Ravishankar Maharaj | |
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| Born | Ravishankar Vyas (1884-02-25)25 February 1884 |
| Died | 1 July 1984(1984-07-01) (aged 100) Borsad, Gujarat, India |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, social worker |
| Spouse | Surajba |
| Parent(s) | Pitambar Shivram Vyas, Nathiba |
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Ravishankar Vyas, better known asRavishankar Maharaj, was an Indian independence activist, social worker andGandhian fromGujarat.
Ravishankar Vyas was born on 25 February 1884,Mahashivaratri, in Radhu village (now inKheda district,Gujarat, India) to Pitambar Sivram Vyas and Nathiba, a VadaraBrahmin peasant family. His family was native ofSarsavani village nearMahemdavad. He dropped out after the sixth standard to help his parents in agriculture work.[1][2] He married Surajba. His father died when he was 19 and his mother died when he was 22.[3]
He was influenced byArya Samaj philosophy.[2] He metMahatma Gandhi in 1915 and joined his independence and social activism.[2] He was one of the earliest and closest associates of Gandhi andSardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and along withDarbar Gopaldas Desai,Narhari Parikh andMohanlal Pandya, the chief organizer of nationalist revolts in Gujarat in the 1920s and 1930s. He worked for years for rehabilitation ofBaraiya Koli and Patanvadiya Kolis of coastal central Gujarat.[4][5] He founded Rashtriya Shala (National School) in Sunav village in 1920. He left his rights on ancestral property against wish of wife and joinedIndian Independence Movement in 1921. He participated in Borsad Satyagraha in 1923 and protested against Haidiya Tax. He also participated inBardoli 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 inSalt March in 1930 and was imprisoned for two years.[6] In 1942, he also participated inQuit India Movement and also tried to pacify communal violence inAhmedabad.[1][4][3]
After independence of India in 1947, he devoted himself to social work. He joinedVinoba Bhave inBhoodan Movement and travelled 6000 kilometres between 1955 and 1958. In 1960s, he organised and supportedSarvodaya Movement.[5] Ravishankar Maharaj inaugurated Gujarat state when it was created on 1 May 1960.[7] He also opposedthe Emergency in 1975. Until his death, it was a tradition that every newly appointedChief Minister of Gujarat visit him for blessings after taking oath of office. He died on 1 July 1984 inBorsad,Gujarat.[1][3][8][9] The memorial dedicated to him is located at Adhyapan Mandir, Vallabh Vidyalaya, Bochasan.[10]
He wrote about education, rural reconstruction andKolkata.[11][1]
TheGovernment of India released postal stamp in his honour in 1984. Ravishankar Maharaj Award for social work, worth₹1Lakh, is instituted by Department of Social Justice,Government of Gujarat in his honour.[12]
Jhaverchand Meghani has writtenManasai Na Diva based on his experiences with him during his social work among tribals.[13]Pannalal Patel has also written a biographical novelJene Jivi Janyu (1984) on him.
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