GOPAL KRISHNA GOKHALE

Subject : History

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Freedom Fighter and social reformer Gopal Krishna Gokhale on his birth anniversary.

Concept :

Gopal Krishna Gokhale was born on May 9th, 1866 in Kothluk in Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra.
In 1884, after his graduation in arts at the Elphinstone College, Bombay, Gokhale moved to Poona to take up a teaching job at a school.
He also joined as professor of history and political economy at the Fergusson College, Poona.
He supported MahadevGovindaRanade in the working of Poona Sarvajanik Sabha.
He regarded MahadevGovindaRanade as his “Guru” and MG Ranade helped Gokhale in establishing the “Servants of India Society” in 1905.
The main objective of this society was to train Indians to raise their voice against social evils and serve their country.
Gokhale also worked with Ranade in a quarterly Journal, called “Sarvajanik” which wrote about the public questions of the day in a frank and fearless manner.
He launched the English weekly newspaper named The Hitavad(The people’s paper) in 1911.
He became the president of Indian National Congress (INC) during the Benaras Session of 1905.
In 1908, he founded the ‘Ranade Institute of Economics‘.