Hidden Stories | The Pune doctor whose memory lives on in Ghole Road
At a time when girls’ education faced severe opposition, Dr Vishram Ramji Ghole insisted on educating his two daughters.
Vishram Ghole was a surgeon in the British army, a social reformer, and a close associate of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. (File Photo) Written by Vaishnavi Gujar
Thousands cross Ghole Road in Pune every day. Students rush towards Fergusson College, buses move through traffic, and office goers pass without a second glance or thought to the history enclosed by the address. The road quietly carries the memory of a legend who stood far ahead of his time: Dr Vishram Ramji Ghole.
Vishram Ghole was a surgeon in the British army, a social reformer, and a close associate of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule.
“Dr Ghole was involved in the movement towards women’s emancipation and the emancipation of untouchable people, especially those who were called Shudra and Atishudra,” said Shraddha Kumbhojkar, a professor of History at Savitribai Phule Pune University.
A ‘Report of the Third Year’ of the Satyashodhak Samaj also mentions that Dr Ghole served as the organisation’s president and worked extensively for the education of marginalised sections.
At a time when girls’ education faced severe opposition, Dr Ghole insisted on educating his two daughters. Since schools for girls were limited, he sent them to the school run by the Phules despite social resistance. His daughter Kashibai, affectionately called ‘Bahuli’ (doll), would walk daily from their home near the present-day Faraas Khana Police Chowki to attend school.
Kumbhojkar shared a tragic incident associated with Kashibai. “That little girl had stopped somewhere on the road for water, and people poisoned her,” she said. The child, born in 1869, succumbed to the poison in 1877.
Despite the devastating loss, Dr Ghole refused to withdraw from the cause of women’s education. “He did not stop there. He also sent the other daughter, Gangubai, to school,” said Kumbhojkar. Gangubai later became highly educated. After marriage, she became known as Gangubai Khedkar and travelled to the US, where she delivered lectures on Indian culture.
To ensure that no child would have to ask strangers for water on the way to school, Dr Ghole built a public water fountain known as Bahulicha Houd. At the site, he also installed a statue of a small curly-haired girl in memory of his daughter Kashibai. The little Houd has been moved from its original location and is kept in a corner of the premises of the Faraskhana Police Chowki in Shaniwar Peth.
Dr Ghole built a public water fountain known as Bahulicha Houd. At the site, he also installed a statue of a small curly-haired girl in memory of his daughter Kashibai. (Photo Credit: Special Arrangement)
Apart from his work in education and social reform, Dr Ghole also addressed issues of farmer distress, especially during the period following the 1875 Deccan Riots. At a major convention of Deccan Farmers held at the Chaturshringi grounds, he spoke about modern agricultural practices and methods that could reduce the hardships faced by farmers.
“He explained how better farming could be done using different methods so that farmers would not have to face distress,” Kumbhojkar said. Today, the road, which stretches from Bal Gandharva Rangmandir towards Fergusson College, connects the legacy of a man who dedicated his life to education, social reform, women’s emancipation, and the welfare of ordinary people.
(Vaishnavi Gujar is an intern with The Indian Express)
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