Shreedhar Mahadev Joshi

Shreedhar Mahadev Joshi (Marathi: श्रीधर महादेव जोशी), also known as S.M. Joshi, was an Indian Freedom Fighter, Member of Parliament, and leader of Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti.^{[1] [2]}

Brief Biography

Born 12 November 1904, in Junnar, Pune, Shreedhar Mahadev Joshi (S.M. Joshi, in short), is considered as a distinguished personality among the stalwarts of the days of Social movement in India. A well-known social worker, Chairman of the Praja Socialist Party PSP) and the Samyukta Socialist Party(PSP) and a founder member of the Janata Party.^[3]

S.M. Joshi always excelled in his academic years both at school and college. A brilliant student of New English School, Puna, he displayed outstanding oratory skill in contests while at the Fergusson College, Pune, and won innumerable prizes. His literary excellence was well reflected in his regular article contributions. He was highly motivated to move into politics after participating in the Gujarat festivals and Tilak processions. He entered the Indian independence movement in 1924 while still studying at college.^[3]

Joshi was jailed for one year in 1930 for his involvement in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Following his release, he was again put behind bars for another two years for a speech he made on "Roy's Day". This made Joshi win a lot of acclaim from the people of India.^[3]

His notable contribution to the social movement include the formation of the Congress Socialist Party in 1934, the Rashtra Seva Dal, and his dynamic role in revolutionary campaign launched by Jayaprakash Narayan.^[3]

In his political career, he worked as the secretary of the Maharashtra Youth Conference and the Mass-Contact Committee. He played a key role in the success of the (Congress Convention). A member of the All-India Congress Socialist Party, he was known even to his opponents, as a staunch ally of his party. His other notable social works include his participation in the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti's drive for an unlingual state, setting up worker unions, and working for the cause of the Dalits in Maharashtra. He became a State Assembly member in 1957, and secured a Lok Sabha seat in 1967. S.M. Joshi died in 1989.^[3]

References