Shivajirao Girdhar Patil

Shivajirao Girdhar Patil is an Indian social activist and politician from the state of Maharashtra. He began his social activism at an early age when he took part in the independence movement. Post-independence, he has been associated with various political parties and has been member of Maharashtra Legislative Council, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and later also of the Rajya Sabha for one term. Recently in 2013 he was presented with Padma Bhushan; India's third highest civilian award. He is father of Hindi film actress Smita Patil.

Biography

Patil was involved in various social activities since his young age. At the age of 15 in 1939 he became the president of the All India Students Federation. AISF, a student wing of Communist Party of India (CPI) that started in August 1936, was the first national Indian union of students. Through AISF, Patil took part in the Indian independence movement. He was also arrested and imprisoned for 12 years.^[3] He has been associated with various political parties of Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party and also headed various organization. He has been member of Maharashtra Legislative Council from 1960 to 1967 and of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 1967 to 1980 in the 3rd, 4th and 5th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. While in the Assembly, he handled the state ministry with portfolios of irrigation, power, protocol and co-operation and legislative affairs in the Government of Maharashtra in 1968-72 and 1976-78.^[1]

He was also active in the cooperative movement in the sugar manufacturing industry in Maharashtra. In 1981, he helped in starting of the cooperative sugar factory "Shirpur Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana" in Shirpur, Dhule district. He remained its president for 27 years until in 2009 where Vasantrao Patil was elected.^[4][Note]

Later he also was the member of Rajya Sabha for one term from 1992 to 1998.^[1] In 1996, under his chairmanship, the Smita Patil Charitable Trust was founded in memory of his daughter. The trust runs a Smita Patil Public School in the village of Dahiwad in Shirpur taluka of Dhule district with a mission to impart quality education to students in rural area.^[5]

As of 2012 he is one of the directors of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories.^[6]

In 2013, the Government of India presented the Padma Bhushan award to him for his work in public affairs. The award is India's third highest civilian award after Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan.^[3][7]

Personal life and family

Patil is married to Vidya Patil, who is also a social worker herself. They together have three daughters, Anita, Smita and Manya.^[8] Anita Deshmukh was married to Shankar Deshmukh and has two sons Varoon and Adeetya and currently resides in Mumbai. Their second daughter Smita was a critically acclaimed Hindi film actress who married actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar. She died in December 1986 post childbirth complications and since then her son Prateik Babbar was raised by Shivajirao and his wife Vidya.^[9] Prateik hence regards his grandmother as "Ma" (mother).^[10] Their youngest daughter Manya Patil Seth is a former costume designer and an executive producer in films. She is the president of The Smita Patil Foundation.^[11]

Notes

^{^[Note]} Vasantrao Uttamrao Patil is not to be confused with Vasantdada Patil, ex-Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

References