Aapali Marathi

Folk artist Vitthal Umap dies on stage

2010-11-28T13:50:00.000+05:30

Lokshahir Vitthal Umap, one of Maharashtra’s versatile legendary folk artistes, died on stage on Friday evening after a massive cardiac arrest, shortly before his performance at the historic Deeksha Bhoomi ground.

The 80-year-old artist, a staunch Ambedkarite who spread the folk movement across the state, collapsed on stage while addressing a mammoth gathering at the launch of a new Marathi television channel, called Lord Buddha.

He was rushed in an unconscious condition to Spandan hospital
in Dhantoli, where doctors declared him brought dead, stunning the organisers and plunging the state into grief. His death leaves an irrecoverable void in the field, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said in his condolence message.

“Jai Bhim,” Umap chanted thrice, after bowing to the statues of Dr Ambedkar and Gautam Buddha. While turning to bow to a Buddhist monk, he fell to the ground unconscious.

“He was unwell for some days and was running a fever even today,” Aman Kamble, the programme organiser, said. “When we went to Mumbai to invite him for the launch of the channel 15 days ago, he expressed happiness and agreed to come for the programme not just as a chief guest, but also to perform,” he said.

He flew into Nagpur this morning. “He told us this would perhaps be his last performance on stage,” he said. Both his sons rushed to Nagpur. His body is being flown to Mumbai for the last rites, sources said.

A singer, lyricist, writer, shahir, and actor, Umap’s versatility was sharpened by his tremendous social and progressive outlook. In some ways, he was an activist who propagated social equality through his art form.

He gave the state some of the most popular Koli songs, plays, shahiri, and devotional songs, among other literary and art contributions. He penned his life’s struggle in his autobiography Phu Bai Phu, Phugadi Phu. One of his most popular plays was Jambhul Akhyan, besides Bai daar ughad.

Barack Obama and Michelle’s Koli Dance

2010-11-08T10:31:00.000+05:30

tBarack Obama the President of U.S. recent visit to India updates and details. On the occasion of Dewali the President visit the Holy Name School in Mumbai where he dance along with his wife.

Barack Obama and Michelle’s Koli Dance at Holy Name School Mumbai

प्रेम मैत्री

2010-10-30T11:43:00.000+05:30

मोडायचं होते मन तर जीव लावलास कशाला ,
मोडायचं होता नाते तर जोडले कशाला ,
प्रेम नसेल तर मैत्री तरी असू दे ,
मला तुझ्या आठवणीतच जगू दे .

JejuriGad

2010-10-09T21:45:00.002+05:30

नाम जेजुरगड सुंदर जेथे नांदतो म्हाळसावर संगे भैरव अपार पूर्ण अवतार शिवाचा ll नील अश्वावरी स्वार हाती घेउनी तलवार करुनी मणीमल्ल संहार करी उद्धार जगाचा ll चंपाषष्ठीचा उत्सव भोर यात्रा भरती अपार येळकोट नामाचा गजर भक्त आनंदे करतिया ll दास म्हणेजी रामराव राम तोचि खंडेराव जेथे भाव तेथे देव लक्ष पाहि झटालीया ll --------

मराठी कुटुंबात शुभकार्य, लग्न, मुंज तसेच कुलधर्म व कुलाचार यांना महत्त्व असते. अनेक कुटुंबात मल्हारी - मार्तंडांच्या पूजनासोबत चंपाषष्ठीला खंडोबाचे नवरात्र उत्सव होत असतो. घरा-घरात पूजा केली जाते. महाराष्ट्रातील जेजुरी येथे खंडोबाचे मुख्य देवस्थान आहे.
मणी आणि मल्ल या राक्षसांपासून भक्तांचे संरक्षण करण्यासाठी शंकराने मार्तंड भैरवचा (मार्तंड म्हणजे सूर्य व भैरव म्हणजे क्षेत्रपाल देवता) सुर्यासारखे तेज व भितीदायक रूप असा अवतार घेऊन त्यांचा विनाश केला. ते दोघेही शिवभक्त होते. परंतु त्यांना शंकराचाच विसर पडला होता. त्यामुळे त्यांचा नाश करण्यासाठी शंकराला मार्तंड भैरवचा अवतार घ्यावा लागला होता, असा उल्लेख पुराण ग्रंथामधून आढळतो. राक्षसांशी झालेलल्या युध्दात 'खंडा' नामक शस्त्राचा (तलवार) वापर करण्यात आल्याने खंडाधारी 'खंडोबा'च्या नावाने मार्तंड भैरव ओळखले जाऊ लागले.

