by Dr Shyam Kelavkar
Rajashri Chatrapati Shri Shahu Maharaja... according to me the most knowledgeable royalty of his time and an enigmatic personality who was has and forever more will be acclaimed; but not in this novel way that Mr. Mandar Vaidya is trying to bring forth!! Imagine my surprise when I was asked to write not about this great personality as an historical landmark but as a person and the way his actions shaped my family’s existence in Kolhapur! Thrilled as I am to be able to write this article so am I burdened with the added responsibility to convey facts and not in any way subject this magnanimous personality to any ridicule due to my immaturity. It is High time that someone took up an endeavor to bring forth a different facet of the life of this shrewd visionary of his time! It is truly a matter of utter shame that there is no proper information portal about Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja’s life and thought, that there is a dearth in understanding the undercurrents to this deep personality!
In spite of the British Raj this maharaja was able to achieve so much not because of his position or lineage but because of the wise and politically right decisions taken by him.
At the mere age of 24 I cannot expect myself to understand this personality nor do I wish to pass judgment about any acts and reforms this great visionary has done, all I am here to do is to share is the intricate and deep relation my family The 'Kelavkars' have shared with His Highness.
Which brings us to the basics, who is writing this article? so an introduction before we continue and a brief glimpse about what actually am I going to talk about....
I am Dr. Shyam Pralhad Kelavkar the fourth generation doctor in our family, our family that has its history as ‘Zamindars’ of Dholpur, many members of my elder generation have had a deep relationship with The Chhatrapati and I'll take you through the story chronologically.
My great great grandfather was a doctor practicing in Mumbai (then Bombay) at Wasai, Dr. Krishnajee Dadajee Kelavkar due to an unfortunate infection he contracted while treating a patient he secluded himself from the society, and the family faced very hard times, During this time his wife my Great great grandmother Mrs. Rakhmabai (Radhabai) Krishnajee Kelavkar got herself a degree in teaching from ‘The Female Training Institute, Poona’. And as fate would have it she was appointed as the personal teacher to Princess Anandibai the then wife of Prince Shivaji, by his father His Highness Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja and this marked the coming of the Kelavkar family to the princely state of Kolhapur around the year 1880. Sadly due to the untimely demise of the Prince the Princess lost all interest in education and there was no need for further services of Mrs. Rakhmabai. But luckily she got appointed as the First Hindu Lady Teacher and then First Hindu Lady Superintendent of ‘The Female Training Institute, Kolhapur. Headed by Miss. Little, the then Superintendent of the Institute.
Now I'll take a moment to show you how the Chhatrapati achieved all the political, financial and social need of the time, while on the same hand taking care of the employee he had so requested for teaching from the British Raj...this in itself being the reason why our family settled in Kolhapur
The time was when Kolhapur Gaadi was being criticized by all the social reformers in Pune for lack of female staffing in the Durbar, the time was when the gaadi bore a heavy burden of Rupees 450 for the pay of Miss. Little, the time was when a employee so demanded by the Chhatrapati was rendered jobless as the Princess's denied education....
The solution amazing and yet so simple was just to employ Mrs. Rakhmabai as the Lady Superintendent and thus he achieved,
A crisp answer to all criticism faced by the Gaddi by social reformers.
Securing a place for Kolhapur in female empowerment campaign and setting a watermark for further reform.
Reducing the financial load on the gaadi by paying the new superintendent a salary of just Rs.55, which later got an increment of Rs.30 and a traveling allowance of Rs.15 as against the Rs.450 given to Miss. Little.
Gaining the services of a loyal educated subject by granting her a pay, which not only sustained a family, but also averted the financial crises and social humility.
And the master stroke of it all increasing the female literacy of Kolhapur State by making available a Hindu female teacher who the locale gladly accepted and related too, readily sending the female sex to attend classes....
This superficially subtle act of hiring my Great Great grandmother not only settled our family but gave the family unparalleled fame and respect in the state and further strengthened the drive for education in the family.
