Girish Prabhune

Girish Y. Prabhune (born 1952 He initially started working with Srikant G. Majgaokar in the Gramayan NGO during the 1972 Maharashtra drought. His stay at this village allowed him to observe and interact with the nomadic communities including the Pardhi, Waddar, Kaikadi, Davari Gosavi, Gondhali, dombari, Kolhati, Lambadi, and Pothuraju.

Prabhune started discussions with Laxman Mane to start the Bhatke Wimukt Vikas Parishad organisation for uplifting the nomadic communities. Prabhune, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh volunteer since young age, effectively persuaded 50,000 fed-up Dalits who had intended to leave Hinduism for Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur.

In 1993, he started a school in rural Yamgarwadi village in Tuljapur Tahsil, Osmanabad district for the children of the nomadic tribes, which still continues to this date.

In later part of his life he started the Punarutthan Samarasata Gurukulam, a NGO run by Krantiveer Chapekar Smarak Samiti, in Chinchwad, Pune. This NGO and runs schools and residential facility for the Pardhi children.

Awards 2021 - Padma Shri in Social work category 2015 - Samajik Seva Jivan Gaurav Puraskar 2000 - Antyodaya Puraskar by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini

Personal life Prabhune was born in 1952 in a Brahmin family. He lives in Chinchwad with his wife Arundhati and their 3 children.