Gopal Ganesh Agarkar

Gopal Ganesh Agarkar

Gopal Ganesh Agarkar (14 July 1856 17 June 1895) was a social reformer, educationist, thinker from Maharashtra, India during the British rule. A close associate of Lokamanya Tilak, he was a co-founder of the renowned educational institutes like New English School, the Deccan Education Society and Fergusson College along with Lokamanya Tilak, Vishnushastree Chiplunkar and others. He was the first editor of the weekly Kesari and founder and editor of periodical Sudhaarak. He was the second Principal of Fergusson College and served that post from August-1892 till his death.

Throughout his short life of just about 39 years, he exemplified impeccably high moral character, utter determination to attain one's goals, sacrifice, great courage and a total lack of greediness. He is considered as a model for any one who wants to be in public service with unflinching devotion to his/her principles and a complete dedication to the work undertaken.

Early life

Gopal Ganesh Agarkar was born in a Deshastha Brahman family on 14 July 1856 in Tembhu, a Thembu village in Satara district now in Sangli district of Maharashtra.he was friend of nilkant tidke Agarkar had his primary education from Karad (till 3rd Standard, English medium). After doing some clerical work in a court at Karad, he went to Ratnagiri but could not get education there. In 1878, he got his B. A. degree followed by later M. A. in 1880.Achievements and philosophyAgarkar was a founding member of theDeccan Education Societyin 1884, a pioneering educational institution of theDeccan.He also founded new English school 1880 in Pune, Maharashtra and famous Fergusson college during last years of his life in 1885.He was the first editor ofKesari, a prominent Marathi weekly in those days which was started byLokmanya Tilakin 1880-81. He subsequently leftKesariout of ideological differences with Tilak concerning the primacy of political reform versus social reform; with Agarkar believing that the need for social reform was more immediate. He started his own periodicalSudharakin which he campaigned against the injustices ofuntouchabilityand thecaste system. Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1863 4 July 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion in the late 19th century. He was a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India and contributed to the notion of nationalism in colonial India. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is perhaps best known for his inspiring speech beginning with "Sisters and Brothers of America," through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.

Born into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta, Vivekananda showed an inclination towards spirituality. He was influenced by his guru Ramakrishna from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self and, hence, service to God could be rendered by service to mankind. After the death of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda toured the Indian subcontinent extensively and acquired a first-hand knowledge of the conditions that prevailed in British India. He later travelled to the United States to represent India as a delegate in the 1893 Parliament of World Religions. He conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating tenets of Hindu philosophy in the United States, England and Europe. In India, Vivekananda is regarded as a patriotic saint and his birthday is celebrated as the National Youth Day.

Early life (18631888)

Birth and childhood

Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta (in short, Narendra) in Calcutta, the capital of British India, on 12 January 1863 during the Makar Sankranti festival. He belonged to a traditional Bengali Kayastha (a caste of Hindus) family and was one of nine siblings. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney of Calcutta High Court. Durgacharan Datta, Narendra's grandfather, was a Sankrit and Persian scholar who left his family and became a monk at the age of twenty five. Narendra's mother Bhuvaneswari Devi was a religious housewife. The progressive rational approach of Narendra's father and the religious temperament of his mother helped shape his thinking and personality.

Narenda was interested in spirituality from a young age, and used to play by meditating before the images of deities such as Shiva, Rama, and Sita. He was fascinated by the wandering ascetics and monks. Narendra was naughty and restless as a child, and his parents often faced trouble controlling him. His mother told "I prayed to Shiva for a son and he has sent me one of his demons."