The next generations to come in contact with His Highness were none other than the children of Mrs. Rakhmabai,
Dr. Miss. Krishnabai Krishnajee Kelavkar
Bar. Shamrao Krishnajee Kelavkar
Mr. Yashwantrao Krishnajee Kelavkar
Dr. Miss. Krishnabai Krishnajee Kelavkar (my great grand aunt)
She was the
In spite of the British Raj this maharaja was able to achieve so much not because of his position or lineage but because of the wise and politically right decisions taken by him.
At the mere age of 24 I cannot expect myself to understand this personality nor do I wish to pass judgment about any acts and reforms this great visionary has done, all I am here to do is to share is the intricate and deep relation my family The 'Kelavkars' have shared with His Highness.
Which brings us to the basics, who is writing this article? so an introduction before we continue and a brief glimpse about what actually am I going to talk about....
I am Dr. Shyam Pralhad Kelavkar the fourth generation doctor in our family, our family that has its history as ‘Zamindars’ of Dholpur, many members of my elder generation have had a deep relationship with The Chhatrapati and I'll take you through the story chronologically.
My great great grandfather was a doctor practicing in Mumbai (then Bombay) at Wasai, Dr. Krishnajee Dadajee Kelavkar due to an unfortunate infection he contracted while treating a patient he secluded himself from the society, and the family faced very hard times, During this time his wife my Great great grandmother Mrs. Rakhmabai (Radhabai) Krishnajee Kelavkar got herself a degree in teaching from ‘The Female Training Institute, Poona’. And as fate would have it she was appointed as the personal teacher to Princess Anandibai the then wife of Prince Shivaji, by his father His Highness Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja and this marked the coming of the Kelavkar family to the princely state of Kolhapur around the year 1880. Sadly due to the untimely demise of the Prince the Princess lost all interest in education and there was no need for further services of Mrs. Rakhmabai. But luckily she got appointed as the First Hindu Lady Teacher and then First Hindu Lady Superintendent of ‘The Female Training Institute, Kolhapur. Headed by Miss. Little, the then Superintendent of the Institute.
Now I'll take a moment to show you how the Chhatrapati achieved all the political, financial and social need of the time, while on the same hand taking care of the employee he had so requested for teaching from the British Raj...this in itself being the reason why our family settled in Kolhapur
The time was when Kolhapur Gaadi was being criticized by all the social reformers in Pune for lack of female staffing in the Durbar, the time was when the gaadi bore a heavy burden of Rupees 450 for the pay of Miss. Little, the time was when a employee so demanded by the Chhatrapati was rendered jobless as the Princess's denied education....
The solution amazing and yet so simple was just to employ Mrs. Rakhmabai as the Lady Superintendent and thus he achieved,
A crisp answer to all criticism faced by the Gaddi by social reformers.
Securing a place for Kolhapur in female empowerment campaign and setting a watermark for further reform.
Reducing the financial load on the gaadi by paying the new superintendent a salary of just Rs.55, which later got an increment of Rs.30 and a traveling allowance of Rs.15 as against the Rs.450 given to Miss. Little.
Gaining the services of a loyal educated subject by granting her a pay, which not only sustained a family, but also averted the financial crises and social humility.
And the master stroke of it all increasing the female literacy of Kolhapur State by making available a Hindu female teacher who the locale gladly accepted and related too, readily sending the female sex to attend classes....
This superficially subtle act of hiring my Great Great grandmother not only settled our family but gave the family unparalleled fame and respect in the state and further strengthened the drive for education in the family.
The next generations to come in contact with His Highness were none other than the children of Mrs. Rakhmabai,
Dr. Miss. Krishnabai Krishnajee Kelavkar
Bar. Shamrao Krishnajee Kelavkar
Mr. Yashwantrao Krishnajee Kelavkar
Dr. Miss. Krishnabai Krishnajee Kelavkar (my great grand aunt)
She was the
- First Lady Student of Fergusson College, Pune
- First Hindu Lady L.M & S (England)
- First practicing lady doctor of Chatrapati Pramilla Raje Hospital, Kolhapur (then His Highness Albert Memorial Hospital, Kolhapur)
- Kaiser-I-Hind (silver) for Distinguished Public Service
She was the
How come such a lady with such a glorious career come and settle down in Kolhapur and serve the citizens here is again because of the brilliance of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja.
