Narayan Meghaji Lokhande (1848–1897) was the father of
trade union movement
The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other.
* The trade union movement ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He is remembered not only for ameliorating the working conditions of
textile mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
-hands in the 19th century but also for his courageous initiatives on caste and communal issues. Apart from this he was also awarded the title of
Rao Bahadur __NOTOC__
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in 1895 for his work during riots between Hindus and Muslims. "Justice of peace" was awarded with great respect to him by the then British Indian Government. The Government of India issued a postage stamp with his photograph in 2005.
Social contribution
Narayan Meghaji Lokhande was a prominent colleague of Mahatma Jotirao Phule. He was born in a Mali family from Kanhersar in Pune district. He had been educated up to high school. His wife's name was Gopikabai and had a son named Gopinath. He learned of the Satyashodhak movement early enough to become a member in its second year in 1874.
Lokhande is acclaimed as the Father of the Trade Union Movement in India. From 1880 onwards he took over the management of ''
Deenbandhu
''Deenbandhu'', sometimes transliterated as ''Dinbandhu'' and spelled ''Din Bandhu'', was a weekly Marathi-language newspaper first published in Pune, British India in January 1877. It was the first newspaper in India to cater explicitly to th ...
'' which was published from Mumbai. At this time he also quit his job as head clerk in a cotton mill in Mumbai and founded Millhands' Association, devoting himself fully to social service.
Along with Lokhande, Phule also addressed the meetings of the textile workers in Bombay. It is significant that before Phule and his colleagues Krishnarao Bhalekar and Lokhande tried to organise the peasants and the workers, no such attempt was made by any organisation to redress their grievances. Lokhande started the first labour association in India — 'Bombay Mill Hands Association'.
Some of the rights mill workers got because of N M Lokhande were:
* Mill workers should get a weekly holiday on Sunday.
* In the afternoon, workers should be entitled to half-hour recess.
* The mill should start working from 6:30 in the morning and close by sunset.
* The salaries of the workers should be given by the 15th of every month.
He was awarded the title of Rao Bahudur by the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
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* it is also called Crown rule in India,
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*
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or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
.
He established 'Mumbai Kamgar Sangh'.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lokhande, Narayan Meghaji
1848 births
1897 deaths
People from Maharashtra
Indian independence activists from Maharashtra
Marathi people