The Gazetteers Department

Perhaps because of its proximity to Poona and Bombay, the Kolaba district has been a considerably politically conscious district, though backward in most other respects. In the area now covered by the district three politically different dynasties, the Maratha, the Sidi and the Angres flourished and their conflicts kept even the ordinary people always on the alert.

With the fall of Ravgad. which Shivaji had made his capital and later with the consolidation of British rule in the area, a new era was inaugurated. It took long for the people to get reconciled to British rule. But once they were convinced that there was no escape from it, the necessary adjustments began. One Indication of it may be that among the first four young Indians to pass the Civil Service examination in England was a Brahman from this district called Shripad Babaji Thakur, the other three being Surendranath Banerjee. Romesh Chander Dutt and Behari Lal Gupta.

During the great famine of 1896-97, this district was the scene of the visits of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. and his lieutenants to educate people in the campaign of refusing to pay land revenue dues, if they were unable to pay them, because of total failure of crops. The struggle was lawfully and constitutionally conducted and resulted in due concessions from Government. The late Mr. R. L. Gharat of Avas pleaded for years for a fair deal to the peasantry under the Land Revenue Code with the patronage of the Bombay Presidency Association.

The Indian National Congress had considerable following in the district not only during the Gandhian era, but even before. Annual sessions of the Kolaba District Political Conference wen-held to ventilate people's grievances and formulate demands for many years before the organisation of the Conference was transformed into the Kolaba District Congress Committee under the. Gandhian dispensation.

During the Satyagraha movements also the district distinguished itself, the Chirner firing episode being part of the 1930-32 Forest Satyagraha movement. A strong peasants' movement also prevailed for years in Alibag and Pen. the demand of the cultivating tenants being 'fair rent to the landowners'.

The district is now well fed by the daily press from Poona and Bombay but it has its local journals also. The Kolaba Samachar of Pen has a standing of over 40 years, but from the same press (Sudhakar Press) a weekly journal called the Sudhakar had also a career of many decades before it fell a victim to the Press Act of 1910. These two and the Rashtratej from Alibag support the Nationalist movement, while the Krishival has been devoting itself prominently to airing the view-point of the tenants, cultivators and workers. The Nirdhara is another recently stalled weekly journal from Alibag professing to represent official Congress policy. The Adarsha is a monthly periodical from Alibag aiming at the edification of students, workers and peasants.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar had a considerable following in the district and tinder his leadership, the movement to secure entry of the depressed class people to the Chavdar tank situated before a Hindu temple became a sensation at Mahad, in 1927. A copy of the Manusmriti was ceremoniously consigned to flames as protest against caste Hindu obscurantism, in connection with this movement.

Among the celebrities of the district, now no more, may be mentioned S. M. Paranjpe, C. V. Vaidya. G. C. Bhate. R. N. Mand-lik, G. G. Tipnis and among the living Acharva Vinoba Bhave. Shri C. D. Deshmukh and Mahamahopadhyaya 1). V. Potdar and the well-known sculptor Shri V. P. Kartnarkar. Govind Vitthal Kunte alias Bhau Mahajan who co-operated with the pioneer Marathi journalist and author Balshastri Jambhekar in starting the first Marathi journal the Darpan and the first Marathi monthly journal the Dig Durshan and published on his own responsibility the Prabhakar (a weekly) from October 24, 1941 for a number of years, hailed from Pen in this District. Later he settled down in Nagpur. The famous 100 letters (shatapatre) by Gopalrav Hari Deshmukh alias Lokahitavadi were originally published in the Prabhakar.

The district is represented by nine members in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and one in Lok Sabha. Five of them were elected on the Congress and four on the Maharashtra Samiti tickets. The Lok Sabha representative is a congressman. At pre sent the Indian National Congress and the Workers and Peasants Party are the important political parties. The Hindu Sabha main tains a feeble organisation.

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