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Vitthal Ramji Shinde

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Vitthal Ramji Shinde
Born
Vitthal Ramji Shinde

(1873-04-23)23 April 1873
Jamkhandi, British India (now Karnataka)
Died2 January 1944(1944-01-02) (aged 70)
Bombay Province, British India
EducationFergusson College (BA)
Occupations
  • Writer
  • researcher
OrganizationDepressed Classes Mission
Known for

Vitthal Ramji Shinde (23 April 1873 – 2 January 1944) was an Indian scholar, writer, and social reformer. He worked against the institution of untouchability and advocated religious and social reforms in the British Raj.[1] Shinde was associated with the liberal reformist tradition in India and contributed to discussions on caste and Dalit rights.[2][3][4][5]

Personal life

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Shinde was born on 23 April 1873 in the princely state of Jamkhandi (present-day Karnataka) into a Maratha family.[6]

Vitthal Ramji Shinde in 1938

Around 1898, Shinde joined Prarthana Samaj, a monotheistic prayer society that advocated for progressive social reform.[7][8] Shinde's religious views were influenced by the works of Sant Tukaram, Sant Eknath, and Sant Ramdas. He also studied the writings of John Stuart Mill, Herbert Spencer, Max Müller, Mahadev Govind Ranade, and R. G. Bhandarkar.[9] In 1903, he began working as a preacher at the Mumbai Prarthana Samaj, where he facilitated lectures and reading groups in addition to publishing his religious writings. His association with Prarthana Samaj ended in 1910; in 1923, Shinde began teaching at a Brahmo school, remaining a devout Brahmo through the rest of his life.[7]

Shinde died on 2 January 1944, at the age of 70, in Bombay Province.[10]

Education

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In 1898, Shinde earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fergusson College, Pune.[7]

In 1901, with the financial support of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda State, Shinde traveled to Manchester College, Oxford to study comparative religion.[11] For two years, he studied comparative theology, Christian and Buddhist religious history, the Pali language, and sociology. He continued to publish academic works throughout his life, including several essays about the history and circumstances of sects deemed untouchable; after his death, his research was compiled into various volumes spanning his religious, sociological, and autobiographical work.[7]

Career

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After returning to India in 1903, Shinde became active in efforts against caste-based discrimination.[12] He focused on education and social welfare initiatives for the Depressed Classes. In 1905, he opened a night school for Dalit and untouchable children in Pune.[citation needed]

On 16 October 1906, he founded the Depressed Classes Mission in Bombay[13] to provide social and educational support for groups including the Mahars, Chamars, and Namasudras.[3][14] To accomplish this, the society worked to oppose untouchability, provide education to Dalit communities, and establish schools, hostels, and healthcare facilities.

Shinde established the Murali Pratibandhak Sabha or "Murali Prohibition Council" in 1910, and later convened the Asprushyata Nivaran Parishad (Untouchability Eradication Council) in 1912.[citation needed] In 1917, Shinde played a role in passing a resolution at the Indian National Congress condemning the practice of untouchability.[15]

Between 1918 and 1920, Shinde was involved in organising conferences on untouchability, chaired by leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Sayajirao Gaekwad III.[citation needed] He also presented evidence before the Southborough Franchise Committee in 1919, advocating for political representation of marginalised castes. In 1923, he resigned from the executive of the Depressed Classes Mission due to internal disagreements, but he remained associated with its objectives.[citation needed]

During the 1920 Bombay Presidency Council elections, which he contested from Pune, Shinde published a Marathi-language article titled Bahujan Paksh in Baroda's Jagruti Patra.[1] The article served as a political statement and outlined the objectives of the Bahujan Samaj Paksha, a party representing socially and economically disadvantaged groups in Indian society.[16]

In 1930, for his participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement, Shinde was imprisoned for six months in Yerwada Central Jail.[9]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Its time for a Bahujan rethink". SabrangIndia. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Shinde, Randhir (24 December 2017). "Dr. Randhir Shinde Write About Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde". Divyamarathi-Bhaskar. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 Patnekar, Mrunal (2018), "Relocating caste: The politics of communalism in early twentieth-century Bombay", Re-searching Transitions in Indian History, doi:10.4324/9780429487569-12, S2CID 242029679, retrieved 2 March 2023
  4. ↑ Narayan, Badri (18 April 2014). Kanshiram: Leader of the Dalits. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-5118-670-0.
  5. ↑ Ganachari, Aravind (2005). "First World War: Purchasing Indian Loyalties: Imperial Policy of Recruitment and 'Rewards'". Economic and Political Weekly. 40 (8): 779–788. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4416244.
  6. ↑ "Maharshi Shinde and the Peasant Movement". Amritmahotsav. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Vitthal Ramji Shinde". map.sahapedia.org. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Prarthana Samaj ("prayer society")". www.philtar.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde | Pune Prarthana Samaj". Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Social Work of Vitthal Ramji Shinde: Learn about Legacy and Impact". Testbook. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde | Pune Prarthana Samaj". Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "Vitthal Ramji Shinde". veethi.com. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde – Social Studies Foundation". Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  14. ↑ Kshīrasāgara, Rāmacandra (1994). Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956. M.D. Publications Pvt (. Ltd. p. 128. ISBN 81-85880-43-3. Retrieved 7 January 2008.
  15. ↑ Fulzele, A. D.; Meshram, S. (September 2020). "V. R. Shinde: Analysis of Social and Political Alterations Among Untouchables" (PDF). Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal. 11: 116–126 – via viirj.org.
  16. ↑ "Bahujan Paksh's manifesto – Vitthal Ramji Shinde". The Satyashodhak. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2025.

Additional works

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  • Dr. G.M. Pawar, English translation by Sudhakar Marathe, *The Life and Work of Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde*, Sahitya Akademi, 2013. ISBN 978-81-260-4064-3
  • M.S. Gore, *Vitthal Ramji Shinde: An Assessment of His Contribution*, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 1989.
  • G.M. Pawar, *Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde: Jeevan wa Karya* (Marathi), 2004. ISBN 81-88284-37-8
  • Katare, *Maharashtra History*, 2013 edition.
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