New Delhi [India], January 16 : Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday paid tribute to Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade on his death anniversary.
"Humble tributes to Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, a great social reformer, religious reformer and thinker in the history of modern India, on his death anniversary," Gadkari said in a post on X.
Mahadev Govind Ranade, popularly referred to as Justice Ranade, was born in Niphad, Nashik, in Maharashtra on January 18, 1842. He was an Indian scholar, social reformer, judge, author and one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress.
Ranade was a social reformer and thinker, who advocated against child marriage and the caste system and promoted widow remarriage and education for women. He was one of the leading founders of reform societies like the Prarthana Samaj, the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha and the Vaktruttvottejak Sabha.
Towards bringing social and religious reform, he edited an Anglo-Marathi daily paper, the Induprakash. Ranade, along with Vaman Abaji Modak and Dr R. G. Bhandarkar, established the Maharashtra Girls Education Society and the oldest Girls' High School at Huzurpaga in Pune, Maharashtra.
He also participated in the formation of the Indian National Congress due to his belief in attaining freedom from colonial rule through constitutional means. Considered a stalwart of the Indian Social Reform Movement, Ranade gave the movement the motto of "Humanize, Equalize and Spiritualize". His ideas boosted the drive for the upliftment of women who later went on to take an active part in the Indian freedom struggle.