Remembering Dr. Kumar Saptarshi: The Gandhian leader who inspired a generation
As the founder of the influential student movement Yuvak Kranti Dal (YuKranD) in the 1960s, he dedicated his life to non-violent social reform, fighting for caste equality, women's rights, and justice for the marginalised
Dr Kumar Saptarshi, a leading Gandhian and socialist thinker from Maharashtra, passed away in Pune. He was the founder and president of the Yuvak Kranti Dal (YuKranD), a prominent student movement established in the mid-1960s that advocated for social change and justice through non-violent means. Saptarshi dedicated his life to upliftment and progressive development, actively campaigning against caste discrimination, corruption, and for women's rights. His movement collaborated with organizations like the Dalit Panthers, and he later established the Rashin Commune for rural development. Saptarshi's impactful career included a stint as a Janata Party MLA, and he is remembered as a key figure in Maharashtra's socio-political history and a mentor to many.
Dr Kumar Saptarshi, a leading Gandhian and socialist thinker from Maharashtra, passed away in Pune. He was the founder and president of the Yuvak Kranti Dal (YuKranD), a prominent student movement established in the mid-1960s that advocated for social change and justice through non-violent means. Saptarshi dedicated his life to upliftment and progressive development, actively campaigning against caste discrimination, corruption, and for women's rights. His movement collaborated with organizations like the Dalit Panthers, and he later established the Rashin Commune for rural development. Saptarshi's impactful career included a stint as a Janata Party MLA, and he is remembered as a key figure in Maharashtra's socio-political history and a mentor to many.
Dr Kumar Saptarshi, a leading Gandhian and socialist thinker from Maharashtra, passed away in Pune. He was the founder and president of the Yuvak Kranti Dal (YuKranD), a prominent student movement established in the mid-1960s that advocated for social change and justice through non-violent means. Saptarshi dedicated his life to upliftment and progressive development, actively campaigning against caste discrimination, corruption, and for women's rights. His movement collaborated with organizations like the Dalit Panthers, and he later established the Rashin Commune for rural development. Saptarshi's impactful career included a stint as a Janata Party MLA, and he is remembered as a key figure in Maharashtra's socio-political history and a mentor to many.
Dr Kumar Saptarshi died last week in Pune. A Gandhian and one of the leading socialist thought leaders of Maharashtra, Saptarshi was a young MBBS graduate when he decided to devote his life to the cause of social reforms, upliftment of the backward and marginalised and progressive development through Gandhian and socialist means.
Born in 1941, He was the founder and president of Yuvak Kranti Dal (YuKranD), a movement of students in the mid 1960s. An excellent orator, Saptarshi and his movement advocated social change through non-violent methods. YuKranD became a magnet to attract youth from all classes and castes who dreamt of social change. Saptarshi had worked with Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan in Bihar during and after his MBBS years.
Founded in 1967, YuKranD occupies a prominent position as a student and youth movement in Maharashtra’s socio-political history. Social Justice was its agenda, and it fought against issues like caste discrimination, fee hikes by the government in colleges and universities, corruption in the government, and women’s rights among others. The movement was blessed by eminent Gandhians like late Vinoba Bhave. In its agitation against caste discrimination, it opened doors of village temples and wells to Dalits and backwards classes. It joined hands with Dalit Panthers to give voice and justice to Dalits facing atrocities.
The mid-1960s to mid-1970s, till the Emergency was imposed, was a period when Maharashtra witnessed social churn that impacted its politics, literature, cinema and theatre. This decade saw the birth of Shiv Sena as well as organisations like YuKranD and Dalit Panthers. Being a YuKranD activist was equal to being a social change warrior but with non-violent means.
After leading YuKranD for seven years, Saptarshi settled in Rashin, a small village in the drought-prone Karjan taluk of Ahmednagar district. He started Rashin Commune there and, through the commune, initiated many social development programmes.
When the Emergency was declared, Saptarshi went underground for nearly three months, after which he was arrested and imprisoned at Yerwada Central Prison in Pune. He wrote a very beautiful book titled ‘Yerwada Vidyapeethache Divas’ (Days At Yerwada University), about his experiences in the prison. After the Emergency was lifted and he was freed, Saptarshi joined the Janata Party that came to power at the centre in 1977. He was elected as a Janata Party MLA in 1978. Janata Party government led by Sharad Pawar was dismissed by Indira Gandhi when she became prime minister again in 1980. Saptarshi could not get reelected in 1980 as Congress stormed back to power in Maharashtra. But nobody could challenge his stature as a thought leader and prominent social activist.
In the 1980s and 1990s, many youths associated with YuKranD became prominent Marathi writers and journalists, political leaders and social activists. For them, YuKranD was a school and laboratory where Saptarshi was its principal and mentor.
Saptarshi also founded a Marathi magazine ‘Satyagrahi Vichardhara’. He was also the president of Mahatma Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.
As the nation witnesses another youth movement against the government led by Cockroach Janata Party, Maharashtra will certainly miss Saptarshi and his guiding thoughts.