Dhondo Keshav Karve, Social Reformer, Educationist
Social Reformer, Educationist

Dhondo Keshav Karve

Born 18 April 1858 · Maharashtra — Died 9 November 1962

Founded SNDT Women's University, India's first women's university, in 1916.

Dhondo Keshav Karve, popularly known as Maharshi Karve, was a social reformer in India in the field of women's welfare. He advocated widow remarriage, and he himself remarried a widow as a widower. Karve was a pioneer in promoting widows' education. He founded the first women's university in India, the SNDT Women's University in 1916.

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A detail that
surprised us

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In 1958, at the age of 100, Karve was awarded the Bharat Ratna, making him one of the oldest recipients of India’s highest civilian honor.

The Story

1
In 1896, Dhondo Keshav Karve founded an orphanage for widowed women called 'Anath Balikashram' at Hingne near Pune, transforming a remote area into a hub for women's education and welfare.
2
🎓 In 1916, he established the SNDT Women's University in Mumbai, marking a bold institutional step toward women's higher education during British India.
3💍 Defying social conventions, Karve remarried a widow as a widower, publicly challenging the stigma around widow remarriage prevalent in late 19th-century Maharashtra.
4📚 His 20-year-old widowed sister-in-law, Parvatibai Athavale, became the first student of the women's school he started in 1907 at Hingne, highlighting his commitment to real-life application of his reform ideals.

🏅 Awards & Honours

1955
Padma Vibhushan
1958
Bharat Ratna

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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Karve personally remarried a widow in the 19th century, a radical act that challenged prevailing Hindu customs against widow remarriage in Maharashtra.

🖼️

Through the Years

4 photographs from the archives
Dhondo Keshav Karve with the first batch of graduating students at SNDT Women's University (1921)
Dhondo Keshav Karve with the first batch of graduating students at SNDT Women's University (1921)
1921
Maharshi Karve with Albert Einstein
Dhondo Keshav Karve in a formal portrait photograph (1938)
Woman's University convocation with Dhondo Keshav Karve present (1940)

🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Birth in Sheravali, Maharashtra
Dhondo Keshav Karve was born in a Chitpavan Brahmin family in Ratnagiri district.
1858
📚
Education
Graduated in Mathematics
Karve completed his mathematics degree from Elphinstone College, Mumbai.
1884
⚡
Career
Founded orphanage for widowed women
Established 'Anath Balikashram' at Hingne near Pune for widowed women and girls.
1896
⚡
Career
Started women's school at Hingne
Opened a school for women, enrolling his widowed sister-in-law as the first student.
1907
⚡
Career
Founded SNDT Women's University
Launched the first women's university in India in Mumbai, initiating formal higher education for women.
1916
⚡
Career
World tour and meeting with Einstein
Traveled across Europe, America, and Japan, meeting Albert Einstein and raising funds for SNDT University.
1929
🏅
Award
Received Bharat Ratna
Awarded India's highest civilian honor on his 100th birthday.
1958
🕊️
Death
Passed away at age 104
Maharshi Karve died after a century-long life dedicated to social reform.
1962
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 05
🔍LESSER KNOWN

In 1929, during his world tour, Karve met Albert Einstein, showing his engagement with global intellectuals beyond social reform.

02 / 05
👤PERSONAL

His sister-in-law, Parvatibai Athavale, was the first student at the women’s school he founded in 1907, making his reform efforts deeply personal.

03 / 05
🌍HISTORICAL IMPACT

Karve lived to the age of 104, witnessing India’s independence and continuing his reform work well into the mid-20th century.

No quote recorded for Dhondo Keshav Karve yet.

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
Personalities Of India Annasaheb Karve Film No 153
·YouTube

🌱 What changed because of them

Karve's founding of the SNDT Women's University created a dedicated space for women's higher education in India, which previously had been almost inaccessible. His advocacy for widow remarriage and widow education directly challenged societal norms, inspiring subsequent social reform movements in Maharashtra and beyond. The orphanage and school at Hingne became models for women's welfare institutions, influencing government policies on women's education and social inclusion.

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