HOD Speaks

From the midst of thousands and thousands of mortal beings who daily tread the shores of life only a few noble men leave their immortal foot prints on the sands of time.

Hailing from a poor farmers family of Sevagram village, Shri Bapuraoji Deshmukh strove to rise in life on the bulwoks of courage, self-confidence and determination. With none to rely on except his own inner strength and conviction, Shri.Bapuraoji Deshmukh worked tirelessly throughout his life.

It is no mere coincidence that Bapuraoji Deshmukh spent the formative years of his youth under the umbrous shade of Mahatma Gandhi s teachings. In those days Sevagram was the hub of intense political and social activities. Eminent national leaders of political and social activities, Eminent national leaders of India s freedom struggle converged to this place to confer and seek guidance from Mahatma Gandhi. The fertile mind of Shri Bapuraoji Deshmukh got seeped in the crosscurrents of political and social thought. He flung himself eagerly in the various movements launched by Mahatma Gandhi, such as village upliftment, anti-untouchability and anti-prohibition. A front-line congress man, Bapuraoji Deshmukh actively participated in the national freedom struggle and spent a few years in jail.

When India won its Independence Shri Bapuraoji Deshmukh joined the main stream of Indian Politics. He began his political career as MLA and also served a successful tenure as an MP (Member or Rajya Sabha).

Shri. Bapuraoji Deshmukh developed a strong sense of social commitment from a very early stage of his life. His own humble family background made him keenly aware of the various problems and difficulties of the common village people. He was therefore motivated by this urge to serve the masses, to work for the upliftment of the villages and to bring into existence a new social order based on equality and justice.

Influenced by Gandhi s vision of free India Bapuraoji Deshmukh believed with almost sanctimonious faith that the future of India lay in the villages. He realized that it was our villages which gave a true reflection of our culture and that the country s progress was inextricably linked with the development of village life. So long as the villagers were steeped in the morass of poverty, backwardness and ignorance, the country could never move ahead.

Shri. Bapuraoji Deshmukh believed that the way to the emancipation of the rural masses was education. All his life he worked as a man fired by the missionary zeal of bringing elixir of education to the lowliest of the low. With this primary objective in mind, he laid the foundation of Yeshwant Rural Education Society in year 1957. Having sown the seed he watered it with faith and vision. Within a short span of time this seed grew into a mighty tree. Wardha district witnessed the establishment of three full fledged colleges at Wardha, Seloo and Deoli and a large number of high schools in remote and far flange areas of Wardha District. However the crowning glory of his achievement was the opening of Engineering College at Sevagram in the year 1983.

Shri. Bapuraoji Deshmukh did pioneering work in the field of Co-operative movement. He was very much concerned with the lot of poor farmers. To liberate them from various problems, he launched the co-operative movement on a war footing. He served illustriously as President of Wardha district Central Co-Op. Bank and also became president of Maharashtra State Co-op. Apex Bank , Mumbai. Through the Co-op. movement he wanted to usher in an egalitarian society.

A man with progressive and futuristic ideas Bapuraoji Deshmukh was convinced that technology and development goes hand in hand. With the aim of bringing the latest development in the field of Agro-industries, Bapuraoji Deshmukh visited several foreign countries including Japan, Philippines and the USA. His wide experience and rich practical knowledge enabled him to implement some novel innovative schemes like spinning mill and sugar industries.

It would be no exaggeration to say that Bapuraoji Deshmukh was one of the architects of modern Wardha District. His visionary power coupled with his insatiable zest for work saw the all round development of Wardha District. Rising from the ranks of rural masses, he worked selflessly for their betterment. Truly a man of masses his whole life was a dedication to the service of the people.

The magnificent buildings of his institutions in the Wardha District stand as glorious shrines of his monumental work. They are a testament of his life time achievement and a gospel of inspiration for coming generations.