Kids are often asked this question.. "who is your idol? who would you want to be like when you grow up?" Honestly, I never had any single idol till date. But there have always been some, A Few Good Men as I will call them, who have influenced my thought process and helped me look at this world in a different light. My grandfather is one such person. He has some very strong opinions about various topics and I used to love to listen to him talk. I was lucky to grow up in a house with very well read people around me and a spirit of free discussions and civilized arguments, often over meals :) This is a big reason why I love to think about things and have thought provoking discussions with friends. And this habit helps me to look at people in a different light and helps me learn something good from them.
As such there are many Good people around and have been over the ages. I had thought of writing about a few people who are rich and famous and are doing wonderful things for the society; Bill Gates and NR Narayana Murthy to name a few. NRN likes to call himself a compassionate capitalist which is what he is. However I am not going to talk about them as most people already know a lot about them. So here is someone from more than a century ago about whom we know very less but I believe his life story deserves to be known.
I have been watching a Marathi series recently based on the life of Justice Ranade and his wife Ramabai Ranade. In school history lessons there is a fleeting mention about their social reform work. But this series introduced me to the person behind that work. Supreme intellect, holistic thinking, sincere empathy coupled with an immense will to help his people, irrespective of their social status, made him what he was.
Nyayamurti Mahadeo Govind Ranade or fondly known as Madhavrao or Raosaheb, was born in a well to do Brahmin family and could have continued his family business. However his intense thirst for knowledge led him to study law and by the time he retired he was a Judge of the Bombay high court, a great feat in late 1800s for an Indian. Using the judiciary as his weapon, he strived to improve governance for his people while maintaining good standing with the empire. This required shrewdness and a lot of diplomacy. He was a phantom force behind numerous social organizations like Prarthana Samaj, Sarwajanik Sabha etc working to improve the conditions of farmers and labor class and bring about religious reforms. He strongly condemned the rituals which formed a cruel but inseparable part of Hindu society. Through his speeches and writings, he tried to logically strike down all arguments in favor of the rituals by pointing out the relevant references in the Vedas which were used to prop them up.
He was a staunch supporter of widow remarriage and was dead against the inhuman practice or tonsuring widows. Coming from an orthodox family, he had to marry an underage girl against his will after his first wife passed away. Being a reformist, he received severe criticism from his detractors. But he took an oath to educate his wife and set a shining example of what an educated woman can achieve. He made his wife worthy to serve other women by educating her and sensitizing her about the plight of her peers. She then went on to do some exemplary work in her later days.
He was liked and highly respected not only by the masses but also by eminent peers of his time. He helped create a strong rank of young politicians like Gopal Krishna Gokhale. He played a big role in the formation of the Indian National Congress which was instrumental in India's freedom struggle. He had an intense desire to see India get independent from the British empire. Although being a moderate that he was, Justice Ranade respected the revolutionaries for their strong sentiments. But he was not in favor of an armed revolution for the basic fact that as a nation, India was not ready to govern itself in the eventuality of a successful fall of the British rule. This shows his farsightedness. He always had a balanced look at things and let logic and fairness rule over sentiments. He was a wise man in true sense.
Although he lived in the 1800s, his thoughts and ideals are still relevant. There is a lot the current political leaders can and should learn from his life; a sense of duty towards fellow countrymen, empathy, good governance and making the best use of your position and ability for the greater good. I have no doubt that his life story has had a positive influence on me. I do not know how capable I am of emulating this great personality but even if I can bring out a fraction of his virtues in me and make a positive difference somewhere for someone I will say that the hundreds of television episodes were worth it!!
As such there are many Good people around and have been over the ages. I had thought of writing about a few people who are rich and famous and are doing wonderful things for the society; Bill Gates and NR Narayana Murthy to name a few. NRN likes to call himself a compassionate capitalist which is what he is. However I am not going to talk about them as most people already know a lot about them. So here is someone from more than a century ago about whom we know very less but I believe his life story deserves to be known.
I have been watching a Marathi series recently based on the life of Justice Ranade and his wife Ramabai Ranade. In school history lessons there is a fleeting mention about their social reform work. But this series introduced me to the person behind that work. Supreme intellect, holistic thinking, sincere empathy coupled with an immense will to help his people, irrespective of their social status, made him what he was.
Nyayamurti Mahadeo Govind Ranade or fondly known as Madhavrao or Raosaheb, was born in a well to do Brahmin family and could have continued his family business. However his intense thirst for knowledge led him to study law and by the time he retired he was a Judge of the Bombay high court, a great feat in late 1800s for an Indian. Using the judiciary as his weapon, he strived to improve governance for his people while maintaining good standing with the empire. This required shrewdness and a lot of diplomacy. He was a phantom force behind numerous social organizations like Prarthana Samaj, Sarwajanik Sabha etc working to improve the conditions of farmers and labor class and bring about religious reforms. He strongly condemned the rituals which formed a cruel but inseparable part of Hindu society. Through his speeches and writings, he tried to logically strike down all arguments in favor of the rituals by pointing out the relevant references in the Vedas which were used to prop them up.
He was a staunch supporter of widow remarriage and was dead against the inhuman practice or tonsuring widows. Coming from an orthodox family, he had to marry an underage girl against his will after his first wife passed away. Being a reformist, he received severe criticism from his detractors. But he took an oath to educate his wife and set a shining example of what an educated woman can achieve. He made his wife worthy to serve other women by educating her and sensitizing her about the plight of her peers. She then went on to do some exemplary work in her later days.
He was liked and highly respected not only by the masses but also by eminent peers of his time. He helped create a strong rank of young politicians like Gopal Krishna Gokhale. He played a big role in the formation of the Indian National Congress which was instrumental in India's freedom struggle. He had an intense desire to see India get independent from the British empire. Although being a moderate that he was, Justice Ranade respected the revolutionaries for their strong sentiments. But he was not in favor of an armed revolution for the basic fact that as a nation, India was not ready to govern itself in the eventuality of a successful fall of the British rule. This shows his farsightedness. He always had a balanced look at things and let logic and fairness rule over sentiments. He was a wise man in true sense.
Although he lived in the 1800s, his thoughts and ideals are still relevant. There is a lot the current political leaders can and should learn from his life; a sense of duty towards fellow countrymen, empathy, good governance and making the best use of your position and ability for the greater good. I have no doubt that his life story has had a positive influence on me. I do not know how capable I am of emulating this great personality but even if I can bring out a fraction of his virtues in me and make a positive difference somewhere for someone I will say that the hundreds of television episodes were worth it!!
