Narhar Vishnu Gadgil (10 January 1896 – 12 January 1966) was an Indian

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

and politician from

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, India. He was also a writer. He wrote in both

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

and English. His son Vitthalrao Gadgil represented Congress later as minister and ideologue. His grandson Anant Gadgil also went on to become a politician. Gadgil graduated from

Fergusson College Fergusson College is an autonomous public-private college offering various courses in the streams of arts and science in the city of Pune, India. It was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society. Professor Vaman Shivram Apte was its fir ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

in 1918, and obtained a degree in Law in 1920.

Activities before India's independence

Gadgil was born a member of the Gadgil ''

gharana In Hindustani music (North Indian classical music), a ''gharānā'' is a system of social organisation in the Indian subcontinent, linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and more importantly by adherence to a particular mus ...

'' of

Velneshwar Velneshwar is a village on the Western Coast of Maharashtra, India, about 70 km from Ratnagiri. Velneshwar is reputed for its rock-free beach which facilitates the ease of swimming. There is an old Shiva temple near Velneshwar which is fr ...

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 ...

. In India's pre-independence days, freedom fighters Lokmanya

Bal Gangadhar Tilak Bal Gangadhar Tilak (; born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (pronunciation: eʃəʋ ɡəŋɡaːd̪ʱəɾ ʈiɭək; 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), endeared as Lokmanya (IAST: ''Lokmānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence a ...

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

, and

Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...

influenced Gadgil. Spiritual leaders Swami Ramkrishna Paramhans and Swami

Vivekanand Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introd ...

also made a deep impression on him. He joined the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

in 1920, immediately after obtaining his law degree and started his active participation in the national freedom movement. He suffered imprisonment from the ruling British government eight times for the participation. In India's pre-independence days, Gadgil served as the secretary of Poona District Congress Committee (1921–25), the president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (1937–45), and the whip and secretary of the Congress Legislative Party (1945–47). He was elected to the central Legislative Assembly in 1934. Gadgil was a pioneer in social reform movements in Maharashtra in the 1930s. During the

Civil Disobedience Movement The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

, which began in 1930, Gadgil was listed as a leader for the Maharashtra Civil Disobedience Committee and the Pune War Council.

Service after India's independence

Between 1947 and 1952 Gadgil served as a minister in the first central cabinet of independent India. He held the portfolios of Public Works, and Mines and Power. In his first year in the central Cabinet, he initiated the project of building a ''military-caliber'' road from

Pathankot Pathankot is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the 6th most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipal cor ...

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

via

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

as a part of India's activities in the 1947 Indo-Pakistan War. As a cabinet minister, he also initiated the important development projects pertaining to Bhakra,

Koyna Koyna may refer to: * Koyna River, a river which originates in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra * Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, a wildlife refuge in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra * Koynanagar, a town at the site of the Koyna Dam * Koyna Dam, a d ...

, and Hirakund dams. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee from 1952 to 1955. Gadgil served as the governor of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

from 1958 to 1962 and as the vice-chancellor of Poona University 1964 onwards until his death less than two years later. He was associated with several public associations and institutions, including Sarvajanik Sabha, Pune; Young Men's Association, Pune; Maharashtra Youth League, Bombay; Pune Central Cooperative Bank; and Pune Municipality. His son Vitthalrao Gadgil was a veteran congressman and MP from

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

constituency, and his grandson Anant Gadgil is currently spokesman for Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.

Honour

The Indian Post & Telegraph Department issued a commemorative postage stamp in Gadgil's honour in 1985.

Authorship

Gadgil wrote several books and articles on politics, economics, law, and history. He was elected president of

Marathi Sahitya Sammelan Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Literary Conference) is an annual conference for literary discussions by Marathi writers. Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra State. The first Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was h ...

in 1962 held at Satara. The following are some of Gadgil's books: * ''Pathik'' (autobiography) * ''Rajya Shastra Wichar'' * ''Shubha Shastra'' * ''Waktrutwa Shastra'' * ''Gyanbache Arthashastra'' * ''Government from Inside'' * '' Shikhancha Itihaas'' (history of Sikhs)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadgil, Narahar Vishnu Indian independence activists from Maharashtra Indian National Congress politicians from Maharashtra Governors of Punjab, India Marathi-language writers First Nehru ministry 1896 births 1966 deaths Politicians from Pune Lok Sabha members from Maharashtra India MPs 1952–1957 Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India Place of death missing Marathi politicians Presidents of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan Ministers of Power of India Prisoners and detainees of British India