In the Mahatma8217;s steps

8220;But,8221; she reminisces,8220;my family was orthodox and did not like my involvement in the freedom struggle. So, when I was 16 I was married to Balkaka Ranade. But my father-in-law, Kakasaheb Ranade, was a visionary. He believed that women should be educated and had decided that I would study. He sent me to school and on to college. Every night, he would make me read the newspapers and look for words in the dictionary. To him, I owe my language skills.8221;

As a young bride and a young mother, to settle down into a cushy, comfortable life would have been the easiest thing for Shobhanatai to do. But not for her. In the tumultuous years before independence, Mahatma Gandhi was at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. Fired as everyone was by the Mahatma, in 1942, Shobhanatai went to attend a meeting. Little did she know that she was on the threshold of a major change. After listening to him, she became a volunteer.8220;This was at the peak of the Quit India Movement. The Mahatma8217;s satyagraha movement was gaining ground and I was attracted immensely,8221; she remembers.

One day, she took her eldest daughter, who was an infant then, to be blessed by the Mahatma. Afraid that the apostle would have no time for such insignificant matters, she expressed her apprehensions. He responded, 8220;Live fearlessly.8221; He blessed the baby and took a personal interest in both their welfare. The incident still moves her. 8220;Look at that great man8217;s simplicity,8221;she says in awe. 8220;His words became my mantra and I decided to teach fearlessness to other women,8221;she adds. Thus began the life-long involvement with social work. Encouraged by her sister-in-law Tarabai Sathe and her husband, Shobhanatai plunged into the task that was a part of nation-building.

In the 1950s, the Ranade family moved to Assam. Shobhanatai plunged into work at the Maitreyee Ashram in North Lakhimpur. In her 18-year stay at Assam, she worked for the upliftment of women and destitute children which brought her in contact with Amalprabha Das, Assam8217;s renowned Sarvodaya worker. Das convinced her to visit Pochampalli near Hyderabad where Vinoba Bhave was working for the Bhoodan movement. The transforming experience saw Shobhana reading Sarvodaya literature and in conversation with the saint of Paunar. She began working for the movement.

She recalls,8220; People saw Vinoba as a stern sanyasi but I know him as an affectionate person. He took keen interest in my intellectual development and sent me to Annasaheb Sahastrabuddhe, an economist. I gained much from him.8221;

When Vinoba was on his padayatra of Assam, Shobhana one of his key workers. The volume of her work here endeared her to Vinoba. When her popularity grew, the Assam Congress Committee asked her to contest the elections. She decided to consult Vinoba. 8220;Here was an opportunity to join active politics. When I spoke to Vinoba, he was happy. The day I decided to leave the camp and enter politics Vinoba sent for me and said Shobhana, don8217;t do it!8217; I was saved,8221;she reveals.

Yet another incident brought her close to the work she loved the most. This indefatigable lady used to be a Congress member and worked for the party. In 1979, while on a visit to Vinoba8217;s ashram in Paunar, Vinoba asked her to work for the Gandhi National Memorial Society. 8220;In the presence of other eminent Gandhians, he asked me to go and work for Aga Khan Palace,8221;she says with pride shining in her eyes. Today, she is the Trustee Secretary of the Society. That was just a launching pad for the lady who went on to champion the cause of prohibition and khadi.

She is also a pioneer of the SOS Children8217;s Villages in Maharashtra.8220; My heart beats for the orphaned children,8221; declares she. 8220;I was influenced deeply by Hermann Gmeiner who set up a chain of villages for the children orphaned in the World War II, 8221;she adds.

Her commendable work has brought her laurels in form of awards and various key positions related to social work. In the social service circle, Shobhana Ranade is an icon of sorts. She has trained generations of social workers. Her multifarious activities have made her an egregious woman. The dedicated social worker in her has toiled for women8217;s empowerment, development and equality.

Her life and thought is the extension of the Mahatma8217;s legacy. By working for the upliftment of women and children she could well be creating a legacy of her own to follow. Even after all this, she has miles to go. She is working on the creation of Rs 5 crore corpus fund for the Aga Khan Palace. She has her mind full of was to help street children. 8220;After all, they also have a right to a decent citizen8217;s life,8221;she reflects. 8220;Once you begin to feel for others, there in lies spiritual growth, there in lies an enriched life.8221; Gandhian, inside out.