He taught us humanism
Pandurang Sadashiv Sane was born on 24 Dec 1899 in
Palgad village near Dapoli, Maharashtra. During his childhood his family's financial
condition deteriorated and their house was confiscated by government
authorities. He was sent to maternal uncle in Pune.
He returned and stayed in missionary school in
Dapoli and was recognised as an intelligent student with good command over
Marathi and Sanskrit.
He enrolled at Aundh Institution, which provided
free education and food to poor students. He suffered many hardships but
continued his education. An epidemic of bubonic plague led to students being
sent home.
Back in Palgad, he overheard his parents expressing
concern over his dedication to education. He traveled to Pune and enrolled as a
student at Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya.
Living on limited meals, he continued to excel in
academics. At New Poona College, he obtained BA and MA degrees in Marathi and
Sanskrit literature.
He worked as a teacher in Pratap High School in
Amalner town. He chose to teach in rural schools, foregoing a potentially
larger salary he could have earned. He worked as a hostel warden.
He was a gifted orator, captivating audiences with
his impassioned speeches on civil rights and justice. He inculcated moral
values through magazine Vidyarthi, popular among students. His teaching
profession continued for 6 years till he dedicated his life for the
independence struggle.
He joined Gandhi in Dandi March in 1930 and was
imprisoned by British in Dhule Jail for over 15 months for work in Civil
Disobedience Movement. In 1932, Vinoba Bhave was in same jail and delivered a
series of lectures on Bhagavad Gita each Sunday morning. Gita Pravachane was an
outcome of the notes Sane made.
From 1930-47, he was arrested on 8 occasions and
imprisoned in various jails for a total duration of over 6 years. He observed
fast on 7 occasions. In Trichnapalli Jail, he learned Tamil and Bengali. He
translated ancient Tamil moral work of the Kural into Marathi.
He recognised importance of learning Indian languages,
for national integration and started Antar Bharati movement.
He helped spread of Indian National Congress in
rural Maharashtra, particularly in Khandesh. He was active in organisation of
Faizpur Session. He participated in Election Campaign of Bombay Provincial
Elections of 1936.
In 1942 Quit India Movement, he was imprisoned for
15 months and became closely associated with socialists like Madhu Limaye.
In late 1930s, he organised textile labour and
peasants in East Khandesh District. During this period he associated with
communists like S. M. Dange. However Communist position to support Second World
War made him dissociate himself. After independence he joined Socialist party
and was close to Limaye, N G Gore and S M Joshi.
He took up the cause of Gandhi's promise to
Ambedkar during Poona Pact that he will spend the rest of his life campaigning
for removal of untouchability. He travelled across Maharashtra for 4 months in
1947.
The culmination of this tour was his fast at
Pandharpur to open Vitthal Temple for Dalits. The fast lasted 11 days from 1
May to 11 May 1947 and doors of the temple were ultimately opened for all.
Post independence, he became increasingly
disillusioned over possibilities of eliminating inequality from Indian society.
Assassination of Gandhi deeply affected him and he fasted for 21 days. He
committed suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills
He wrote 135 books and 73 books have been
published. Almost all these books can be considered literature for children.
His most well-known work in Marathi literature Shyamachi Aaee has been
translated in almost all Indian languages, Japanese and English.
Others include Bharatiya Saṃskṛti and Patri- a
collection of various songs and poems. Teen Muley is a story of 3 children and
is regarded as a classic in Marathi. He started weekly journal Sadhana on 15
August 1948 and it has been regularly published since.
He died on 11 Jun 1950.
