Nagnath Naikwadi

Nagnath Naikwadi (1922–2012), popularly known as Krantiveer Nagnath anna, was an Indian independence activist, social worker, politician and educationist, known for his revolutionary activism during the Indian independence struggle. He was an associate of Nana Patil during the Quit India movement and together they established Prati Sarkar, a parallel government, in Satara-Sangli region of Maharashtra and indulged in armed struggle against the British. After the Indian independence, he was involved in electoral politics and was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, representing Sangli. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 2009, for his contributions to Indian society.

Early life Naikwadi was born on 15 July 1922 in a farmer's family in Walwa, a village in Sangli district near Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra to Ramchandra Ganapati Nayakawadi and Laxmibai, After early schooling at local schools in Walwa and Ashta, he joined Rajaram High School, Kolhapur and completed matriculate studies in 1948, though there was a break in studies due to his involvement in the Indian independence struggle. Later he joined Rajaram College for higher studies. During this period, he got involved in the Quit India movement and joined Rashtra Seva Dal, a forum of freedom activists which gave him an opportunity to become an associate of Nana Patil.

Independence activist During the early 1940s, Naikwadi and his colleagues resorted to armed conflict against the British colonial authorities. In order to raise funds for the movement, his group robbed a government treasury in Dhule and supported the insurgency against the Nizam of Hyderabad. and an upper primary school, Hutatma Kisan Ahir Vidyalaya, a junior college and Hutatma Nanaksing Hostel. He was also involved in the Latur earthquake relief activities and in the establishment of a Pani Parishad for the drought affected areas. He died on 22 March 2012, at the age of 89, succumbing to age-related illnesses at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai, survived by his wife, Kusum, two sons, Vaibhav and Kiran and two daughters, Vishakha and Pragati. The sugar factory founded by Naikwadi in Walwa, Hutatma Kisan Ahir Sahakari Sakhar Kharkhana, has since been renamed as Padambhushan Krantiveer Dr. Nagnathanna Naikwadi Hutatma Kisan Ahir S. S. K. Limited in his honor. The Government of Maharashtra has constructed a memorial for him at his native place, at a cost of 150 million and with a constructed area of 18,000 sq.ft which houses a hall and a museum.