खंडोबा मुळात कर्नाटकमधील देव आहे. कानडी भाषेत त्याला मैलार,मल्लप्पा,मल्लान्ना म्हंटल जात.सदानंदाचा येळकोट असा जयघोष केला जातो यातील येळ म्हणजे सात व कोट म्हणजे कोटी म्हटले जाते. सात कोटींच्या संख्येत आपल्या घरात धनधान्य संपत्ती नांदावी, अशी मनीषा त्यामागे आहे. खंडोबाचे सात कोटी सैन्य होते. त्यामुळे 'तळी आरती'च्या वेळी 'येळकोट येळकोट जय मल्हार' असा जयघोष केला जातो.
खंडोबाच्या पहिल्या पत्नीचे नाव म्हाळसा होते.म्हाळसा ही आदिमाया शक्तीचा अवतार मानला जातो. कर्नाटकमध्ये तिला माळज-माळची-माळवी-माळव असे म्हटले जाते. दुसरी पत्नी बाणाई धनगर होती जीला कन्नड़ मध्ये तुप्पद माळव असे म्हणतात. पुराणात ही जया नावाची पार्वतीची सखी म्हंटले आहे तर अख्यायिकेमध्ये गंगेचा अवतार समजले जाते.
प्रत्येक मराठी कुटुंबाचा कुलस्वामी हा खंडोबा असतो त्याचे कुलधर्म कुलाचार मराठी कुटुंब आनंदाने पर पाडतात.खंडोबा हे दैवत गोरगरीब ते श्रीमंत असा कोणताही भेद भाव न करता सर्वाना पूजनीय आहे कोणत्याही जाती धर्माच्या बंधनात अडकून न राहणारे असे दैवत आहे..
चंपाषष्ठीचे वेळी खंडोबाची पूजा करताना तळी भंडार्‍याला खूप महत्व आहे. नवीन येणारी बाजरी, वांगे, गुळ, लसुण, कांद्याची पात, मेथी यांचा नैवेद्य यावेळी दाखविला जातो. खोबर्‍याचा प्रसाद देऊन कपाळावर हळदीचा भंडारा लावला जातो. त्यासोबत 'येळकोट येळकोट जय मल्हार' च्या जयघोषात 'तळी' उचलून खंडोबाचा उत्सव मोठ्या उत्साहात साजरा केला जातो.

आयुष्याच्या या गर्दित हात माझा धरशील का

2010-10-05T20:47:00.002+05:30

तुझे प्रत्येक दुखह मला देऊन
सुखात माझ्या येशील का

आयुष्याच्या या गर्दित हात माझा धरशील का

एकांत भासेल जेव्हा तुला
बोलावून मला घेशील का

थरथरनारया तुझ्या श्वासाने
ह्रदय माझे जपशील का

आयुष्याच्या या गर्दित हात माझा धरशील का

तुझ्या हृदयातील प्रत्येक गोष्ट
तुझ्या कोवळया ओठांवर आनशील का

प्रत्येक वेळेस डोळ्यातून बोलण्याएवजी
आता तरी हो म्हणशील का

आयुष्याच्या या गर्दित हात माझा धरशील का

स्वप्नातल्या राजकुमार बरोबर
replace मला करशील का

आणी ह्या वेडयाच्या आयुष्यात
स्वप्नपरी म्हणून अवतरशील का

आशुतोष

कारण तिच्यासोबत आज माझी शेवटची भेट होती !!

