Once the voice of Phule,Deenbandhu press rusting away into oblivion

Nawle said a five-year-old scrapped printing machinery of an English daily was bought by his grandfather to publish Deenbandhu. “It was a double-crowned demi-machine imported from Ohio,USA. The whole set up was built on the ground-floor of building,where we now stay. The nearby rooms were used as godowns for storing paper and other materials,” he said. The paper continued to be printed till the 70s but after that its publishing was affected and it eventually closed. Coming to know about the dilapidated state of the press,Neeta Hole,descendant of Mahatma Phule who lives in Pune,recently approached the Nawle family and sought proper maintenance and preservation of machinery. “It is painful to see such a historical printing machinery lying in a state of neglect. While even a smallest article used by other social reformer has been protected with care,on the other hand printing machinery that shaped minds of masses during pre-Independence days is left to die,” she rued.

Descendants of Phule and Nawle family have demanded that Deenbandhu press,after overhaul,be shifted to Phule Wada in Ganj Peth,where the social reformer used to live along with his wife and reformist Savitri. “It would ensure its proper upkeep. Scores of enthusiasts and scholars visit Phule Wada ever year and relocating printing machinery would be an added attraction,” Nawle said.

V N Kamble,assistant director,State Archaeology Department,said,“The issue is related to multiple government bodies. On our part,we will arrange visit to inspect printing machinery at the earliest,” he said.

Former state BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar,whom Phule’s descendants approached for taking up the issue,said,“The machinery possesses immense historical significance,” said Mungantiwar,an MLA from Ballarpur.