सुधाकरराव कुलकर्णी स्मृती...
From within mind to the society through education …
It was the year 2009, the year of sad demise of Mr. Sudhakarrao Kulkarni. He put his 35 years of life in the services of Education Department, as a teacher, Extension Officer and then Head Master of various schools at small places like Chousala, Rani Sawargaon and finally in Girls High School at Ambajogai, before his superannuation. He had developed habits of getting immensively involved in any activity and he continued to work for his tenets and principle obligations as a teacher. Though simply a teacher, his passion and urge for the education field was nowhere less than any renowned stalwart. The character building and development of students and teachers was a matter of heart for him. In order to inculcate good habits and characters among them, he relentlessly and imaginatively arranged a number of programmes. The organization of educational and excursion tours to various historical places within the state of Maharashtra, took the rural teachers to many corners and forts within the state. This raised their awareness and feelings towards their subjects in history and geography. He himself read, wrote and developed resources for the teachers through his innumerable articles. At the same time he also organized programmes and wrote articles in the honour of many teachers working in the schools in remote and neglected areas to appraise their loyal services to education for students in those areas. He himself visited the schools in downtrodden and remote areas, where no officer had reached and in many cases he was the first such office to have visited many such schools. He was moved by the situations there and wrote articles in newspapers, letters to authorities to draw attention of the officers and society towards such schools. His enthusiasm and activism was praised by the great eminent port in Marathi V. V. Shirwadkar (alias KUSUMAGRAJ), the author of the great Marathi drama – NATASAMRAT – and also by the great educationist late Mr. V.V. Chiploonkar.
With his self inspiration he used to visit many schools in person, as Extension Officer and went on touring to the schools in remote, hilly areas. He was the first Extension Officer to visit some of the schools in Tanda-s, Vadi-s and such minor localities. Often he had to go on feet, as there were no buses or any other means, to reach to these places and therefore remained totally unattended by not only the officers, but also teachers and in turn, students, too. This obviously also seldom raised an unrest among the teachers working there. However, he patronized them and supported with inspiration to work and recommended their names for various awards on working as per the norms, in hard situations – albeit he never was rewarded by the establishment, but only by the sensible rural teachers at various places.
A feeling of indebtedness to the teachings of Yogeshwari Education Society (established by the eminent freedom fighter Swami Ramanand Teerth) remained in his mind to inspire him work hard. He used to proclaim himself to be the orthodox teacher from this school of thoughts of Yogeshwari Education Society, unhesitatingly. The foundation of Alumni Association of Yogeshwari Education Society was laid down and a lion’s share is credited to his effort, too. He wrote thousands of letters in his handwriting to weave a network of alumni within and outside the state and the country.
His unselfish services and urge was rightly responded by the eminent political leader Hon. Mr. Rajkishor Modi, who offered him an informal liberty to work with the Jodhaprasad Modi School for Deaf and Dumb Students. Sudhakarrao Kulkarni sir was also compassionate with the poor and pure hearted students of the school, deprived by nature of sound and speech. He worked with courtesy of the teachers and staff also, who accepted and honored his guidance and mentorship for many programmes, proposals and prescribed procedures. This all he could do with his activism and innovative approach of work, after his superannuation.
He was certainly supported by his friends like Prof. Nanasaheb Gathal, V. N. Kulkarni, P.S. Kulkarni, Principal Dr. Dadahari Kamble and so many others, including youngsters.
In commemoration of his work, his all articles were published in the form of two books “Prabhas – Kirane’ (The rays of dust particles in dark) and ‘Shikshan – Sindhu’ (a flow of education compiled) at the hands of the MLA Teachers Constituency Hon. Vikram Kale and socialist thinker and scholar Mr. Jaidev Dole, in presence of the President Yogeshwari Education Society Dr. Suresh Khursale and many eminent personalities in the field of education. Later on we continued with the publication of other writings and started awarding the teachers working in unattended remote areas, without any support or expectations. However, since later the audience went of contracting to such functions and we shifted to offer meager donations in kinds to Jodhaprasad Modi School for Deaf and Dumb Students, where he used to remain attached with, after his retirement.
Often the work of sincere activists gets blurred in the memory of folks as the person expires and time elapses. This was painstaking, when there is dire need of retaining the culture of sincere, tradition of devoted services and inspirations for commitments in the field of education. Hence, his commemoration worth only by offering awards to such devoted and committed teachers in rural areas. A committee was formed for selection of teachers and organization of award giving functions. It however, took shape of a trust, finally as ‘SUDHAKARRAO KULKARNI SMRUTI PRATISHTHAN’, (SUDHAKARRAO KULKARNI MEMORIAL TRUST) with its head office at Pangaon, in the soil, he was son of. It was our necessity also to get attached with that soil and hence, in cooperation of his friends like Kisanrao Bhandare (Vice Chairman, Pannageshwar Cooperative Sugar Factory), Arawind Phulari, Vyankatrao Aname, Kalidas Pathak and so many my friends like Prof. Manohar Kabade, fellow activist in socialist movements like Rashtra Seva Dal and Chhatrabharati Mr. Purushottam Bhange, Avinash Kulkarni, Sanjay Jadd, Suneet Deshpande and so many supporters.
Education in rural area is complicated by many issues, such as livelihood, subsistence, health and hygiene, funds, expertise, drop puts due to failure among boys and that due to matrimonial and other issues among the girls – and so many. Hence, the Trust was established in order to widen the horizons of work to know and work on these issues hindering the process of education in rural areas. So far, awareness and resourcing has remained the mode of activity of the trust. More thrust will be given on fact finding and switching to the real core of the issues more pinpointing them. This is only possible with the support and involvement of more and more concerned people, who believe in education as a tool of overall progress and sublimity of the society. The website is therefore launched in service and correspondence with all such comrades, who are inspired and charged with hope and optimism, to join hands with us, to build nation through a from within approach towards education and awareness, as well, using the means of arts, culture, agriculture, science and up-to-date technology.
- Santosh Kulkarni,
Secretary, Sudhakarrao Kulkarni Smruti Pratishthan,
Pangaon 431 522 Tehsil – Renapur Dist. Latur
Contact : 83290 32164 / 75880 62546
E Mail : skspratishthan@gmail.com