After completing the M.B.B.S equivalent degree from Grant Medical College Dr. Krishnabai needed to go to England to pursue her further education, this was certainly not a cheap affair then and by securing a Scholarship from his highness was she able to do the same. For this favor the Maharaja asked her that she must serve the citizens of Kolhapur as her scholarship was nothing but the taxes collected from the citizens, to which she gladly consented.
Now again the sheer genius of this decision Kolhapur got a fully qualified L.M. & S upon her return.
The health system of Kolhapur greatly improved so much so that from 1903 to 1923 there is no other mention in the field of health other than Dr. Krishnabai in the entire state,
Again the ruler gained the unquestioning loyalty of the family and won hearts of one and all!
To clarify not only did he teach Dr. Krishnabai but made a job available for her, which again sustained our family and helped Miss. Krishnabai establish her practice as a clinician in the then male dominated society. For the record after the demise of the ruler of hearts Dr. Krishnabai started full-fledged private practice and the hospital she started still stands and serves the citizens of Kolhapur under the able guidance of my father Dr. Pralhad Prabhakar Kelavkar.
Mr. Yashwantrao Krishnajee Kelavkar (my great grand uncle)
This mans life story is very short as he demised at an very early age of 25 but he too has contributed to the citizens of Kolhapur and as it is now obvious he too was helped in this by His. Highness Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja by donating generously the land and part of the ‘Junna Raj Wada’ the Citadel of the Karveer Gaadi to establish a school!
He started a boy’s school along with a few eminent personalities then named 'Vidhyapeeth' which to this day stands near the Famous Mahalaxmi (Ambabai) Temple and caters to the youth of Kolhapur enriching their minds since its foundation. Even today Yashwantrao’s birthday 19th January is celebrated as 'Kelavkar Day' here.
This honor could not have been possible without His Highnesses help right from securing the land to aiding in the construction
This incident again shows the progressiveness of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja in aiding to establish schools for the development of his citizens and state alike
Bar. Shamrao Krishnajee Kelavkar (my great grand father)
This individual had independently completed his Bar. From England and had set up his practice in England. As the family at that point of time did not have any heir, he was called back to his home town. Now being a through Englishman he came to Kolhapur not in service to His Highness but the British Raj. There are a few incidents I'd like to share
In a time when grain was not available in Kolhapur Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja was extremely troubled and the only way to secure grains was through the Bombay Regency, it was here that they first met and my great grand father secured all the grains needed for His Highness this transcended the royal-subject relationship to that akin of friendship.
Later he joined as the Minister for Town Planning in Shahu Maharaja’s Court and held the dual posts of the Gaadi and the Regency Council
The most significant contribution is the establishment of Sykes Law College in Kolhapur by Bar. Shamrao which also contributed to catapult the state in education Ranking. Where he was the funder and first Principal.
But the work of Shamrao extended into the reign of Raja Ram Maharaja and hence he has been dealth with at the concluding segment of this article…
Everything I have written has documented proof no part of the factual data displayed here is a flight of ideas or imagination. I have done my utmost best to show the extent and the circumstances which made us cross paths and walk along this mammoth personality, aiding and realizing destinies. Those were truly golden times for the family and as you now very well must have understood the entire family are indebted to The Chhatrapati in more ways than one. To this day we remain and evermore shall remain humble servants of The Royal Family.
I was expected to write an article about the relationship of my family with Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja, but still if there are any queries I'll gladly answer them on my website www.kelavkars.com. Here you'll also find the entire family history of Kelavkars with special books featuring the lives of the above-mentioned Personalities in detail. With this I bid you all adieu, Jai Hind! Jai Maharashtra!
