Founder and Promoter of Shri.Swami Vivekanand Shikshan Sanstha Govind(alias Bapuji) Salunkhe, a child prodigy, was born on 9th June 1919 at Rampur(Patan), Dist. Satara(Maharashtra). This little angel and godchild of goddess Saraswati was born with purpose.His childhood was not cozy and protected period of his life. It was a tough test to test his mettle and a warning of calamitous life that awaited him in the years to come. As he lost both his parents in his early childhood, life for him was no less than a battle-field. He completed his primary education at Rampur and thereafter left his native place in pursuit of future education. It was God’s grace and compassion of kind-hearted masses that helped him to survive disastrous early life. As a secondary school student, he lived on junk food and charity and studied hard in gentle and dim light of oil lamps lit in temples. Further he completed B.A in 1945 and B.T in 1949 without seeking any financial assistance. This time-tested and promising youth exhibited amazing skill and gave scholarly performance in the subjects Sanskrit and Mathematics. These skills awakened the teacher within him. Influenced by the principles and thinking of Mahatma Gandhi he practiced a very simple life-style enriched with noble and high thinking. This earned him a reverential nickname ‘’Bapuji’’ which continued to be his identity throughout his life.Bapuji spent all his life and left no stone unturned in not only educating but giving refinement, culture and character to educationally deprived society. His contribution in the field of mass education and spread of education was so highly respected and appreciated that people started lovingly addressing him as ‘Shikshanmaharshi’. The government of Maharashtra honored him with ‘Dalitmitra’ (1985) while Shivaji University, Kolhapur conferred on him a highly coveted honorary D.Litt. (1986).
‘Shri.Swami Vivekanand Shikshan Sanstha, Kolhapur’ is one of the few renowned and leading educational institutions in Maharashtra (India). Dr.Bapuji Salunkhe started toying with his dream-project of founding an educational institute which he did in 1954. He made the resolution of founding ‘Shri.Swami Vivekanand Shikshan Sanstha’ in a small temple of Lord Muralidhar (Lord Krishna) situated on the confluence of holy rivers the Krishna and the Koyana. He selected equally holy place to begin the sacred mission which, later on, became a life-time work for Dr.Bapuji Salunkhe.
Revered Dr.Bapuji Salunkhe took up the task of the spread of education with the definite objective in mind. His objective was to transform a person not only into a knowledgeable or learned but into wise, civilized and refined human being. He resolved to inculcate in them priceless human values such as truth, honesty, character, anti-exploitation spirit, sacrifice, service and love. These values, he knew, will shape any person into sensible, refined and responsible citizen and such citizens, in turn will create an ideal and morally strong society rich with character. Bapuji’s very vision of life, thinking and practice were the result of noble teachings by Swami Vivekananda, the Geeta and the Upanishads. He was processed the thought of using education to transmit these teachings to shape a person into ideal citizens fired with patriotism, morality and sacrifice. He knew that this was a precondition for well-behaved, refined society rich with morality and character. To bring about constructive transformation in society was the main objective of Bapuji while founding this educational institute and he was committed to that.
This educational institute, registered with charity Commissioner under public trust Act, has been making progress by leaps and bounds, qualitatively, under able guidance of Principal Abhaykumar Salunkhe, the Secretary. He has been striving ceaselessly to set an example of excellent governance, organization and management.
Shri Swami Vivekanand Shikshan Sanstha,
Kolhapur
Maharashtra
India