2010-10-05T20:45:00.002+05:30

कारण तिच्यासोबत आज माझी शेवटची भेट होती !!
कारण तिच्यासोबत आज माझी शेवटची भेट होती !!
सारांच्या नजारा चुकवत ती आली
पण, तिच्या नजरेला नजर देण्याची हिमत नव्हती
नेहमीच चितकुन बसणारी ती
आज जरा अंतर ठेउन बसली होती
कारण तिच्यासोबत आज माझी शेवटची भेट होती !!
बरच काही बोलायचय होत
पण, शब्दांनी माझी साथ सोडली
त्यांना तरी दोष देण्यात काय अर्थ
कारण तिला मी केव्हाच गमवली
कारण तिच्यासोबत आज माझी शेवटची भेट होती !!
i miss u म्हणत ती निघून गेली
आणि ती दिसेनाशी होईपर्यंत तिच्याकडे बघत होतो
आता फक्त तिच्या आठवणीवर आयुष काढायच
अस स्वतालाच समजावून सांगत होतो
कारण तिच्यासोबत आज माझी शेवटची भेट होती !!

आशुतोष

Maitri

2010-10-04T20:19:00.000+05:30

गरज म्हणून 'नातं ' कधी जोडू नकोस सोय म्हणून सहज असं तोडू नकोस..
रक्ताचं नाही म्हणून, कवडीमोल ठरवू नकोस ............
भावनांचं मोल जाण..मोठेपणात हरवू नकोस..
आयुष्याच्या प्रत्येक वळणात नवं नातं जुळत असतं जन्मभर पुरेल इतकं भरून प्रेम मिळत असतं.. तुझी ओंजळ पुढे कर, कमीपणा मानू नकोस व्यवहारातलं देणं घेणं फक्तं मध्ये आणू नकोस..
मिळेल तितकं घेत रहा, जमेल तितकं देत रहा दिलं घेतलं सरेल तेव्हा..
पुन्हा मागून घेत रहा.. समाधानात तडजोड असते...
फक्त जरा समजून घे 'नातं ' म्हणजे ओझं नाही, मनापासून उमजून घे..
विश्वासाचे चार शब्दं..दुसरं काही देऊ नकोस जाणीवपूर्वक 'नातं ' जप..
मध्येच माघार घेऊ नकोस

Amboli and Toranmal

2010-07-17T19:00:00.000+05:30

Amboli
Monsoon presents the best thatnature has on offer (read lush green hills and seasonal waterfalls).
At a short distance away from the city of Mumbai are picturesque hill stations including
Amboli and Toranmal.And the best part of the drive to these locations is
that it often unfolds many pleasant surprises en route.Amboli is situated in the southern side of the
Sahyadri hill range at an altitude of 690 meters.

PLACES YOU CAN VISIT
You can go fishing at Hiranyakeshi enjoy a picnic at Nagatta
falls. Move on to visit Mahadevgad and Narayangad, both these places are named after Lord
Shiva and Vishnu and have steep valleys to boast of. High on natural resource of bauxite in its soil,
there is a bauxite mine here, too.

HOW TO GET THERE
By Rail: Nearest railhead is Sawantwadi.
By Road: A taxi or jeep can be hired from Mumbai to travel a distance of 549 kms

TORANMAL
It is a beautiful hill station and is nestled in the Satpuda hills. Deriving its name from Torana devi temple,
which is located in the midst of these hills, Toranmal has many hill points worth trekking upto.

PLACES YOU CAN VISIT
Khadki Point: This is a trekking area, which presents picturesque views of the valleys below.

Torana devi temple: Perched on a hilltop, there is a black stone idol of Torana devi here, which is said to be 600 years old. You can also visit Gorakshanath temple on the way.

