Khatav and Man are the ever-drought-prone tehsils in the Satara District of Maharashtra. In the post-independence era, only four high schools existed in these two tehsils. No facility for higher education existed there. Under such circumstances, only boys from a few well-to-do families enjoyed the benefit of higher education by attending colleges in the cities like Karad, Satara, Sangli and Pune, all of which are on the distance of seventy Kilometers away from this locality. The doors of higher education were closed for the girls since the social customs in those days did not allow parents to admit their girls to such distant institutes. An irony of fate was that intelligent girls from poor families were deprived of higher education. The surprising fact to be noted was that the illustrious educational institutions in Maharashtra like Rayat Shikshan Sanstha and Swami Vivekanand Sanstha committed to the spread of education then and now did not muster the courage to open even a single college in this area which did not see the light of knowledge many ages together. However, it seems that this difficult task was left to honourable Chandrahar Patil alias beloved Dada by destiny. And the year 1965 witnessed the establishment of the college which for Mr Patil was a centre to bring about social, economic, educational, Political and Cultural Revolution in the backward area. In the real sense of the word, he is the Bhagiratha of the region who with all his powers fetched the sacred waters of knowledge for the knowledge-thirsty.
During the period from 1967 to 1972, he remained an active and dynamic member of the legislative assembly of Maharashtra. During his tenure, he implemented many developmental projects in the interest of his constituency like dairies, new roads, farm tanks, small-scale industries and percolation tanks to change the economic face of the drought-prone region. While rendering the valuable social service, Mr Patil noted the pitiable and deplorable plight of the new young generation which was deprived of education. He did realize that education and higher education alone can save his poor backward area. He did notice unmistakably like the doctor, an expert in making an accurate diagnosis that knowledge was the solution and remedy to cure the disease of backwardness of his region and thus felt a strong need for college. It led this man to put the proposal of opening a college before the senate of Shivaji University Kolhapur and convincing it through his oration that college was an urgent need in his drought-prone area. Senate moved by his forceful plea readily sanctioned the college in 1965 and the dream long cherished by him came to be a reality.
Mr Chandrahar Patil was a visionary educationist, a great thinker, and a powerful orator. Particularly he was a selfless, loving and compassionate parent of society. He was a ceaseless-flowing fountain of charity which society came to understand during the period 1966 to 1983 during which he ran a hostel for 80 poor, needy students per year, on a free-of-charge basis, and which did not receive any government grant.
This facility of free lodging and boarding continued for running eighteen years. As a result, many needy poor students not only from Khatav and Man but far from Vidharba and Marathawada become highly educated. Respected Chandrahar Patil, our beloved Dada was the pure embodiment of all that is best in the world and the lighthouse for all those seeking bright rays of light from him, a powerful descending waterfall of knowledge for the knowledge-thirsty, support of the support less, kind father of million fatherless, a mother of motherless, only hope of hopeless, a power of the powerless, a gigantic banyan tree in the cool shade of which thousands and thousands, students & teachers have taken refuge. He was a towering model of all good values and has established before us a bright ideal through his social educational and political achievements.
Respected Dada chose “Eklavya” as the symbol and “Shradhawan Labhate Dnyanam” as the motto of our educational institute. Both the symbol and motto are highly suggestive. Eklavya, though the representative of the depressed, and downtrodden class, can achieve knowledge with his profound faith as the indication and message of both, the symbol and motto, inspiring & motivating all those modern-day Eklavya.
Following are the objectives of our institute.
- To disseminate education to the last layers of society.
- A school for every village.
- To provide opportunities to every boy and girl in every village of Tahasil.
- To educate poor & needy boys and girls and enable them to stand firmly on their own feet.
- To imbibe good values among the students and turn them into ideal citizens.
- To make the college a centre for producing a leadership with a bright character.
- To produce agricultural experts who would weld together traditional farming and modern technology to bring about a green revolution.
- To employ the five formulas of literature, art, sports, cooperation and science and thereby bring about all-around personality development of the students.
- To create a loving relationship among the students, the parents and teachers and thereby make a big family of theirs.
- To provide the students with up-to-date educational facilities by recognizing the needs of the time in dynamic age.
The four high schools of which one particularly for girls and one college established by respected Dada, have been marching on successfully for the last four decades towards the accomplishment of set objectives.
Our Inspiration
Chandrahar Patil (Dada) showed the spirit of volunteering at an early age. Through his exceptional leadership qualities, he could quickly mobilize the masses and galvanize them into action. As a strong supporter of the political & cooperative movement, he spearheaded several social and community development programmes in Khatav taluka and adjoining areas. Chandrahar Patil, who is affectionately called Dada, started his political career in 1957. He was ‘Sabhapati’ of the Khatav Panchyat Samiti from 1962 to 1967.
Over the years, he successfully held many responsible positions in the cooperative and rural governance structure in the Satara district. For instance, he was the MLA of Khatav taluka from 1967 to 1972.
Education is another area that is close to his heart. Driven by the passion that students from the socially and economically weaker sections should not be deprived of quality education, he established Shikshan Prasarak Mandal at Khatav in 1965. The value of its contribution to education, in general, is enormously great as it has, from the very beginning, tried all its best to emphasize the education of the downtrodden, the poor and the ignorant who form the major bulk of the society. He believed that education alone could cure social ills viz. caste hierarchy, money-lending, illiteracy, untouchability, superstitions, and socioeconomic inequality. Throughout his life, he has tried to transform this belief into reality. He was the champion of the poor, the weak, and the dispossessed and left no stone unturned for their upliftment. In the same year, he founded a high school, followed by a junior college in 1965. The Yashwantrao Chavan College later on renamed Shahajiraje Mahavidyalaya, Khatav was established in 1965.
He was widely known for his philosophy of simple living and high thinking. Under his visionary and dynamic leadership, Shikshan Prasarak Mandal (now Chandrahar Patil Gramin Shikshan Sanstha, Khatav) is making rapid progress in the academic area.