Avinash Dharmadhikari
| Avinash Dharmadhikari ex-IAS Officer | |
|---|---|
 Avinash Dharmadhikari | |
| Director General of N.Y.K.S., Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs, Government of India | |
|
In office 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Deputy secretary to the chief minister of Maharashtra | |
|
In office 1995–96 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
2 August 1959 Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse(s) | Poorna Dharmadhikari |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence | Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Education | Masters in Economics, Political Science, Sociology, M.Phil. |
| Alma mater | University of Pune |
| Occupation | ex-IAS officer, Educationist, Social Activist, journalist, author |
| Religion | Hindu |
Avinash Dharmadhikari is a former Indian Administrative Services officer.[1] He was well known as a social activist and a free-lance journalist before joining IAS.[2] After serving on various posts during his administrative career of ten years he resigned from IAS in 1996 for the reason that can be best described in Arun Shourie's words "to be able to serve Indian society better".[3] He was Deputy Secretary to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra at the time of his resignation.[2][4] He is founder and director of Chanakya Mandal Pariwar, a public charitable trust working in the field of Career Guidance and Personality Development.[2] He unsuccessfully contested for Lok Sabha as an independent candidate against Suresh Kalmadi.[5] He was Director General of Neharu Yuva Kendra Sangathan in 2001 under Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of India. He was a Shiv Sena member between March 2009 and April 2011.[6] As a social activist he has been part of many movements such as farmers' movements and movements against corruption. He was also a part of Team Anna during India against corruption movement. He has been carrying out many study tours all over the world and attending many important International conferences such as UNGA, UNFCCC recently. He has authored many books which includes Aswastha Dashakachi Diary, Nava Vijaypath, Ek Vijaypath, Swatantra Nagarik, Jinkanara Samaj Ghadawanari Shikshanpadhhati, Aani Aapan Saglech, Ratra Gahirichya Tisarya Prahari(a collection of poems) [7] Aswastha Dashakachi Diary has been translated into English by Gauri Deshpande titled: Diary of a Decade of Agony.[8][9] Apart from being an Ex-IAS, Educationist, activist, Journalist and Author he has been widely admired as a great Orator.
Early Life and education
Avinash Dharmadhikari was born in a Marathi family in Kolhapur, Maharashtra on 2 August 1959. He spent his childhood in Kasba Peth, Pune. He completed his schooling from Jnana Prabodhini Prashala, Pune and graduated from Modern College, Pune. During his college days he witnessed national emergency imposed by then Indira Gandhi government, JP Movement, fall and rise of Indira Gandhi all of which led him to become an activist. He was driven by nationalist thoughts of Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. He got married with Poorna Dharmadhikari before joining Indian Administrative Services.
Life before IAS
Avinash Dharmadhikari was a full-time social activist for ten years, before joining IAS. He was also a free-lance journalist during the same period. He undertook extensive study tours of the country. The outcome was the book in Marathi called 'Aswastha Dashakachi Diary', ( Translated as "The diary of a decade of unrest) based on the reflections on experiences of these visits.[10]
Before joining the highest Civil Service Avinash Dharmadhikari was actively involved in solving Punjab Crisis along with his wife Mrs. Poorna Dharmadhikari between 1978 and 1986. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dharmadhikari worked for national integration staying in Punjab right during the thick of Bhindranwale phase(1983 to 1985).[10] They undertook extensive traveling on foot throughout Punjab, learnt Punjabi and Gurumukhi script, stayed in Gurudwaras and also at the Golden Temple. Per Dharmadhikari's diary, the couple were in contact with Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and Harminder Singh Sandhu of All India Sikh Students Federation. Since then both of them have continued and active association with Punjab.[10]
Administrative career
In his administrative career he had been known for his efficient, transparent and creative work in Maharashtra. During these 10 years he had served on many posts such as – Sub-Divisional officer, Phaltan; Officer on Special Duty for state's Chief Secretary; Director, State Archives, Mumbai; CEO at Ratnagiri and Amaravati zilla parishads; Additional Collector, Pune; Director, Women and Child Welfare Dept, Maharashtra; District Collector, Raigad (Alibag); Deputy Secretary to Chief Minister, Maharashtra.[2]
While in service, initiated many experiments in responsive administration: Field level functioning of government machinery to reorient the operations and methodologies in bureaucracy. Long-pending land disputes resolved speedily through reconciliatory measures, adopting revenue-court system. Active participation in literacy, globalization of education, women-farmers-consumer movements, water conservation, movements against corruption and superstitions. Implemented a special program for neo-literates so they do not re-lapse into illiteracy and was appreciated as a ‘model scheme’, by the National Literacy Mission.[2]
Aftermath of Administrative Career
After resigning from IAS in 1996, he founded Chanakya Mandal Pariwar (CMP), a public charitable trust and a network organization working in the field of Career Guidance, Competitive Exam (Civil Services Examination) Training, Entrepreneurship Building and Personality Development. It was the disappointment he felt for being the only one from Maharashtra to get selected for the Civil Services in 1986, along with rampant corruption and apathy among the civil servants towards issues of the common man that led him to found the CMP in 1996, with a motive to send honest and efficient cadres to the services and contribute in the nation building in his own way.[2]
On 31 December 2014, the 14th Dalai Lama inaugurated a new 'Vastu' of CMP, a Temple of Knowledge and lauded Avinash Dharmadhikari's commitment to serve nation through youth education.[11]
Working as the Director General of Neharu Yuva Kendra Sangathan in 2001 under Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of India, he initiated some major programs to encourage youths to join sports.[10]
In November 2012 he joined Team Anna that led a revolutionary India Against Corruption movement against the then UPA-II government and proposed Jan Lokpal Bill along with former IPS Kiran Bedi, Justice (Rtd) Santosh Hegde, Activist Medha Patkar, former Army Chief Gen Vijay Kumar Singh, former DGP(Punjab) Shashikant, Lt Col Brijendra Khokhar, Akhil Gogoi, Sunita Godara, Arvind Gaur, Rakesh Rafiq when Arvind Kejriwal, Yogendra Yadav and some other members separated from Anna Hazare to form a political party.[12]
References
- ↑ Misra, Suresh; Dhaka, Rajvir S.; Sustainable Development Foundation (January 2001). Humanising development: trends in public administration. New Delhi: Sustainable trends in public administration. ISBN 978-81-900975-5-0.
- ↑ Arun Shourie (1997). Worshipping False Gods: Ambedkar, and the Facts which Have Been Erased. ASA Publications. ISBN 978-81-900199-6-5.
- ↑ Frontline. S. Rangarajan for Kasturi & Sons. April 1997.
- ↑ India Today International. Living Media India Ltd. 1998.
- ↑ "Avinash Dharmadhikari quits Shiv Sena". Daily News and Analysis. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ↑ Jayram, Rahul (15 December 2012). "Team Anna gets new people. But will their gameplan be a game-changer?". India Today. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ↑ Varde, Abhijit (1997). Daughters of Maharashtra: Portraits of Women who are Building Maharastra : Interviews and Photographs. Kalnirnay.
- ↑ Koppikar, Smriti (31 December 1995). "Review: A. Dharmadhikari's 'Diary of a Decade of Agony'". India Today. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Avinash Dharmadhikari. Aswastha Dashakachi Diary.
- ↑ "Dalai Lama inaugurates educational charity building in Pune". Tibetan Review. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ↑ Mukherjee, Ashish (12 November 2012). "Team Anna 2.0 announced, will tour country from January 30". NDTV. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
founder:chanakya Monday.