Dhondo Keshav Karve



Dhondo Keshav Karve, popularly known as Maharshi Karve, was a social reformer in India in the field of women's welfare He advocated widow remarriage and he himself married a widow. In his honour, Queen's Road in Mumbai was renamed to Maharshi Karve Road. Karve was a pioneer in promoting widows' education. The Government of India awarded him with the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1958, the year of his 100th birthday.
The appellation Maharshi'', which the Indian public often assigned to Karve, means "a great sage".

Career as a college professor

During 1891–1914, Karve taught mathematics at Fergusson College in Pune, Maharashtra.

Autobiographical works

Karve wrote two autobiographical works: Ātmawrutta in Marathi, and Looking Back in English.

Depictions in popular culture

The Marathi play Himalayachi Saavli by Vasant Kanetkar, published in 1972, is loosely based on the life of Karve. The character of Nanasaheb Bhanu is a composite character based on Karve and other Marathi social reformers of the late 19th and early 20th century. The play itself depicts the tension between Bhanu/Karve's public life as a social reformer and his family life due to the social backlash and economic hardships his children and wife had to endure.
The 2001 film Dhyaas Parva by Amol Palekar, based on the life of Karve's son Raghunath, also depicts the Karve family, and their social reformation projects. Taluka Dapoli, a research based initiative, made a documentary on life of Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve in 2017.

Awards and honours