Sarojini Mahishi

Sarojini Bindurao Mahishi (3 March 1927 – 25 January 2015) was an Indian teacher, lawyer, activist and politician. She was the first woman Member of Parliament from the State of Karnataka, who represented the constituency Dharwad North for four terms between 1962 and 1980.[1] In 1983 she was elected to the Rajya Sabha as member of the Janata Party.[2]

Sarojini Mahishi
Minister of State for Law and Justice
In office
1974–1976
Minister of State for Company Affairs
In office
1974–1976
Minister of State for Tourism
In office
1971–1974
Minister of State for Civil Aviation
In office
1971–1974
Member of Parliament
In office
1962–1980
Preceded byDattatraya Parashuram Karmarkar
Succeeded byD. K. Naikar
ConstituencyDharwad North
Personal details
Born
Sarojini Bindurao Mahishi

(1927-03-03)3 March 1927
Dharwad, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Karnataka, India)
Died25 January 2015(2015-01-25) (aged 87)
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Political partyJanata Party
Other political
affiliations		Indian National Congress
Occupation
  • Teacher
  • Lawyer
  • Activist
  • Politician

Mahishi is best known for heading the committee appointed by the government of Karnataka in 1983 to recommend criteria for reservation in employment in the State. Submitting the recommendations in 1986, the committee recommended that a major percentage of employment in Karnataka should be reserved to the local people.[3]

Early life

Sarojini Mahishi was born to Kamalabai and Bindurao Mahishi on 3 March 1927 in Dharwad, a city in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency of British India (in present-day Karnataka). She was the second of eight children.[4] Her father Bindurao was a leading advocate and Sanskrit scholar. Sarojini was schooled in the government-run schools of Dharwad before she attended Willingdon College in Sangli. She received a degree in law from the Raja Lakhamgouda Law College in Belgaum, and a master's degree in Sanskrit language.[5]

Career

Sarojini Mahishi began her career as a teacher and taught Sanskrit and law for a few years at Janata Shikshana Samiti College in Dharwad before joining the State Social Welfare Board.[5]

During 1980 Indian general election, she was a member of Central Election Committee of Janata Party to select the candidates for election.[6] In 1983, Sarojini Mahishi was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the state of Karnataka as a member of Janata Party.[2] In 1989, she refused to accept the merger of Janata Party into Janata Dal.[7][8] She continued to be member of Janata Party along with Indubhai Patel, Subramanian Swamy, Syed Shahabuddin and H. D. Deve Gowda.[7]

Mahishi died on 25 January 2015 at her residence in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Her remains were cremated in a crematorium in Lodhi Road, Delhi, and her last rites were performed by her brother P. B. Mahishi.[9]

Literary activities

Mahishi translated a number of Kannada and Marathi works into Hindi. Most prominent among them is the translation of Manku Thimmana Kagga of Kannada Poet D. V. Gundappa.

Positions held

Sarojini Mahishi Report

The Ramakrishna Hegde government appointed Mahishi in 1983 to head the committee[13] which recommended a certain percentage of jobs[14] to Kannadigas in public sector undertakings, private companies and multinational companies. Pro Kannada lobby groups such as Karnataka Rakshana Vedike have been pressurising the implementation of Dr. Sarojini Mahishi Report in Karnataka [15][16]

The committee headed by Mahishi included four retired officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).[17] The members were poet Gopalakrishna Adiga, G. K. Satya, K. Prabhakara Reddy, G. Narayana Kumar, a legislator, and retired IAS officers B. S. Hanuman and Siddayya Puranik.

Salient features of the Report

The committee was constituted in 1983, submitted interim report on 13.6.1984 and final report on 30.12.1986 and it made 58 recommendations. Of these recommendations, Government of Karnataka accepted 45 recommendations for implementation. Some of the recommendations are: 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in all State Government establishments and Public Sector units. 100 percent reservation for Kannadigas in group 'c' and group 'd' jobs in Central Government departments and PSUs operating in Karnataka. A Minimum of 80 percent and 65 reservation for Kannadigas for Group 'b' and Group 'a' jobs respectively, in Central Government units and PSUs operating in Karnataka. All Personnel officers in all industrial units in the state should invariably be a Kannadiga.[14] Industries should appoint local people on priority.[18]

Consequences

As an initiation towards implementation of Sarojini Mahishi report Government of Karnataka has established a separate department named "Kannada Abhivridhi Pradhikara" (Kannada Development Authority) to oversee that the accepted recommendations of the report are implemented in Karnataka effectively.

List of works
  • Sakuntala (1952)[19]
  • Kasuti Kale (1953)[19]

Awards

References
  1. "Sarojini Mahishi dead". The Hindu. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  2. "Women Members, Rajya Sabha" (PDF). Rajya Sabha. p. 78. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  3. "Ex-Union Minister Sarojini Mahishi Passes Away". newindianexpress.com. 26 January 2015.
  4. "Mahishi had advocated job quota for Kannadigas". Deccan Herald. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  5. "Mahishi, a multilingual scholar and educationist". The Hindu. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  6. Sethi, Sunil; Louis, Arul (31 October 1979). "Janata Party starts campaign to recapture power, sells Jagjivan Ram as next PM". India Today. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  7. "Blundering On". India Today. 31 January 1989. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  8. Pachai, Pankaj; Awasti, Dilip (15 March 1989). "State chiefs' selection deepens rift in Janata Dal". India Today. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  9. "Sarojini Mahishi cremated". Deccan Herald. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  10. "India Parliament". Guide2womenleaders.com. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  11. "Members Of Lok Sabha". Parliamentofindia.nic.in. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  12. "6th Lok Sabha Members Bioprofile - MAHISHI, DR. SAROJINI". Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  13. "Karnataka / Bangalore News : Modification of Sarojini Mahishi report sought". The Hindu. 8 July 2009. Archived from the original on 13 July 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  14. "Sarojini Mahishi Committee". Outlookindia.com. 12 March 1997. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  15. The Hindu Business Line: Pro-Kannada activists demand more jobs for locals in IT sector Archived 25 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  16. "`Rasta roko' hits vehicle movement". The Hindu. 17 April 2007. Archived from the original on 1 May 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  17. "Sarojini Mahishi stands by committee report". The Hindu. 23 February 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  18. "Govt Serious on Mahishi Report". The New Indian Express. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  19. Who's Who of Indian Writers. Sahitya Akademi. 1961. p. 192. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  20. "Honour for Sarojini Mahishi". The Hindu. 2 August 2011.
  21. Business Standard (13 February 2008). "Sarojini Mahishi to be conferred DLitt". Business-standard.com. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
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