Rajarshri Shahu Maharaj – A Visionary and Social Reformist

Rajarshri Shahu Maharaj was a social reformer and a visionary who was driven towards the development of his people and the betterment of the socially deprived sectors. He strongly believed in equality amongst all members of the society. In his rule, he initiated many revolutionary schemes in the caste discriminating system to promote equality.

He also initiated compulsory free primary education in all his states.

Rajarshri Shahu Maharaj took sustainable measures to improve the conditions of the farmers. During the drought of 1902, he recognized the hardship of the farmers’ community and made honest attempts to solve the problems in agricultural activities. He introduced the “Mass Irrigation Policy” in the same year. For this policy, he appointed irrigation officers who investigated every village in his province and arranged irrigation fund for the villages according to the severity of the drought condition. He also initiated the construction of the Radhanagari Dam on February 18, 1907, in the Kolhapur city to solve the problems of irrigation. The project was completed in 1935. The dam stands proof to Chhatrapati Shahu’s vision towards the welfare of his subjects and made Kolhapur self-sufficient in water.

Not only did he take efforts to provide irrigation to the farmers, but he also made credits accessible to farmers looking to buy technical equipment. He also established the King Edward Agricultural Institution to teach farmers modern techniques to increase their crop yield and different farming methods.

He introduced numerous projects that enable the citizens of his kingdom to develop self-sustaining business such as The Shahu Chhatrapati Spinning and Weaving Mill, dedicated marketplaces for farmers and cooperative society for farmers to eliminate the involvement of middlemen in trading. He always strived to build an environment of growth and development for his subject.

Rajarshri Shahu Maharaj was a strong-willed man with a vision and mission of betterment and upliftment of the socially deprived sections. He dedicated his life to this objective and worked tirelessly for the same.

He initiated the first known reservation system to abolish the system of caste segregation and the exploitation of the lower castes.

“I want to point out to all the leader of the community that it is desirable to break apart the caste discrimination, it is of course, keeping the caste is sin, this is a barrier in the path of patriotism, efforts should be made to overcome this, keeping this awareness in mind. Therefore, it is noteworthy that such councils should not be affected due to the increase in casteism, intensification of caste system. Area “.  

 Rajarshri Shahu Maharaj –
Nashik, 15 April 1920.
Udgary Maratha Residences at Kaushalya ceremony, Nashik

The motive behind his relentless efforts was to make education available to all the members of the society regardless of caste and creed. He was a strong advocate of equality amongst all members of the society.

We at the AISSMS attempt to carry forward the legacy of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and continue to provide the best in class education at all our campuses.

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