It was January 1943, the fag end of the birth centenary year of Justice Mahadeo Govind Ranade, the Renaissance Man. The speaker delivering the Ranade Memorial lecture was none other than Dr. Babasaheb, B. R. Ambedkar, and the topic of the lecture was “Ranade, Gandhi, and Jinnah”. Dr. Ambedkar described Ranade in the following words: “He (Ranade) was not only big in his physique and his sincerity, he was also big in his intellect. He was not merely a lawyer and a judge of the high court, he was a first class educationist, and a first class Divine. Ranade, though not a politician, was a profound student of politics. Indeed it would be difficult to find in the history of India any man who could come up to Ranade in the width of his learning, the breadth of his wisdom, and the length of his vision.” Dr. Ambedkar in his speech compares the two great political leaders of that time, Gandhi and Jinnah with Ranade. Ambedkar says that the politics in the hands of Gandhi and Jinnah became an extravagant competition with no possibility of concurrence. Compared to these two Great politicians, Ambedkar finds Ranade with no tinge of egotism, never afraid of give and take involved in the company of equals, never relied on the inner voice. Ranade was a rationalist, prepared to have his views tested in the light of reason and experience. Dr. Ambedkar thus places Ranade above Gandhi and Jinnah.

The last quarter of 19th century, 1875-1900, if it was to be named, it would be called ‘Ranade Era’. The public life not only in Maharashtra, but in the entire India under the British rule was influenced by Ranade. Ranade was the force behind coordinating and experimenting with various social, religious, economic and political movements.

He was born on January 18, 1842 at Niphad in Nashik district of Maharashtra. His father Govindrao was Mamledar at Niphad. The family then moved to Kolhapur as Govindrao was transferred there. After initial schooling in Kolhapur, Madhav was sent to Mumbai for higher education. Often called by the nickname Madhav, he had a very illustrious career in school and college. His entire education was supported with scholarships. He was appointed Fellow in Elphinstone College in 1860. He completed B.A., M.A. and L.L.B. examinations till 1866 in first rank. Bombay University was established in the year 1857. Ranade and Bhandarkar, were the first graduates of the university. Some of the essays written by Ranade were highly appreciated by the British professors and sent to their colleagues in Oxford University. After clearing the M.A. examination, Ranade was given the responsibility to teach History to M.A. students, by Sir Alexander Grant. Since then he was known as Prince of Graduates. Ranade worked in various capacities as a Teacher of History and English, Marathi translator, First Class First Grade Subjudge, Small Cause Court Judge, Special Judge for farmers, Finance Commissioner, and High Court Judge.n

While he was working in Pune as Small Cause Court Judge, his judgements were read by the then Chief Justice Sir Michael Westrop who had commented that Rao Bahadur Ranade deserves to sit by us and adorn the High Court Bench. Naturally, he was appointed as High Court Judge, Bombay, a very rare honour conferred upon an Indian.

In 1871, Ranade cleared the qualifying examination for Advocates and entered into the judiciary. His first appointment was in Pune, which was a turning point of his social life. The British rule was well set over India by that time and the education had started to spread. The intelligencia among the people realised that the once flourishing land of theirs had touched the lowest mark in every face of life. Ranade pleaded for re-examining the Indian thought and actions, in the light of the newly gained wisdom from the West. Justice Ranade held that Religion was central to the individual and social life. He was of a firm opinion that the religious reforms must precede other reforms. In his work ‘The Rise of Maratha Power’, he has argued that the saints in Maharashtra brought about social conditions favouring the rise of Maratha power in the form of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Ranade emphatically has said that spiritual upliftment of a soul will lead to spiritual upliftment of the society, that of the society will lead to the upliftment of politics, of the Government, of the economy of the nation, leading to overall progress. This is the bottom-up approach Ranade advocated. Ranade and Bhandarkar were the inspiration behind the establishment of Prarthana Samaj in Mumbai and Pune. This initiative Ranade had taken was not because he wanted to do something new with respect to religion. He sincerely and honestly felt that the message of this pure religion must spread far and wide. Ranade had a firm faith in God which made him a strong optimist. In the address in Prarthana Samaj in 1874, Ranade said, “Humanize, Equalize, Spiritualize is an ideal which was the objective of pioneering reformist programme of Raja Rammohun Roy. It would take ages before our people realise the full significance of this ideal”. Ranade has also said, “With Raja Rammohun Roy the Brahmo Samaj faith was not a new dispensation, a new declaration of God’s purpose. He aspired only to establish harmony between men’s accepted faiths and their practical observances by a strict monolatrous worship of the One Supreme Soul, a worship of the heart and not of the hands, a sacrifice of self and not the possessions of the self. There was nothing Christian in its conception, origin or method.”

Once an American Professor on a world tour studying various religions came to India and met Jamshetji Tata who asked him whether or not he has seen Justice Ranade. The professor said he hadn’t. Jamshetji told him that without seeing Justice Ranade, his visit to India would be incomplete.

The professor then attended Ranade’s Prayer at the Mumbai Prarthana Samaj and carefully listened to the heart touching prayer of Ranade. The professor was very much satisfied and realised that the objective of his visit was more than fulfilled after meeting Ranade.

