Sharad Anantrao Joshi
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Sharad Anantrao Joshi (3 September 1935 – 12 December 2015) was an Indian politician who founded the
Swatantra Bharat Paksh The Swatantra Bharat Paksh (translation: ''Independent India Party''; abbr. SBP) is a liberal political party in Maharashtra, India, established in 1994 by Sharad Anantrao Joshi (former Shetkari Sanghatana leader).
party and ''Shetkari Sanghatana'' (farmers' Organisation), He was also a Member of the
Parliament of India The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...
representing
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 ...
in the
Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
, the upper house of the
Indian Parliament The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...
during the period 5 July 2004 till 4 July 2010. On 9 January 2010 he was the sole MP in
Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
to vote against the bill providing 33% reservation for women in
Indian parliament The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...
and assemblies. Sharad Anantrao Joshi was a member of Advisory Board of the World Agricultural Forum (WAF), the foremost global agricultural platform that initiates dialogue between those who can impact agriculture. He is also founder of ''Shetkari Sanghatana'', an organisation for farmers. ''Shetakari Sanghatana'' is a non-political union of Farmers formed with the aim to "Freedom of access to markets and to Technology".


Early life, education and Career

Sharad Joshi was born on 3 September 1935 at Satara, in the state of
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 is a son of Anant Narayan (1905–70) and Indirabai Joshi (1910–92). He obtained a master's degree in Commerce from
Sydenham College Sydenham College of Economics is a college located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is affiliated to the Dr. Homi Bhabha State University. The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in management. It was awarded a re-accreditat ...
, Mumbai, in 1957 and, Diploma in Informatics from Lausanne in 1974. During his career he obtained many awards including Award C.E. Randle Gold Medal for Banking (1955), and Cursetjee Dady Prize for work on Computation of Irrigation Benefits. He worked as a Lecturer in Economics and Statistics, University of Poona, 1957–58. Later he worked for I.P.S Indian Postal Service (Class I) 1958–68; His international career included a long stint as Chief of Informatics Service at International Bureau, UPU, Bern, Switzerland, 1968–77. He served as a United Nations officer before founding Shetakari Sanghatana.


Farmer's issues

He was a founder of ''Shetkari Sanghatana'', farmers' Organisation in Maharashtra. He led number of mass agitations on agricultural issues in India. Most of them in the state of Maharashtra on issues of prices offered to Farmers. He was also founder Leader of ' Kisan Coordination Committee (KCC)' composed of sister organisations from 14 states –
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 ...
, Karnataka,
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, Rajasthan,
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 ...
,
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
, Himachal Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
, Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
, Orissa,
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
; led a number of agitations in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana etc. for remunerative prices of onions, sugar cane, tobacco, milk, paddy, cotton, against hike in electricity tariffs, for liquidation of rural debts and against State dumping in domestic markets. He lost Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election to Ashok Shinde of Shivsena from Hinganghat constituency in 1995. Joshi was an
economic liberal Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism, ...
who demanded reduction of state control in agriculture sector. He supported the
WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
because he believed that Indian farming could be profitable if farmers had access to the global market. He was credited with coining the term ''Bharat vs India'' to highlight the neglect of rural farmers by urban elites. In his will, he left most of his estate to the Shetkari Trust, which is entrusted to take his work forward. He had been a columnist for the dailies '
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
', '
Business India ''Business India'' is a fortnightly business news magazine founded by brothers Ashok Hotchand Advani, Hiroo Advani and Rajkumar Advani in 1978 and published in Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities an ...
', '
Lokmat ''Lokmat'' () is a Marathi language newspaper published in Maharashtra state. Founded in 1971 by Jawaharlal Darda, it is the largest read regional language newspaper in India with more than 18 million readers and the No. 1 Marathi newspaper i ...
' etc., and also authored books on agricultural issues.


Shetkari Mahila Aghadi (SMA)

Sharad Joshi was also a founder of the largest organisation of rural women Shetkari Mahila Aghadi (SMA) celebrated for its work for women's property rights notably for the ''Lakshmi Mukti'' programme that has conferred land titles on lakhs of rural housewives. In 1986, Chandwad village of Nasik district in Maharashtra was witness to a gathering of over two lakh peasant women.http://www.sharadjoshi.in/sites/default/files/Chandvad.png


Special Economic Zones for farm

Sharad Joshi advocated SEZs in areas of India's comparative advantage, notably organic farming, aromatic and medicinal plants, manufacture of hybrid seeds and horticulture. Joshi also voiced on the need to establish credible certifying agencies for organic farm products and also suggested exclusive Zones for growing variety of onions popular in the Western countries and also the domestic market could be insulated from the international markets, and shortages could be averted even while earning foreign exchange.


Socialism and Indian Constitution

In December 2005 Sharad Joshi tabled private member legislation in the Rajya Sabha, demanding deletion of the word socialism from the Representation of the People Act of the Constitution of India.


Publications

A partial list of his writings and works includes: ; English * Organisation of Peasants: Thought and Practice * Bharat Speaks Out (1982) * Bharat Eyeview (1986) * The Women's Question (1986), * Answering Before God (1994) ; Marathi * AngarMala ( अंगारमळा) * Anwayarth (अन्वयार्थ) Part 1 and 2 * Arth To Sangato Punha ( अर्थ तो सांगतो पुन्हा) * Khulya Vyavasthekade - Khulya Manane (खुल्या व्यवस्थेकडे - खुल्या मनाने) * Chandawadchi Shidori - Striyancha Prashn (चांदवडची शिदोरी - स्त्रियांचा प्रश्न) * Jag Badalnari Pustake (जग बदलणारी पुस्तके) * Poshindyachi Lokshahi (पोशिंद्याची लोकशाही) * Prachalit Arthavyvasthevar Nava Prakash (प्रचलित अर्थव्यवस्थेवर नवा प्रकाश) * Baliche Rajya Yenar Aahe (बळीचे राज्य येणार आहे) * Bharatasthi ( भारतासाठी) * Mazya Shetkari Bhavanno Aani Maybahininno (माझ्या शेतकरी भावांनो आणि मायबहिणींनो) * Rashtriya Krushineetee (राष्ट्रीय कृषिनीती) * Shetkari Sanghatana : Vichar Aani Karyapaddhatee (शेतकरी संघटना : विचार आणि कार्यपद्धती) * Shetkaryacha Raaja Shivaji Aani Itar Lekh (शेतकर्याचा राजा शिवाजी आणि इतर लेख) * Swatantrya Ka Nasle? (स्वातंत्र्य का नासले?) ;Hindi * Samasyayen Bharat Ki (समस्याए भारत की) * Swatantrata Kyon Naakam Hui (स्वतंत्रता क्यों नाकाम हो गई?)


References

* Tom Brass
New farmers' movements in India
Length 290pages, Routledge, 1995, , .


External links



* ttp://www.sharadjoshi.in/ Sharad Joshi Dot In, Articles written by Sharad Anantrao Joshi {{DEFAULTSORT:Joshi, Sharad Anantrao Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra Marathi politicians 2015 deaths Indian farmers 1935 births Indian classical liberals Indian civil servants Swabhimani Paksha politicians Farmers' rights activists