Panditrao Agashe

Panditrao Agashe
Joint Managing Director of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd.
In office
1 July 1970 – 26 October 1978
Serving with Dnyaneshwar Agashe
Preceded byG. S. Valimbe
Succeeded byDnyaneshwar Agashe (as sole managing director)
Personal details
Born(1936-03-08)8 March 1936
Pune, Bombay Province, British India
Died16 November 1986(1986-11-16) (aged 50)
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Parent(s)Chandrashekhar Agashe (father) and Indirabai Agashe (mother)
OccupationBusinessman

Jagdish "Panditrao" Chandrashekhar Agashe (IAST: Jagadīśa "Paṃḍitarāva" Candraśekhara Āgāśe;[a] 8 March 1936 – 16 November 1986) was an Indian industrialist, best remembered for succeeding his father Chandrashekhar Agashe as the joint managing director of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd. from 1970 to 1978. The Panditrao Agashe School in Pune is named in his honour.

Biography

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Early life and family: 1936–1956

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Agashe was born on 8 March 1936, into an aristocratic and entrepreneurial Chitpavan brahmin family of industrialist Chandrashekhar Agashe and wife Indirabai Agashe (née Dwarka Gokhale).[1][4] He was the fourth of nine children, and second son (eldest surviving), born to his parents.[5] Given the name Jagdish at birth, he was known for most of his professional and personal life as Panditrao, a nickname given to him by his sisters.[2][3]

Agashe (left) with his parents (centre), and younger brother Dnyaneshwar (right), in the 1950s.

Agashe's father founded the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate in 1934,[6] and after his death in 1956, Agashe was brought on the board of directors of the company under S. L. Limaye's chairmanship and K. V. Champhekar's management in 1957.[7][8] He had matriculated high school,[9] attending the Deccan Education Society's New English School Ramanbaug,[10] but dropped out of his Bachelor of Science degree from Fergusson University when he joined the company, becoming the joint managing director of the syndicate alongside his brother Dnyaneshwar on 1 July 1970.[11][7][12]

Agashe never married. Through his brother Dnyaneshwar, he was a paternal uncle to Mandar, Ashutosh, and Sheetal Agashe.[13] Some of Agashe's other prominent relations include musician Ashutosh Phatak,[14] historian Dinkar G. Kelkar, scientist P. K. Kelkar,[15] and Third Anglo-Maratha War general Bapu Gokhale.[4]

Career in business: 1956–1986

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Agashe's father left the syndicate to him in a strong position,[16] with several senior managers of the company aiding Agashe, given his considerable youth when he joined the board of directors in 1957.[17][8] Between 1958 and 1966, the syndicate continued regular operation under the board's management and Agashe's supervision, during which time he financially aided several farming communities around the Malshiras taluka, including those regions affected by the Panshet dam flood in 1961.[18]

The later half of the 1960s saw Agashe battle the Government of Maharashtra's socialist land acquisition schemes, which he ultimately lost, relinquishing several thousand acres of syndicate owned land to the Government of India.[19] He was also known for his philanthropy, donating to several Maharashtra Mandals across India.[20] By 1966, Agashe's brother Dnyaneshwar had joined him on the board of directors of the syndicate,[21] and further founded the Suvarna Sahakari Bank in 1969, of which Agashe was a director.[22] In 1966, he would also serve on the alumni board of the New English School Ramanbaug.[10] He became the joint managing director of the company in July 1970.[7]

In the early 1970s, Agashe established the Mandar Printing Press in Shaniwar Peth, naming it after his nephew Mandar.[13] In 1972, he served as the manager for his brother's Suvarna Sahakari Bank.[23] In 1973, he also donated an exhibit named after his father to the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum.[24] Beginning in the 1970s, under Agashe and his brother, the syndicate manufactured liquor in Shreepur, Maharashtra,[25] specialising in whisky and rum production under its several flagship brands.[26][27] The syndicate was one of the first companies to produce a range of government-approved liquors after the Maharashtra state prohibition,[28] called Indian Made Foreign Liquor.[29] In 1978, Agashe retired as joint managing director of the syndicate, leaving his brother as sole managing director.[30] By the early 1980s, under Agashe's management, the syndicate also briefly engaged in the business of metal printing.[31] In 1984, Agashe survived a heart attack, having been a heavy smoker for most of his life.[32]

Death and legacy: 1986

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Agashe died on 16 November 1986, from a heart attack at the family residence in Shaniwar Peth.[33] His younger brother and nephews survived him in business.[34] The Panditrao Agashe School in Pune was named in his honour.[35]

