in Anand district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is located around 17 km from Anand. It is surrounded by the fertile Charotar region which largely produces tobacco, bananas, cotton, barley and o ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
.
The memorial dedicated to him is located at Adhyapan Mandir, Vallabh Vidyalaya, Bochasan.
Works
He wrote about education, rural reconstruction and
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
.
Recognition

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 ...
released postal stamp in his honour in 1984. Ravishankar Maharaj Award for social work, worth 1
Lakh
A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...
, is instituted by Department of Social Justice,
Government of Gujarat
The Government of Gujarat, also known as Gujarat Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Gujarat and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive of the legislators appointed by the Governor of Gujarat, a judiciar ...
in his honour.
In popular culture
Jhaverchand Meghani
Jhaverchand or Zaverchand Kalidas Meghani ( – ) was an Indian poet, writer, social reformer and freedom fighter. He is a well-known name in the field of Gujarati literature. The writer of "''mor bani than ghat kare"'', the most popular Gujar ...
has written ''Manasai Na Diva'' based on his experiences with him during his social work among tribals.
Pannalal Patel has also written a biographical novel ''Jene Jivi Janyu'' (1984) on him.
References
External links
Gujarat inaugural speech by Ravishankar Vyas (Gujarati)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vyas, Ravishankar
Indian independence activists from Gujarat
Gandhians
1884 births
1984 deaths
Indian social reformers
Indian pacifists
Gujarati-language writers
Indian men centenarians
People from Kheda district