Mahadev Govind Ranade-A Judge and a Social Reformer

Mahadev Govind Ranade was a renowned social reformer, Indian scholar and author of India. He worked a lot for the betterment of humankind and society.  The picture of India that time was not exactly the same as we find today. There were so many restrictions in society that time and the conditions of children and women was very pity that time.

• Mahadev was born on 18 January, 1842 in Niphad in a Chitpavan Bhahmin family. Niphad is in taluka town in Nashik district. His wife died at very early age and he was proposed to remarry.
• Though his friends wanted him to marry a widow so that she could also rehabilitate but he married a child bride. Since the girl child was very young and not educated enough, therefore, Mahadev provided her with an education. She also got famous as Mrs. Ramabai Ranade and worked for social and educational reform work in the society.
• Mahadev Govind became the Justice in Bombay High Court in 1883. Seven years tenure of Mahadev as judge in Bombay high court was the best time of his social reformation for child marriage, widow remarriage and other social evils of that time.
• Mahadev efforts made British Government to initiate Industrialisation in India. Due to his efforts, he has been called the father of Indian economics.
• Mahadev became the early member of “Prayer Society” which engaged to reform the orthodox Hinduism.
• Mahadev Govind Ranade also served as the member of the “Indian National Social Conference”. He was a social reformer in real terms and founder of the Social Conference movement.  He founded the Indian National Social Conference in the year 1887. He worked against child marriage and also opposed the shaving of widow’s heads. As during that time, widows were expected to shave off their head after the death of their husbands and were forced to live a miserable life.
• Mahadev Govind Ranade took his last breath on 16 January, 1901 in Pune.