Notes

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  1. ^ Agashe bore his father's name (Chandrashekhar) as a middle name as per the patronymic Marathi naming conventions,[1] but he is widely remembered by his nickname and without his patronymic, as seen in the institution named after him.[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ranade 1974, p. 61, आगाशे, जगदीश चंद्रशेखर.
  2. ^ a b Karandikar 1992, p. Illustration 8.
  3. ^ a b Barve, Vartak & Belvalkar 2002, p. 153.
  4. ^ a b Pathak, Gangadhar (1978). "पिरंदावण वाडी – तळेखाजण घराणा" [The House of Pirandavan Wadi – Talekhajan]. गोखले कुलवृत्तांत [Genealogy of the Gokhale Family] (Kulavruttanta) (in Marathi) (2nd ed.). Pune: Gokhale Kulavr̥ttānta Kāryakārī Maṇdaḷa. p. 976. LCCN 81902590. Retrieved 25 August 2022 – via WorldCat.
  5. ^ Agashe & Agashe 2006, p. 53, 62.
  6. ^ Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (1956). "Shri Chandrashekhar Govind Agashe". Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Vol. 36. pp. 381–382. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via University of Michigan.
  7. ^ a b c Karandikar 1992, p. 124.
  8. ^ a b Limaye, S. L. (2 February 1959). Director's Report of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate (Report). Poona. p. 17.
  9. ^ Ranade 1974, p. 61.
  10. ^ a b New English School, Ramanbag - Annual Magazine (in Marathi). Pune: Deccan Education Society. 1966. p. 105. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  11. ^ Kothari's Economic Guide and Investors' Handbook of India. Kothari. 1969. p. 1687. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via University of Michigan.
  12. ^ Limaye, S. L. (24 October 1971). Director's Report of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate (Report). Poona. p. 1.
  13. ^ a b Agashe & Agashe 2006, p. 62.
  14. ^ Ranade, Sadashiv (1982). "जांभळी घराणा (पहिला)" [The First House of Jambli]. फाटक कुलवृत्तांत [Genealogy of the Phatak Family] (Kulavruttanta) (in Marathi) (2nd ed.). Pune: Phāṭaka Kula Samitī. p. 56. LCCN 84900881. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  15. ^ Kelkar, Bhaskar; Kelkar, Govind; Kelkar, Yashwant (1993). "कासारवेल – पुणे – धुळे घराणा" [The House of Kasarvel – Pune – Dhule]. केळकर कुलवृत्तांत [Genealogy of the Kelkar Family] (Kulavruttanta) (in Marathi) (2nd ed.). Pune: Yashoda Typesetting. pp. 82, 89. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  16. ^ Bapat, Seema; Bapat, Sadanand (2007). "नारिंग्रे – कल्याण – जुन्नर घराणा" [The House of Naringre – Kalyan – Junnar]. बापट कुलवृत्तांत [Genealogy of the Bapat Family] (Kulavruttanta) (in Marathi) (3rd ed.). Pune. pp. 603–604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. ^ Karandikar 1992, p. 125.
  18. ^ Karandikar 1992, p. 126.
  19. ^ Karandikar 1992, p. 127.
  20. ^ Phadke, Narayan Sitaram (1966). मन शुद्ध तुझा! [Your Mind is Pure] (in Marathi). Pune: Ga. Pã. Paracure Prakāśana Mandira. pp. 31, 32. OCLC 19980145. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via University of Michigan.
  21. ^ Limaye, S. L. (16 November 1967). Director's Report of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate (Report). Poona. p. 1.
  22. ^ Kothari's Economic and Industrial Guide of India. Kothari. 1978. p. 37. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via University of Michigan.
  23. ^ Industrial and Commercial Directory of Pune. Pune: Mahratta Chamber of Commerce and Industries. 1972. p. 307. Retrieved 22 February 2024 – via Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics.
  24. ^ Gadgil, Amarendra Laxman (1973). श्रीरामकोश [Śrīrāmakośa] (in Marathi). Vol. 1. Śrīrāmakośa Maṇḍaḷa. p. 241. OCLC 10799117. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via University of California.
  25. ^ Prohibition And Excise Department. The Gazetteer's Department. Solapur Government (Report). Government of Maharashtra. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  26. ^ "Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd". The Whisky Portal. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  27. ^ "Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd.— distillery profile". The Rum Portal. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  28. ^ Business India. A.H. Advani. 2004. p. 69. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via University of Virginia.
  29. ^ "Radico Khaitan to buy Brihans's IMFL brands". The Times of India. 4 October 2005. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  30. ^ Limaye, S. L. (5 November 1979). Director's Report of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate (Report). Pune. p. ii.
  31. ^ "Company Overview of The Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Limited". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  32. ^ Karandikar 1992, p. 127–128.
  33. ^ Karandikar 1992, p. 128.
  34. ^ Barve, Vartak & Belvalkar 2002, p. 18.
  35. ^ Karandikar 1992, p. 129.

Bibliography

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