HOW TO GET THERE
By Rail: Nearest railhead is Nandurbar. But Dhule is a more convenient point.
By road: A car or jeep is a suitable mode to get here

Megha Kawale

2010-06-18T16:48:00.000+05:30

Megha Kawale is the first female deejay and pioneer on the deejaying scene for the past 11 years in India. She has been voted as one of the 100 Most Beautiful Women in India by a leading publication, Femina. This multi talented beauty also one of the super models in the country, walks the ramp for the top Indian and International Designers and brands. This traditional Maharashtraian girl has now become the youth icon in the country. Megha started her deejaying career at the ‘1900’, Taj Mahal & Towers, Mumbai, one of the super clubs where membership is by invitation only, where she was a resident deejay for 5 years. From there she moved to ‘Mikanos’, the first warehouse club, where she would move more than 3000 clubbers to her tunes every weekend. She was a resident at Mikanos for nearly a year. She has also played for numerous parties at the Lakme Fashion Week, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, Chivas Magical Moments, and Seagram’s Fashion Tour. In year 2001, she became the finalist for ‘Femina Miss India’, and won the title of Femina Miss India – Miss Talented, hence started her journey as a fashion model and a super star deejay. Since then she has been balancing her acts in both the fields. She has performed at almost all the best nightclubs in India such as: Privé, Elevate, Olive, Ahala, F Bar, EC 41 or Distill and Avalon (San Francisco), Sound Bar (Chicago), Pacha (Spain), Aqua (Switzerland) – Basel World & Basel Art, Tantra (Ghana) and the list is endless. Some of the brands for which she has created her musical magic are Bacardi, Seagram’s, Sky Vodka, Red Bull, Smirnoff and companies like Honda, Virgin Atlantic, Skoda, Infosys, Carerra, Kipling, Guess, BPL…… She has also walked the ramp for designers like Manish Malhotra, Vikram Phadnis, Rocky S, Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahaliani, and Ritu Berri. The International Designers she has walked the ramp for are: Escada Valentino, Moschino and has also walked the ramp of Milan Fashions in 06, 07. She walks the ramp regularly for Lakme India Fashion Week, Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week, the Couture Week, Seagram’s Fashion Tour, Chivas Magical Nights, Mono Fashion Award, MTV Fashion Award. For now she is enjoying the success of her chartbuster debut album RADIOACTIVE BLUE & GREEN, and is enjoying the excitement of every chapter to the fullest.

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Online Newspapers

2010-01-31T13:02:00.012+05:30

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उलाढाल

2009-09-28T13:20:00.003+05:30

Actors: Makarand Anaspure,Bharat Jadhav,Ankush Chaudhari,Siddharth Jadhav,Lokesh Gupte,Subodh Bhave,Madhura

Director:Aditya Sarpotdar

Synopsis: Have you ever watched a Marathi movie with a perfect blend of all the genres of cinema? Well, veteran actors and directors concerned with the future of the industry do not have to worry anymore when there are directors like Aditya Sarpotdar coming up with debut movies like Ulaadhal.The plot might look simple on paper but the way in which Sarpotdar connects the actors with the storyline is something that shapes up the movie. Sayajirao's (Makarand Anaspure) 250-year-old dhaal (shield), which has been safeguarded by generations is stolen by Guru (Subodh Bhave). Guru is helped by Sayajirao's men after they are promised a share in the money that would come after selling off the dhaal. Guru, however, has other plans. He kills Sayajirao's men but Baban (Lokesh Gupte) manages to save himself. He chases Guru, who is on his way to Goa to sell the dhaal.When Sayajirao finds out the betrayal by his men, he determines to kill those who have been disloyal to him.In Goa, Baban hires small thieves Vickey (Ankush Chaudhary), Bharat Jadhav and their partners in crime, Neha and Preeti (Aditi Sarangdhar and Madhura Velankar) to steal the dhal from Guru. While Sayajirao and his men get hold of Baban, Vickey and his partners fight out their nerves against the brutal Guru. Unable to find Baban, they decide to sell the dhal themselves. They ask Sikandar (Siddharth Jadhav), a dealer in selling stolen items to find a prospect buyer for the dhal. Sikandar ends up narrowing down on Guru. This is where the entire Ulaadhal or commotion begins.

Click Here

गोष्ट छोटी डोंगराएवढी

2009-09-28T13:13:00.003+05:30

Actors: Makarand Anaspure, Sayaji Shide, Nagesh Bhosale, Girija Oak,
Madhavi Juvekar, Madhu Kambikar and Nilu Phule.