After the defeat of Peshwas by the British forces in 1818, the Union Jack was set flying at Shaniwar Wada, the seat of Maratha Power. The city of Pune and Maharashtra in general had gone into a frozen state or a dark era. Ranade, with all his awakening activities, brought life to the city of Pune and Maharashtra. He started many libraries. He advocated for girl’s education, established a Girls’ school in Pune. He wanted various activities turned into institutes devoted to the respective activities. In Pune alone, he initiated nine institutions which are still working. Pune Prarthana Samaj is one of them. The plot of the land on which Pune Prarthana Samaj is standing today was bought and gifted by Ranade.

Dr. Ambedkar called Ranade a great man because Ranade’s whole life was a relentless campaign for social reforms. The first meeting in which Indian National Congress was conceived was held at Ranade’s house in Pune. He founded the Social Conference, an all India organisation which ran as an adjunct to the Indian National Congress. Year after year Ranade used to attend Social Conference as though it was a pilgrimage and fostered the cause of social reforms.

Today we hear a lot of noise over the word ‘Patriotism’. Ranade had said, patriotism to him meant loving every citizen of the country. He has again referred to Raja Rammohun Roy, “Anybody who wants to know what true patriotism is, had better study the evidence that he gave and the letters he wrote to men in power over 60 years ago, long before our era of Congress meetings and conferences.”

Ranade was an epitome of peace and forgiveness. At times his forgiveness reached such a scale, many who didn’t know his character, would take it as a behaviour without self esteem! Once Ranade was travelling to Chennai (then Madras) by train. The train had stopped at Solapur and Ranade was having a casual walk on the platform. In the meanwhile a British officer came to sit in the same compartment as that of Ranade. He immediately recognised that the luggage belonged to a coloured Indian. The British officer got wild and threw the entire luggage out of the train onto the platform. How did Ranade react? He asked his attendant to put his luggage in the attendants’ compartment! Later, the British Officer came to know that the person sitting in his compartment was a high court judge, he sought pardon. After 5 years after this incidence, the British Officer wrote to Ranade : ‘I have learnt from you a lesson which was not taught to me while I was in India.’

You all know about a similar incident in the life of Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa.

Ranade’s contribution to Indian Political Economy has been recognised as a landmark. His writings compiled in a book ‘Essay on Indian Economy’ have provided scientific justification from an Indian point of view towards economic problems. As a member of the Famine Commission, he studied problems faced by farmers, and suggested that the Government should provide for the means of funding for capital to the farmers. Justice Ranade is considered to be the Father of Indian Economics.

Ranade was a visionary. He had predicted the rise of leadership from amongst the scheduled classes. He has even talked of population control in India.

Ranade was contemporary of Jyotiba Phule and both had a good friendship. Tilak occasionally used an indecent language for Ranade. Ranade used to say that he would not answer criticism, for if he answered, the image of Tilak as a national leader of the freedom struggle would get tarnished, and he did not want that to happen!

In the end I wish to present evidence of Ranade’s concern for scientific research. He told Jamshetji Tata that India needs a Science Research Institute. Jamshetji immediately agreed and offered financial support and asked Ranade to look for space in Mumbai. In the meanwhile, Raja Wadiyar of Mysore offered a space in Bangalore and this is where the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore stands today. This story is told by Lady Nathibai Thakersey in her article on Ramabai Ranade, Ranade’s wife.

Ramabai Ranade, his wife, was groomed by Ranade from the day one of their marriage. From an illiterate girl, she became a learned woman. After Ranade’s death in 1901, she worked to bring her husband’s incomplete dreams into reality. The Seva Sadan Society in Mumbai, Pune, Solapur stands in witness to her towering efforts for women empowerment.
Ranade was a mentor to Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Gokhale said, “It is no exaggeration to say that younger men who came in personal contact with him felt as in a holy presence, not only uttering ‘nothing base’ , but afraid even of thinking unworthy thoughts, while in his company”.

Ranade did not enjoy sound health. He was diagnosed to have a heart problem. On January 16, 1901, he had his daily walk and returned home by 7.30 in the evening. On his return, he received a telegram informing him about the death of his friend, Kantichand Mukherji, Diwan of Jaipur state. He expressed, “What a fine death while performing his duties!” Before taking dinner, Ranade had guests discussing a widow marriage in Bhatia community. Then his reader read him a passage from the book by McCarthy “The history of our times”. After dinner, Ranade’s sister and sister-in-law recited some hymns and songs from Prarthana Sangeet, and Ranade went to bed. Soon he developed unbearable chest pain and before the doctor could arrive, Ranade breathed his last.

Lokmanya Tilak in an obituary on Ranade in his editorial in Kesari, had full praise for Ranade and his mission of social reforms. Tilak described Ranade as a man with multifaceted wisdom, “सर्वज्ञः स हि माधवः”.

References

Ranade Memorial Speech by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (18th January 1943, Pune) http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ambedkar/txt_ambedkar_ranade.html

“Nya. Ranade Hyanchi Dharmapar Vyakhyane” (Editor : D.G.Vaidya, Publisher : Ramabai Ranade, 1923)

Article by Lady N. D. Thackersey (Anuradha Magazine, Pune, Special issue on the occasion of Birth Centenary of Ramabai Ranade, 1962)

Translated article by V. K. Nulkar (Manthan, Souvenir, 114th Session of Brahmo Conference, Pune, 2004)

Ranade : The Renaissance Man (Author : Aroon Tikekar, Publisher : Shrividya Prakashan, Pune, 2000)

-Prof. Dr. Dilip S. Joag
(Pune Prarthana Samaj)
(Speech delivered by Prof. Dr. Dilip S. Joag On October 11, 2020 in Brahmopasana)