-Dr. Shyam Pralhad Kelavkar
- First Lady Student of Fergusson College, Pune
- First Hindu Lady L.M & S (England)
- First practicing lady doctor of Chatrapati Pramilla Raje Hospital, Kolhapur (then His Highness Albert Memorial Hospital, Kolhapur)
- Kaiser-I-Hind (silver) for Distinguished Public Service
How come such a lady with such a glorious career come and settle down in Kolhapur and serve the citizens here is again because of the brilliance of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja.
After completing the M.B.B.S equivalent degree from Grant Medical College Dr. Krishnabai needed to go to England to pursue her further education, this was certainly not a cheap affair then and by securing a Scholarship from his highness was she able to do the same. For this favor the Maharaja asked her that she must serve the citizens of Kolhapur as her scholarship was nothing but the taxes collected from the citizens, to which she gladly consented.
Now again the sheer genius of this decision Kolhapur got a fully qualified L.M. & S upon her return.
The health system of Kolhapur greatly improved so much so that from 1903 to 1923 there is no other mention in the field of health other than Dr. Krishnabai in the entire state,
Again the ruler gained the unquestioning loyalty of the family and won hearts of one and all!
To clarify not only did he teach Dr. Krishnabai but made a job available for her, which again sustained our family and helped Miss. Krishnabai establish her practice as a clinician in the then male dominated society. For the record after the demise of the ruler of hearts Dr. Krishnabai started full-fledged private practice and the hospital she started still stands and serves the citizens of Kolhapur under the able guidance of my father Dr. Pralhad Prabhakar Kelavkar.
Mr. Yashwantrao Krishnajee Kelavkar (my great grand uncle)
This mans life story is very short as he demised at an very early age of 25 but he too has contributed to the citizens of Kolhapur and as it is now obvious he too was helped in this by His. Highness Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja by donating generously the land and part of the ‘Junna Raj Wada’ the Citadel of the Karveer Gaadi to establish a school!
He started a boy’s school along with a few eminent personalities then named 'Vidhyapeeth' which to this day stands near the Famous Mahalaxmi (Ambabai) Temple and caters to the youth of Kolhapur enriching their minds since its foundation. Even today Yashwantrao’s birthday 19th January is celebrated as 'Kelavkar Day' here.
This honor could not have been possible without His Highnesses help right from securing the land to aiding in the construction
This incident again shows the progressiveness of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja in aiding to establish schools for the development of his citizens and state alike
Bar. Shamrao Krishnajee Kelavkar (my great grand father)
This individual had independently completed his Bar. From England and had set up his practice in England. As the family at that point of time did not have any heir, he was called back to his home town. Now being a through Englishman he came to Kolhapur not in service to His Highness but the British Raj. There are a few incidents I'd like to share
In a time when grain was not available in Kolhapur Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja was extremely troubled and the only way to secure grains was through the Bombay Regency, it was here that they first met and my great grand father secured all the grains needed for His Highness this transcended the royal-subject relationship to that akin of friendship.
Later he joined as the Minister for Town Planning in Shahu Maharaja’s Court and held the dual posts of the Gaadi and the Regency Council
The most significant contribution is the establishment of Sykes Law College in Kolhapur by Bar. Shamrao which also contributed to catapult the state in education Ranking. Where he was the funder and first Principal.
But the work of Shamrao extended into the reign of Raja Ram Maharaja and hence he has been dealth with at the concluding segment of this article…
Everything I have written has documented proof no part of the factual data displayed here is a flight of ideas or imagination. I have done my utmost best to show the extent and the circumstances which made us cross paths and walk along this mammoth personality, aiding and realizing destinies. Those were truly golden times for the family and as you now very well must have understood the entire family are indebted to The Chhatrapati in more ways than one. To this day we remain and evermore shall remain humble servants of The Royal Family.
I was expected to write an article about the relationship of my family with Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja, but still if there are any queries I'll gladly answer them on my website www.kelavkars.com. Here you'll also find the entire family history of Kelavkars with special books featuring the lives of the above-mentioned Personalities in detail. With this I bid you all adieu, Jai Hind! Jai Maharashtra!
-Dr. Shyam Pralhad Kelavkar