Shridhar Venkatesh Ketkar
Encyclopedia
Shridhar Venkatesh Ketkar (Devanagari
: श्रीधर व्यंकटेश केतकर) (2 February 1884 – 10 April 1937) was a sociologist, historian and novelist from Maharashtra
, India
. He is principally known as the chief editor of Maharashtriya Jnanakosh (महाराष्ट्रीय ज्ञानकोश), the first ever encyclopaedia in the Marathi
language.
, and was educated in Amravati
and Wilson College, Bombay. He left for the United States in 1906, and obtained his Ph.D. from Cornell University
in 1911. After returning to India, he joined Calcutta University as Professor of Economics, Science of Administration and Universal Jurisprudence.
In 1920, Dr. Ketkar (who was a Chitpavan
Brahmin
) married a Jewish scholar named Edith Cohn. (In those days, interfaith marriages were extremely rare in India.) Edith's name was changed to Sheelavati Ketkar after the wedding. Mrs Ketkar's book about their life was later translated into Marathi by Durga Bhagwat
.
Dr. Ketkar served as the president of two Marathi
literary conventions, namely the Sharadopasak Sammelan (शारदोपासक सम्मेलन) in 1926, and the
Maharashtra Sahitya Sammelan (महाराष्ट्र साहित्य सम्मेलन) in 1931.
Dr. Ketkar, who was a diabetic, died in Pune
of a gangrenous wound. A biography has been written by D.N. Gokhale
.
An Essay on Hinduism, which discusses, inter alia, the genesis of the caste system in India.
In 1914, he published two more treatises, namely An Essay on Indian Economics, and Hindu Law and the Methods and Principles of the Historical Study Thereof.
Dr. Ketkar's political opinions may be gleaned from his Nishastranche Rajkaran (नि:शस्त्रांचे राजकारण, Politics of the Unarmed, 1926) and Victorious India (1937). After nearly a decade of study, he wrote an historical work called Pracheen Maharashtra: Shaatvahan Parva (प्राचीन महाराष्ट्र: शातवाहन पर्व, Ancient Maharashtra: The Shaatvahan Period, 1935).
general manager of the entire project.
The encyclopaedia was published in 23 volumes. The first 5 volumes are introductory, and consist of a series of lengthy articles on various sociological and historical subjects. They are titled as follows:
Volumes 6 through 21 consist of an alphabetically arranged series of short articles (as in a conventional encyclopaedia). Volume 22 is the index (सूची), and finally volume 23 (Hindusthan, हिंदुस्थान) contains some additional information about India.
A vivid account of his experiences about this project is contained in his book
Maze baara varshanche kaam, urf jnanakosha mandalacha itihas
(माझे बारा वर्षांचे काम, उर्फ ज्ञानकोश मंडळाचा इतिहास, Twelve Years of My Work, or the History of the Encyclopaedia Committee).
Dr. Ketkar's novels may be called 'novels of ideas' in a broad sense of the term. They evince little interest in conventional character development; on the other hand, they contain much information about various tribes and societies, coupled with several strikingly blunt ideas about sociological reform.
Critical studies of Dr. Ketkar's novels have been published by Gokhale
and Bhagwat .
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: श्रीधर व्यंकटेश केतकर) (2 February 1884 – 10 April 1937) was a sociologist, historian and novelist from Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is principally known as the chief editor of Maharashtriya Jnanakosh (महाराष्ट्रीय ज्ञानकोश), the first ever encyclopaedia in the Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
language.
Life
He was born in the city of Raipur in Madhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, and was educated in Amravati
Amravati
Amravati is a city in the state of Maharashtra, India and the seventh most populous metropolitan area in Maharashtra. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Amravati district...
and Wilson College, Bombay. He left for the United States in 1906, and obtained his Ph.D. from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1911. After returning to India, he joined Calcutta University as Professor of Economics, Science of Administration and Universal Jurisprudence.
In 1920, Dr. Ketkar (who was a Chitpavan
Chitpavan
The Chitpavan or Chitpawan, also known as Konkanastha Brahmins , are a Smarta Brahmin community of Konkan, the coastal region of western Maharashtra in India....
Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
) married a Jewish scholar named Edith Cohn. (In those days, interfaith marriages were extremely rare in India.) Edith's name was changed to Sheelavati Ketkar after the wedding. Mrs Ketkar's book about their life was later translated into Marathi by Durga Bhagwat
Durga Bhagwat
Durga Narayan Bhagwat , popularly known as Durga Bhagwat, was an Indian scholar, socialist and writer. She studied Sanskrit and Buddhist literature, roamed jungles of Madhya Pradesh to study tribal life, later returned to Mumbai as a researcher and wrote books in Marathi...
.
Dr. Ketkar served as the president of two Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
literary conventions, namely the Sharadopasak Sammelan (शारदोपासक सम्मेलन) in 1926, and the
Maharashtra Sahitya Sammelan (महाराष्ट्र साहित्य सम्मेलन) in 1931.
Dr. Ketkar, who was a diabetic, died in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
of a gangrenous wound. A biography has been written by D.N. Gokhale
.
Sociological and Historical Works
His doctoral thesis was later published as The History of Caste in India (volume 1), which determines the date of Manusmriti and comments on the nature of caste-relations in that period. He later wrote a sequel to this work, titledAn Essay on Hinduism, which discusses, inter alia, the genesis of the caste system in India.
In 1914, he published two more treatises, namely An Essay on Indian Economics, and Hindu Law and the Methods and Principles of the Historical Study Thereof.
Dr. Ketkar's political opinions may be gleaned from his Nishastranche Rajkaran (नि:शस्त्रांचे राजकारण, Politics of the Unarmed, 1926) and Victorious India (1937). After nearly a decade of study, he wrote an historical work called Pracheen Maharashtra: Shaatvahan Parva (प्राचीन महाराष्ट्र: शातवाहन पर्व, Ancient Maharashtra: The Shaatvahan Period, 1935).
The Encyclopaedia
Dr. Ketkar's work on the encyclopaedia occupied him approximately from 1916 until 1928. He was not only the originator and the editor, but also the accountant and thegeneral manager of the entire project.
The encyclopaedia was published in 23 volumes. The first 5 volumes are introductory, and consist of a series of lengthy articles on various sociological and historical subjects. They are titled as follows:
- Volume 1: Hindustan ani Jaga (हिंदुस्तान अाणि जग, India and the World)
- Volume 2: Vedavidya (वेदविद्या, Vedic Knowledge)
- Volume 3: Buddhapurva Jaga (बुद्धपूर्व जग, The World Before Buddha)
- Volume 4: Buddhotar Jaga (बुद्धोत्तर जग, The World After Buddha)
- Volume 5: Vijnanetihas (विज्ञानेतिहास, History of Sciences)
Volumes 6 through 21 consist of an alphabetically arranged series of short articles (as in a conventional encyclopaedia). Volume 22 is the index (सूची), and finally volume 23 (Hindusthan, हिंदुस्थान) contains some additional information about India.
A vivid account of his experiences about this project is contained in his book
Maze baara varshanche kaam, urf jnanakosha mandalacha itihas
(माझे बारा वर्षांचे काम, उर्फ ज्ञानकोश मंडळाचा इतिहास, Twelve Years of My Work, or the History of the Encyclopaedia Committee).
Novels
Dr. Ketkar also wrote the following novels in Marathi.- Gondavanatila priyamvada ani gharkutte gharanyacha itihas (गोंदवनातील प्रियंवदा अाणि घरकुट्टे घराण्याचा इतिहास, 1926)
- Ashavadi, athava eka pravahapatiteche charitra (अाशावादी, अथवा एका प्रवाहपतितेचे चरित्र, 1927)
- Gaavasasu (गावसासू, 1930)
- Brahmanakanya (ब्राह्मणकन्या, 1930)
- Bhatakya (भटक्या, 1937)
- Vichakshana (विचक्षण, 1937)
Dr. Ketkar's novels may be called 'novels of ideas' in a broad sense of the term. They evince little interest in conventional character development; on the other hand, they contain much information about various tribes and societies, coupled with several strikingly blunt ideas about sociological reform.
Critical studies of Dr. Ketkar's novels have been published by Gokhale
and Bhagwat .