Director:Nagesh Bhosale

Synopsis: Goshta Choti Dongraevadhi’ does not simply address the issues of farmers but also shows the way out. You may call it a revolution or even call it a warning before the expected storm. It is not a blame game. It’s not provocation. It is only the way of painting ‘disaster’ which appears like a huge mountain. It depends how the viewers perceive it. The concept of this film is drawn by Makarand Anaspure, while Shyam Petkar and Ravindra Jagtap have worked together on Story-Screenplay and dialogues. Shailendra Barve has composed the music, while Suresh Suvarna has captured the natural beauty of the village with his creative eye.

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Ek Marathi Manoos

2009-02-15T14:39:00.002+05:30

Description :-
A blog that captures the happenings in Maharashtra and rest of the Marathi World through the eyes of a 3M – Madhyamvargiya Marathi Manoos (Middleclass Marathi Man). Neither is it a view of the anglicized minority which has lost touch with its roots... nor does it speak for the Marathi masses who may lack the “worldview”. Just a somewhere-in-between viewpoint… but a firm viewpoint indeed!

URL :-
http://ekmarathimanoos.blogspot.com

Sahitya Sammelan

2009-02-15T14:27:00.003+05:30

साहित्य संमेलनाचे शिर्षकगीत ऎका

URL :-
http://www.sfsahityasammelan.org

Marathi Blogs

2009-02-15T14:23:00.002+05:30

Description :-
This website is created to bring together all the Marathi blogs and Marathi bloggers out there on the Internet

URL :-
http://www.marathiblogs.net

Marathi Novels

2009-02-15T14:20:00.001+05:30

Description :-
Marathi Online Novels, Marathi Literature Sahitya of all genres (Suspense, Thriller, Horror, Comedy, Mystery, Romance etc)

URL :-
http://www.marathinovels.net

Marathi Novels - Kathakathan

2009-02-15T14:10:00.001+05:30

Description :-
Copy Online Marathi Novels

URL :-
http://marathionlinenovel.blogspot.com

Marathi - The Language of the Deccan

2009-02-15T14:07:00.001+05:30

Marathi is spoken mainly in Maharashtra & the Central part of India. It is the state official Language of Maharashtra

The main Marathi speaking areas are, Maharashtra, Parts of Madhya Pradesh, Parts of Andhra & Karnataka. It is also spoken & understood in the southern part of Gujrat. Outside India, Marathi speaking population is found in Mauritius, USA, UAE, South Africa, Singapore, Germany, UK, Australia & New Zealand.

The dialect situation throughout the greater Marathi speaking area is complex. Dialects bordering other major language areas share many features with those languages. Konkani, Goanese, Deccan, Varhadi, Nagpuri, Ikrani, Gowlan are various dialects of Marathi.

Online Newspapers

2009-02-14T19:03:00.002+05:30

Sakal
http://www.esakal.com

Lokmat
http://www.lokmat.com

Maharashtra Times
http://www.maharashtratimes.com

Saamna
http://www.saamna.com

Cybershoppee

2009-02-14T18:53:00.002+05:30

Cybershoppee.com is a driving force in Indian Language Computing, on and off the Internet. We are the people who first brought Indian Languages on the web, way back in 1995. Today we are providing technology to hundreds of Indian and foreign web development & software development companies.

Backed by 8 years of Indian Language Computing experience, we are now poised to service all kinds of needs of the software industry in this ever expanding area. Indian Language software sector is expected to grow exponentially over next couple of years.

We are involved in need based computing. Over the years we have experienced that there are very few good computing solutions available to Indian Language Web Publishers. Our focus is mainly on such needs where the industry should benefit by getting to use innovative products for online usage.

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Puneri Patya

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Samyukta Maharashtra

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The Indian National Congress was pledged to linguistic states, but the States Re-organisation Committee recommended a bi-lingual state for Maharashtra-Gujarat, with Mumbai as its capital. Its inauguration on November 1, 1956, caused a great political stir and, under the leadership of Keshavrao Jedhe, an all-party meeting was held in Pune and Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti was founded on February 6, 1956. In the second general election the Samiti defeated the stalwarts of Congress by securing 101 seats out of 133, including 12 from Mumbai. The Congress could form a government only with the support of Gujarat, Marathwada and Vidarbha. Yeshwantrao Chavan became the first Chief Minister of the bi-lingual Bombay State.

