Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj — Biography

Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj (born 30 April 1909, Yawali, then Central Provinces and Berar; died 11 October 1968, Gurukunj Ashram, Mozari, Amravati) was a 20th‑century Indian saint, social reformer, orator, kirtankar, and author. His birth name was Manikdev Banduji Ingale (Bhaat). He is regarded as a disciple of Samarth Aadkoji (Adkoji) Maharaj. He led wide‑ranging programmes of rural reconstruction, anti‑addiction, sanitation, community labour (shramdaan), and moral education. His poetic treatise Gramgeeta is considered an important work on holistic rural development in India. In 2005, Nagpur University was renamed Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) in his honour.

Name, birth and family background

Tukdoji Maharaj was born on 30 April 1909 at Yawali (present‑day Amravati district, Maharashtra; then in the Central Provinces and Berar). His birth name is recorded as Manikdev Banduji Ingale (Bhaat). Early influences included devotional music and village folk traditions, which later shaped his mode of public communication and mobilisation.

Early influences and education

During childhood and adolescence he was exposed to folk‑devotional forms, kirtan, and the everyday problems of rural life. Despite limited formal schooling, he pursued self‑study and religious practice, engaging deeply with questions of society and nation. In youth he is noted to have spent time in solitary reflection in the forests and hills of Vidarbha (e.g., Ramtek, Salbardi), a phase reflected later in his writings and public work.

Spiritual initiation and guru lineage

Tukdoji Maharaj is traditionally linked to Samarth Aadkoji (Adkoji) Maharaj as his spiritual preceptor. After initiation, he connected bhakti with public welfare. He was an impactful speaker and congregational singer; his bhajan‑kirtan presentations accompanied by the khanjiri (kanjari) percussion became a widely recognised medium of public awakening.

Gurukunj Ashram, Mozari

The Gurukunj Ashram at Mozari (Amravati district, Vidarbha) became the principal centre of his activities. Primary sources (including the Marathi Wikipedia and institutional materials) give the establishment year as 1935. In subsequent decades the ashram developed into an institutional hub for social‑spiritual programmes; educational and ayurvedic units were set up on the campus, and annual festivals, community services, and village‑development activities continue to be organised there.

Akhil Bharatiya Shri Gurudev Seva Mandal

Under his guidance the Akhil Bharatiya Shri Gurudev Seva Mandal was formed to promote village service, sanitation, de‑addiction, literacy, road building through shramdaan, and social ethics. The organisation has worked through branches in Vidarbha and other districts of Maharashtra, conducting community prayer, Gurudev Sandesh readings, and Gramgeeta recitations as instruments of public awakening.

Participation in the Indian independence movement

In the 1940s Tukdoji Maharaj engaged in public mobilisation during the Individual Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement (1942). According to available sources, he was arrested in 1942 and detained in Nagpur and Raipur Central Jails. After independence his focus shifted to rural reconstruction, self‑reliance, and social harmony.

Social contributions and public awakening

Rural development and shramdaan

Tukdoji Maharaj treated village uplift as a community responsibility. Through shramdaan he mobilised the construction of roads and community assets, cleanliness drives, water conservation, tree plantation, and basic public health measures. His campaigns emphasised de‑addiction, eradication of superstition and untouchability, and expansion of education in rural society.

Bhoodan and disaster relief

Inspired by Acharya Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan movement, he supported constructive work related to land reform and village society. His followers and organisational networks also took part in relief and rehabilitation during emergencies such as the Bengal famine of the 1940s, the 1962 Sino‑Indian War, and the 1967 Koyna earthquake.

Khanjiri bhajan tradition

His public kirtans used the khanjiri (kanjari) frame‑drum and a dialogic style to communicate ideas in simple language to large rural audiences. The tradition was employed to spread messages on cleanliness, temperance, village service, patriotism, and ethical conduct.

Writings and major works

Tukdoji Maharaj wrote extensively in Marathi and Hindi, including thousands of bhajans. Notable works include:

Gramgeeta (Marathi poetic treatise; translated into several languages)
Geeta‑Prasad
Saarth Anandamrut
Saarth Atmaprabhav
Laharki Barkha (volumes)
Anubhav‑Prakash (volumes)
Meri Japan Yatra (account of his visit to Japan)

Gramgeeta

Gramgeeta sets out poetic yet practical guidance on the moral, cultural, economic, and administrative dimensions of village life. It stresses self‑reliance, dignity of labour, cleanliness, education, women’s participation, cooperation, ethics, and social harmony. Across chapters it discusses principles of village‑building, character formation, collective action, health, agriculture, and cottage industries.

Selected lines (Marathi, as commonly quoted):

“सन्त देहाने भिन्न असती, परी ध्येय‑धरणाने अभिन्न स्थिती;
साधने जरी नाना दिसती, तरी सिद्धान्त‑मति सारखी.”
(Gramgeeta — common citation; wording may vary by edition/online text.)

“या झोपडीत माझ्या… भूमीवरी पडावे, तार्‍यांकडे पहावे;
प्रभुनाम नित्य गावे — या झोपडीत माझ्या.”
(Gramgeeta — common citation.)

“ईश्वरास मान्य जें सत्कार्य… तें आचरणें यांतचि सौंदर्य — खर्‍या जीवनाचें.”
(Gramgeeta, ch. 16 — common citation.)

