Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

Baburao Govindrao Shirke (1918–2010) was an Indian businessman, and the founder and chairman of BG Shirke Construction Technology Private Limited (BGSCTPL).

Early life and education

B G Shirke was born on 1 August 1918, at Pasarni village in

Wai Wai or WAI may refer to : Places * Wai, Maharashtra, a small town in India ** Wai (Vidhan Sabha constituency), a Maharashtra Legislative Assembly constituency centered around the town * Wao State (Vav, Wai, Way), a former princely state in Banas K ...

taluka of

Satara district Satara district (Marathi pronunciation: aːt̪aɾaː is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of and a population of 3,003,741 of which 14.17% were urban (). Satara is the capital of the district and other major towns ...

. Shirke hailed from a humble family background and completed his formal education through 'earn and learn' scheme of the government. In 1936, despite lack of money and educational facilities, he passed his matriculation from Dravid High School at Wai. He obtained BE degree in Civil Engineering from the Government College of Engineering, Pune, (then affiliated to Mumbai University) and became the first Civil Engineer from the Pasarani area.

Career

Shirke started Supreme Constructions in 1944, and gained recognition as an efficient builder for building Kolhapur's Jail house in 1945. His business prospered after 1953. 1972 onwards, Shirke expanded to the Persian Gulf region via his officially registered company, Siporex. Between 1962 and 1981, Shirke was involved in several projects undertaken by the

Kirloskar Group Kirloskar Group is an Indian conglomerate, headquartered in Pune. The group exports to over 70 countries over most of Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe. The flagship and holding company, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd, established in 1888, is India's l ...

. Some of the prominent projects he completed include the Mumbai-Bangalore highway, the

Mumbai Cricket Association The Mumbai Cricket Association (formerly Bombay Cricket Association) is the governing body for cricket in Mumbai and surrounding regions such as Thane and Navi Mumbai. Its headquarter is situated at Cricket centre in Churchgate, Mumbai. It g ...

's Bandra Kurla Complex Ground, the Hinjewadi IT park and the Wipro IT park in Chennai, to name a few. The Shirke group has built many government projects in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Example includes the 1994 construction of

Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex The Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex is a sports complex located in Pune, India. The complex is situated about 15 km from Pune downtown and 5 km from Hinjawadi. This complex was the venue for the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, Kh ...

Balewadi Balewadi is a residential suburban town of Pune, located in the city's Western Metropolitan Corridor. It is famous for the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex which had hosted both the National Games in 1994 and the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Ga ...

for the National Games.

Awards and recognition

* B G Shirke was awarded Padma Shri award for his dedication in the field of Science & Engineering in 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirke, Baburao Govindrao 1918 births Businesspeople from Pune Marathi people Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering People from Satara district Indian industrialists 2010 deaths