The Gazetteers Department

The Karvir Gayan Samaj was founded in 1883 with the object of arranging musical performances of well-known musicians. The Deval Club was founded in 1893 and registered in 1918 by persons interested in Indian music. Subsequently, as the funds of the Gayan Samaj were found insufficient for performing its functions, joint programmes by the Samaj and the Club came to be organised and ultimately, in 1946, the two institutions were amalgamated. The Gayan Samaj and Deval Club have been instrumental in creating and fostering taste for Indian music among the people of Kolhapur.

According to the constitution of the Gayan Samaj and Deval Club, membership consists of five classes, i.e., honorary patrons, patrons, benefactors, life-members and ordinary members. In 1957, the institution had about 150 members of whom four were patrons and nine life-members. All these members constitute the general body which every year elects a president, two vice-presidents, an auditor and the executive committee.

The executive committee which looks after the day to day affairs of the club consists of not less than seven and not more than eleven members of whom at least one is from among patrons and life-members. The executive committee elects its own chairman and two secretaries. The chairman also works as treasurer.

Though the institution was originally started to arrange programmes in music, regular programmes have come to be organised only since recent days. It had also started holding regular classes in Indian music since 1945, though attempts to start classes were made by the Gayan Samaj and the Deval Club as far back as 1890 and 1921 respectively. In 1953, instruction in dancing has also been started. Since 1945, competitions in instrumental music, vocal music and dancing are being conducted. The Club celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1943 and diamond jubilee in 1954.

The Club owns a building which was constructed in 1919 at a cost of about Rs. 15,000. The income of the Club varies between three and four thousand rupees per year and its expenditure is about Rs. 3,500.

Shri Govindrao Korgaonkar Dharmadaya Sanstha.

This society was established in 1946 with a donation received from Shri Prabhakarpant Korgaonkar. The donation consisted of Rs. 1,91,187 land and buildings worth Rs. 84,000 and insurance policies of Rs. 29,000. The aims and objects of the society are as follows:-(1) to reduce poverty and suffering; (2) to spread knowledge of science, literature, arts, politics and to run and help institutions for the purpose and also to help political workers; (3) to seek the social, economic, moral and intellectual uplift of the masses, particularly of the rural and socially backward population, and to establish and help institutions for this purpose; (4) to establish and help libraries; (5) to publish and help publication of literature helpful to the objects of the society; (6) to attempt to reconstruct rural life and to establish and help institutions for the purpose; (7) to run and help dispensaries, hospitals, maternity homes, anathashrams, and children's homes; (8) to help poor widows and helpless persons; (9) to grant scholarships to poor and deserving students; (10) to encourage research in all branches and particularly in rural reconstruction; (11) to work for social welfare, to help and run institutions for the purpose, to publish literature, on the subject and to help persons engaged in social work.

There is a board of trustees consisting of seven to nine persons of whom three are to be the direct descendants of the donor. Vacancies are filled by election or nomination. There is to be a general annual meeting of the board within six months of the close of the financial year. At this meeting a president is elected for a term of three years and an executive committee consisting of the president and at least two and not more than four members. The board of trustees also elects a treasurer and a secretary. The board can appoint a managing trustee who will have the powers of treasurer and secretary.

According to the original gift deed, the objects of the society were to be pursued out of the return on the amount and property donated. It was also provided that 75 per cent, of the expenditure of the' society should be within the Kolhapur State.

Apart from the monetary help that it gives to various institutions, the Sanstha directly runs the following institutions: -

(1) Sevak Sangh.-The idea behind the establishment of this organisation was to bring together social workers spread all over Maharashtra. Each member of the Sangh gets some honorarium from the Korgaonkar Dharmadaya Sanstha. It is limited to a maximum of Rs. 200 per month. The Sanstha also pays for the two annual gatherings of the Sangh and bears the expenditure of the office of the Sangh. The Sangh had 25 members in 1954. The Sanstha does not in any way put restrictions on the Sangh members, nor are they allowed to expect anything more from the Sanstha than their honorarium.

(2) Gramsevashram.―The Gramsevashram was founded in 1946. The object was to train youths from rural areas to do social work while pursuing their own work; to train constructive workers; to conduct a hostel and to provide a rest-house for social workers. The Sanstha mainly bears the expenditure of the Gramsevashram. The Ashram has not made much progress so far.

(3) Hind Kanya Chatralaya.-This is a hostel for Harijan girls run by the Sanstha. It was originally started in 1946 by the Kolhapur Harijan Sevak Sangh aided by the Korgaonkar Dharmadaya Sanstha. But when the Harijan Sevak Sangh stopped functioning, the Chatralaya was taken over by the Sanstha. It provides hostel accommodation for more than 50 girls. Recently it has built its own building with Government help. In 1954-55, the expenditure of the Chatralaya was Rs. 10,757.

During 1954-55, income of the Korgaonkar Sanstha was Rs. 31,760 and expenditure Rs. 44,718.

Panjarpol Sanstha.

The Panjarpol Sanstha, Shahupuri, Kolhapur, was established in 1906 (i) to take care of weak and infirm cattle (especially cows); (ii) to prevent, by persuasion, sale of cows; (iii) to work for the development of dairy industry and agriculture; and (iv) to run a veterinary dispensary and work against the spread of disease among the cattle.

All persons and traders paying contribution regularly are members of the Sanstha. They form the general body which elects a chairman, secretary, treasurer and a managing committee consisting of seven members, including the three office-bearers.

The main source of income of the Sanstha is the contribution from traders in the Shahupuri Agricultural Produce Market. The contribution is charged to every buyer and the money is sent to the Sanstha. In addition the Sanstha gets some income by sale of milk, manure, etc., and by way of rent from its buildings. The Sanstha has three stables and one veterinary dispensary. The dispensary is open to the public. The income of the Sanstha during 1955-56 was Rs. 80,531 and expenditure Rs. 57,663. The main items of income were, an amount of Rs. 56,513 received as contribution from traders, Rs. 11,903 received by sale of milk, manure, etc., and Rs. 5,920 as rent.

Bharat Scouts and Guides.

Bharat Scouts and Guides movement was started in the former Kolhapur State in 1920 and received considerable encouragement from its rulers. The movement was affiliated to the Central Scouts and Guides movement, New Delhi. After the merger of the State with Bombay State, however, the Kolhapur District Branch naturally was affiliated to the Bombay State Organisation. The objects of the scout organisation are well-known. It is an open-air brotherhood of the young, and aims, besides promoting a healthy way of life, at inculcating in its members high individual character and an intense sense of civic duty. The daily round of organized exercise and games and the moral emphasis on doing a daily good turn to some one are designed to realise these objects.

In 1957 there were 9,084 Scouts and 2,111 Guides. Their activities consisted of, besides the usual routine ones, undertaking honorary social work such as collection of funds and clothes for flood victims, attending fairs and gatherings, rendering first aid to the needy, etc. In 1940 the Scouts and Guides, with the help and co-operation of local bodies successfully tackled the gigantic problem of cleaning some 400 villages. The annual income of this district branch is Rs. 2,000 and expenditure is also almost of the same order.

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