SM Joshi, SA Dange, NG Gore and PK Atre fought relentlessly for Samyukta Maharashtra, even at the cost of sacrificing the lives of several people and finally succeeded in convincing Congress leaders that Maharashtra should form a separate state. The resignation of CD Deshmukh, the then Finance Minister of the Nehru Cabinet, had its salutary effect, and on May 1, 1960, the state of Maharashtra, which included western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada was born with the blessings of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Thus, in 1960 the historical process of formation of this Marathi State from Mo-ho-lo-cha to Maharashtra was completed. The new Maharashtra conforms to the image recorded by Hiun Tsang, the Chinese pilgrim, more than 1,300 years ago.

Maharashtra's Role in the Freedom Movement

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The first session of the Indian National Congress was held in Maharashtra (Mumbai) in 1885. Justice Ranade provided a theoretical base for the national movement by advocating liberalism and starting several institutions for moulding public opinion on social, economic and political problems. Dadabhoy Naoroji, Pherozshah Mehta and Dinshaw Wachha, prominent Parsis of Mumbai, were leaders of the Indian National Congress. Two outstanding national leaders of Maharashtra between 1890-1920 were Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920) and Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915). Tilak drew the masses into national politics through his community festivals in praise of Shivaji and Ganesh. He condemned the moderates' policy of 'mendicancy' and declared that Swaraj was his birthright. He was called the "father of political unrest in India." Gokhale, the true disciple of Justice Ranade, and essentially a leader of the elite adopted the policy of conciliation and compromise.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the founder of the Abhinav Bharat Society became the idol of the youth. Mahatma Gandhi, who regarded Gokhale as his guru, and considered Maharashtra the beehive of constructive workers, received support from Maharashtra in his various movements and programmes. It was during this period that the non-Brahman element, under leadership of Keshavrao Jedhe, was brought within the fold of the Congress, mainly through the persuasive efforts of Kakasaheb Gadgil.

The ultimatum to the British to "Quit India" was given in Mumbai, and culminated in the transfer of power and the independence of India in 1947. Raosaheb and Achutrao Patwardhan, Nanasaheb Gore, SM Joshi, Yeshwantrao Chavan, Vasantdada Patil and several others played a prominent role in this struggle. BG Kher was the first Chief Minister of the tri-lingual Bombay Presidency.

Social Reform Movement

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The social reform movement of 19th century Maharashtra was the result of the impact of Western education on the elite of Mumbai and Pune. Reformists tried to examine critically their social system and religious beliefs and gave priority to social reform as against political freedom.

In their reform efforts, they had to contend with stiff opposition from the conservatives. Foremost among them were Balshastri Jambhekar (1812-1846), who condemned the evil customs of sati and female infanticide, Gopal Hari Deshmukh (1823-1892) who, through his shatpatre (a bunch of letters numbering 100) attacked orthodox Brahmans opposing social and religious reforms and Jotirao Govindrao Phule (1827-1890) who revolted against the unjust caste system, and upheld the cause of untouchables and education of women of lower castes.

Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar (1837-1925) and Justice Ranade (1842-1901) were the pioneers of Prarthana Samaj, an organisation for general, social and religious reform. Gopal Ganesh Agarkar (1856-1895) gave priority to social reform. Dhondo Keshav Karve (1858-1962) devoted his life to the cause of women's education. Behramji Malbari (1853-1912), a Parsi of Bombay, started Seva Sadan for the care of women of all castes.

Pandita Ramabai (1858-1922) founded the Sharada Sadan in 1890 to help high-class widows. Vithal Ramaji Shinde (1873-1944), a product of Oxford University, fought for the eradication of untouchability through his Depressed Classes Mission. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur (1874-1922) also plunged into this movement and defied the caste system, championed the cause of the untouchables and promoted education in his state. Karmaveer Bhaurao Paigonda Patil (1887-1959), the architect of the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, followed in the footprints of Phule, Shinde and Shahu Maharaj.