“मानवाची पूर्णता… म्हणोनी केली ‘ग्रामगीता’; जागृत व्हाया ग्रामदेवता.”
(Gramgeeta, dedicatory note — common citation.)

Note: exact wording can differ across editions/online reproductions; quotations are given illustratively.

Presence in freedom movement and on international fora

Records link him with public mobilisation in Vidarbha during the 1941 Individual Satyagraha and the 1942 movement. In the 1950s he attended a World Religion/World Peace Conference in Japan; he later documented his visit in Meri Japan Yatra.

Thought and ideas

His thought is often summarised as “bhakti‑inspired public service.” He treated character‑building as the basis of village‑building and nation‑building. Key themes include:

Self‑reliance and dignity of labour: emphasis on shramdaan, cleanliness, and local self‑sufficiency.
Moral‑social discipline: de‑addiction, rejection of superstition, equality, and social harmony.
Education and civic culture: dissemination of ethical education through simple‑language bhajans and kirtans.
Cooperation and organisation: strengthening gram sabhas, cooperatives, and community prayer.

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Major institutions and movements

Gurukunj Ashram, Mozari (Amravati): centre for social‑spiritual programmes; campus later added educational and ayurvedic units.
Akhil Bharatiya Shri Gurudev Seva Mandal: large network for village service, sanitation, de‑addiction, and civic campaigns.
Support to Bhoodan: ideological and organisational cooperation with Vinoba Bhave’s movement.

Honours and recognition

Several sources state that Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, conferred on him the honorific “Rashtrasant.”
India Post issued a commemorative postage stamp on 10 December 1995 featuring Sant Tukdoji Maharaj.
In 2005, Nagpur University was renamed Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU).

Death

Tukdoji Maharaj died on 11 October 1968 at Gurukunj Ashram, Mozari, Amravati district. A memorial (samadhi) on the campus and annual observances mark his remembrance.

Legacy and contemporary remembrance

His legacy remains active in Maharashtra, particularly Vidarbha, through Gram‑Jayanti Mahotsav, the bhajan‑kirtan tradition, cleanliness and de‑addiction drives, and Gramgeeta recitations. RTMNU and regional institutions host lectures, cultural events, and research related to his life and work. Media reports periodically cover birth/death anniversaries, village‑service programmes, and cultural competitions associated with his tradition.

References

Wikipedia (English): “Tukdoji Maharaj.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tukdoji_Maharaj
Wikipedia (Hindi): “ग्रामगीता.” — https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/ग्रामगीता
Wikipedia (Marathi): “तुकडोजी महाराज.” — https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/तुकडोजी_महाराज
Maharashtra Gazetteers (Government): “Voluntary Organisations – Amravati.” — https://gazetteers.maharashtra.gov.in/cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/AMRAVATI/public_life_Voluntary%20organisations.html
Gurukunj Ashram (official): “About Gurukunj Ashram.” — https://www.tukdojimaharaj.com/Encyc/2022/5/2/About-Gurukunj.html
Gurukunj Ashram (official portal): Home/objectives — https://www.tukdojimaharaj.com/
Archive.org (PDF): Case Study of Gurukunj Ashram — https://ia801506.us.archive.org/21/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.17494/2015.17494.Case-Study-Of-Gurukunj-Ashram.pdf
RTM Nagpur University (Wikipedia): — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtrasant_Tukadoji_Maharaj_Nagpur_University
Times of India (2012): item on World Religion conference in Japan — https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/maharashtras-famous-saint-rastrasant-tukadoji-maharaj-on-whom-nagpur-university-has-been-renamed-had-presided-over-a-world-religion-conference-in-japan-way-back-in-1957-his-philosophies-had-greatly-influenced-the-japanese-and-are-still-remembered-there-now-efforts-are-being-made-to-build-a-memorial-of-the-great-saint-in-tokyo-former-nu-vice-chancellor-sn-pathan-is-working-relentlessly-towards-making-the-efforts-become-a-reality-/articleshow/17548553.cms
Wikimedia Commons (India Post stamp): Tukdoji Maharaj 1995 stamp of India — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tukdoji_Maharaj_1995_stamp_of_India.jpg
SGBAU KRC (Amravati University Library): “Information About Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj.” — https://www.sgbaukrc.ac.in/socialreformers/index.php?Itemid=55&id=47&option=com_content&view=article
Loksatta (Marathi, 2023): column on Bhoodan cooperation — https://www.loksatta.com/sampadkiya/columns/chintandhara-rashtrasant-tukdoji-maharaj-bhoodan-movement-zws-70-4057574/
TrustMeher: biographical note — https://trustmeher.org/blessed-souls/tukdoji-maharaj
Nagpur Today (2023): on literary works — https://www.nagpurtoday.in/rashtrasant-tukdoji-maharajs-literary-works-are-just-a-click-away/05081409
Times of India (2025): report on Gram‑Jayanti celebrations — https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/gurukunj-shines-bright-a-grand-celebration-of-gram-jayanti-mahotsav-honours-farmers-and-devotion/articleshow/121008382.cms

Note: Some details (e.g., year of the Japan conference; early development timelines of the Mozari ashram) vary slightly across sources. This entry follows repeatedly cited/official sources for consistency.