Mahadev Govind Ranade
Mahadev Govind Ranade was born on January 18, 1842, in Niphad near Nashik. At the age of fourteen, he enrolled at the Elphinstone Institute and was part of the first batch of the newly established Bombay University, where he earned a BA degree followed by an LLB.
Ranade began his judicial career in 1871 as a subordinate judge in Pune and eventually rose to become a judge at the Bombay High Court in 1895. He also served as an instructor of history at Elphinstone College.
A founding member of the Indian National Congress, Ranade believed in achieving reforms through constitutional means. He was an early member of the Prarthana Samaj, which aimed to reform conservative Hindu traditions. As a social reformer, Ranade championed education for girls, widow remarriage, and was against child marriages. He played a key role in establishing the Maharashtra Girls Education Society.
Often regarded as the ‘father of Indian economics,’ Justice Ranade founded the Industrial Association of Western India and believed that India’s progress lay in industrial and commercial development. He authored numerous books on the Indian economy and was a noted historian, with his work “Rise of Maratha Power” being particularly well-known.
Trivia : Mahadev Govind Ranade was responsible for the introduction of vernacular languages in the university curriculum.