Maharashtra will always remain proud of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956), the chief architect of the Indian Constitution and the creator of a social and political awareness among the scheduled castes of India.

The social reform measures brought about a renaissance and social-awakening in Maharashtra. The efforts of DK Karve to improve women's education, of Bhaurao Patil, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh, who championed the downtrodden people, as well as those of Tarabai Modak in Vidarbha and Anutai Wagh in the Adivasi areas, have set an example for other states. The services rendered to victims of leprosy by Dr Shivaji Patwardhan and Baba Amte perhaps have no parallel. Vijay Merchant fought relentlessly for facilities for the physically handicapped. Vinoba Bhave, the spiritual heir of Gandhi, sacrificed his life for sarvodaya.

Thus, the works of the saint-poets, the social reformers and the social constructive workers have made Maharashtra a progressive state.

The British

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In the 17th century, the British East India Company struggled to secure commercial monopoly on the West coast and regarded the growing power of Shivaji as a potential danger. Shivaji shrewdly guessed of British intentions of territorial acquisition under the guise of trade and commerce. But the Peshwas did not anticipate the opportunist British mentality; Peshwa Nanasahab invited them to crush the Angres of Kolaba in 1754. The Maratha thus dug their own grave. In the Madras Military consultations of April 17, 1770, it was recorded that, "It has always been allowed and that too with reason, that nothing can reduce the Maratha power but dissension among themselves, and it is fortunate for the other powers in Hindustan that the Maratha chiefs were always ready to take every advantage of each other."

The most successful British statesman in routing out Maratha power was Mountstuart Elphinstone, who occupied the office of Resident (Pune) in 1811. He slowly worked for the fall of the Marathas and when the third and final war broke out with them in 1817, Bajirao II finally submitted to the British on June 3, 1818, and the glory of the Maratha power vanished. Elphinstone then became the Commissioner of the territories conquered from the Peshwas in 1819 and later the Governor of Bombay. He laid the foundation of British administration in Maharashtra without introducing much innovation, completed the work of settlement, initiated an educational policy, and founded Sanskrit College (which later became Deccan College) with the Dakshina funds of the Peshwas.

Resistance to British Rule
The Marathas were never reconciled to the British Raj, and occasionally challenged its officers. In 1826, the Ramoshis of Pune district, under the leadership of Umaji Naik, revolted against the British, who subsequently compromised with them. The Ramoshis were absolved of their crimes, absorbed in government service and granted lands in inam. They revolted again. Umaji Naik was captured. Raghu Bhangra of Nasik, Ramji of Nagar and his associate, Govindrao Khare, the killedar of Ratnagiri, also resisted British rule. The Kolis of Pune and Nagar districts also organised themselves against the British. It is really surprising that these unlettered, unequipped residents of the hills had the courage to challenge the British long before intellectuals could start the freedom movement.

In the revolt of 1857, Maharashtra was not an active participant, though leaders such as Tatya Tope and Maharani Laxmibai of Jhansi were Maharashtrians.

In 1857, peasants of some parts of Pune, Satara and Nagar districts revolted against oppressive policies supported by the British, in the Deccan Riots. Vasudeo Balwant Phadke launched his violent compaign against British rule in 1879, aiming to establish an Indian republic by driving them out. However, his armed resistance failed and he was arrested and deported to Aden, where he passed away in 1883. Resentment against the British rule continued unabated and the Chaphekar brothers murdered Mr Rand and Lt Ayerst on Jubilee Night on June 22, 1897, in Pune. In his book, India of Yester Years, published in 1899, GW Stevens explains Maratha resistance to British rule: "Other provinces of India were ceded to us or conquered from alien lords, the Marathas lost all in war, ... The Marathas have never forgotten how high they were less than a hundred years ago, and who it was that brought them low. They lost more than others did and they feel the loss more. For others who were a change of masters; them we brought down from masters to slaves.... His empire, his nationality, his religion, his honour, his beautiful language - we have taken away his all."