Servants of India Society

Gopal Krishna Gokhale

The Servants of India Society was formed in Pune, Maharashtra, on June 12, 1905 by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who left the Deccan Education Society to form this association. Along with him were a small group of educated Indians, as Natesh Appaji Dravid, Gopal Krishna Deodhar, Surendra Nath Banerjee and Anant Patwardhan who wanted to promote social and human development and overthrow the British rule in India. The Society organized many campaigns to promote education, sanitation, health care and fight the social evils of untouchability and discrimination, alcoholism, poverty, oppression of women and domestic abuse. The publication of The Hitavada, the organ of the Society in English from Nagpur commenced in 1911.

Prominent Indians were its members and leaders. It chose to remain away from political activities and organizations like the Indian National Congress.

The base of the Society shrank after Gokhale's death in 1915, and in the 1920s with the rise of Mahatma Gandhi as president of Congress, who launched social reform campaigns on a mass scale throughout the nation and attracted young Indians to the cause. However, it still continues its activities albeit with a small membership. It has its H.Q. in the city of Pune, Maharashtra. It has its branches in various other states like Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Uttarakhand. It has its Branch office at Allahabad, U.P.. It runs Primary Schools, Residential Hostel for Tribal Boys, Ashram Type Schools for tribal girls, creche centres etc. in U.P.Shri Atma Nand Mishra is the Member Taking Care of all the schemes under U.P branch.Shri Atma Nand Mishra is also the Ex-President of the Servants of India Society and the former Chairman of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune.Shri Mishra devoted his almost 45 years of life as a social worker in the service of poor, weak and struggling people.Shri Mishra helped to overcome from many of challenging issue which society faced earlier and still contributing actively.

In Uttarakhand the affairs of the Servants of India Society is managed by Shri P.K Dwivedi, who is a senior member and former president of the society. Primary Schools, Ashram Type School for girls, Buxa Boys Hostel for tribal boys, a Secondary School, a Senior Secondary School, creche centres etc. is run by the society in the area. In Uttarakhand its central office is in the town of Bazpur, in the Udham Singh Nagar District.

In Odisha it has its centres at Cuttak, Choudwar and Rayagada. It runs an orphanage in Odisha.

Notes

In 1905,G.K. Gokhale had established the servants of India society. He had also rejected the title of knighthood and refused to accept a position in the council of the secretary of state for India.