Pradnyabharati Dr. Shridhar Bhaskar Warnekar

About Pradnyabharati Dr. Shridhar Bhaskar Warnekar

• Family:
  • Warnekar family is religious Marathi Brahmin family from a small village called “Warne” in the Satara district of Maharashtra. Dr. Warnekar’s grandfather first came to Nagpur and settled there. Dr. Warnekar’s father, Shri. Bhaskarao Warnekar was a building contractor by profession and mother Sau. Annapoornabai Warnekar was housewife.
• Childhood:
  • Dr. Shridhar Bhaskar Warnekar born on 31st July 1918. Having a good cultural and religious family background, Shridhar even as a child, developed a liking of the classical language Sanskrit. When he participated in a Satyagraha against the then British rule, Shridhar had to forgo his conventional schooling.and so his father Bhaskrrao, sent him to a neighboring, Kashi-educated Sanskrit Pandit Hanumant Sahstri Kewale for study.
  • As a schoolboy, Shridhar was impressed by the patriotic and playful environment seen at the ground-exercises of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS. He dared to ask the permission of the founder Dr.Keshav Baliram Hedgewar to join the drill and hence became the first “Shishu Swayamsevak” (youngest swayamsevak).
• Education:
  • That time due to freedom movements against British rule, the schools and colleges were closed, so he started his education in traditional way. At the feet of his Master, Kewale Shstri Shridhar studied Amarkosha, Raghuvanshadi Pancha Mahakavyas, Vyakaranam, Natakam, etc. Since the books were rare and the money to purchase them was still rarer, Shridhar learnt almost all lessons by heart. It is here he was groomed for vocal singing, which he developed into classical Sangeet, later in his life, to assist his poetic works like Tirtha-Bharatam.
  • Though Shridhar was permitted to appear for his Matriculation Examination, college education was but a dream, due to poor financial conditions of the family and untimely death of his parents.
  • Later he fulfilled this dream by supporting himself and family by working as a local Blind School teacher, engaging private tutions, etc. In one such tutions, Shridhar found his life-parterner, Kamala, who supported him as his work-secretary through out his life. She penned-down every word of his Sanskrit literary-work, amounting to over 5000 hand-written pages.
  • He did MA (Sanskrit). Nagpur University honored him with D.Lit. in 1974 for his book Arvachin Sanskrit Sahitya.
• Work:
  • Dr. Warnekar worked as professor of Sanskrit in Nagpur University and retired from the post of Head of Sanskrit Department.
  • Apart from this he was Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Mantri of Sanskrit Vishwa Parishad from year 1950 to 1962. In this duration he delivered hundreds of Sanskrit speeches all over the India for popularising Sanskrit language. He was a member of sanskrit department of Indian Sahitya Academy Council. He was Chairman of library of hand-written valuable books of Nagpur University. He was also member of Sceintific and technical language commission of Govt. of India.
  • He was the founder editor of Sanskrit weekly “Sanskrit Bhavitavayam” and Marathi weekly “Rashtra-Shakti”.
  • He was President of “Yogabhyasi Mandal” Nagpur. There he started monthly magazine “Yogaprakash”. He delivered many lectures on Yoga.
  • Along with this he wrote number of books in Sanskrit, Marathi and Hindi. “Sanskrit Wangmaya Kosha” which is the encyclopedia of all Sanskrit literature is one of the great creation of Dr. Warnekar.
  • He always participated in cultural and social activities. Even when Pradnya Bharati Dr. S.B.Warnekar passed away in a tragic car accident at the age of 83 years, he was on way to address a Sanskrit gathering!!