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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Rename Churchgate station after Ahilyabai, demands Dhangar community leader
A Dhangar community leader on Saturday demanded that the Churchgate railway station in south Mumbai be renamed after Ahilyabai Holkar, the revered queen of the Maratha-ruled Malwa kingdom. Talking to reporters here, Dhangar leader Prakash Shendage also launched a sharp attack on the BJP over its alleged failure to deliver on the promise of granting the Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to his community. Dhangar, a shepherd community in the state, is currently in the Nomadic Tribes (NT) list. Its members have been demanding reservation benefits under the ST quota for the past several years. Talking about the demand for renaming Churchgate station, Shendage asked, "There is neither any church nor any gate here, so why retain the name Churchgate?" "An intersection close to it has already been named after Ahilyabai Holkar. Now it is time the station also carries her legacy," he said. Attacking the ruling BJP, he said the party has failed to fulfil the promise of granting reservation to Dhangars. "The man who promised ST status to the Dhangars is now the chief minister. He has held the post twice earlier, yet the community has received nothing," Shendage said without naming CM Devendra Fadnavis. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Rename Churchgate station after Ahilyabai Holkar, demands Dhangar community leader
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis (File Photo) A Dhangar community leader on Saturday demanded that the Churchgate railway station in south Mumbai be renamed after Ahilyabai Holkar, the revered queen of the Maratha-ruled Malwa kingdom. Talking to reporters here, Dhangar leader Prakash Shendage also launched a sharp attack on the BJP over its alleged failure to deliver on the promise of granting the Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to his community. Dhangar, a shepherd community in the state, is currently in the Nomadic Tribes (NT) list. Its members have been demanding reservation benefits under the ST quota for the past several years. Talking about the demand for renaming Churchgate station, Shendage asked, "There is neither any church nor any gate here, so why retain the name Churchgate?" "An intersection close to it has already been named after Ahilyabai Holkar. Now it is time the station also carries her legacy," he said. Attacking the ruling BJP, he said the party has failed to fulfil the promise of granting reservation to Dhangars. "The man who promised ST status to the Dhangars is now the chief minister. He has held the post twice earlier, yet the community has received nothing," Shendage said without naming CM Devendra Fadnavis.
Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
State honours Ahilyadevi Holkar, woos Dhangars
The BJP-led Mahayuti government is scrambling to make good on a decade-old promise to the Dhangar community, by announcing a series of initiatives dedicated to Ahilyadevi, the famous 18th century queen of the Holkar dynasty. State honours Ahilyadevi Holkar, woos Dhangars In what could seem like overdrive, the state has announced a new medical college bearing her name, conservation of a memorial commemorating the Maratha queen, a biographical movie, a clean-up of the ghats developed by Ahilyadevi, and a commemorative postage stamp in her honour. The state will also literally sing her praises by releasing a song celebrating her contributions. The decisions were announced by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, on the occasion of Ahilyadevi's 300th birth anniversary on Tuesday, at a ministerial council meeting held for the first time in Ahilyanagar, formerly Ahmednagar. Ahilyadevi was born into a Dhangar family in Chaundi, in Ahmednagar district, and married into the Holkar dynasty in Indore. A progressive queen known for her administrative prowess, she has remained an icon of the Dhangar community. The Dhangars are a pastoral, nomadic community, classified as a Nomadic Tribe, who enjoy 3.5% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions in Maharashtra. The community has been demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, which would double their reservation quota in the state. They consider themselves 'Dhangads' and enjoy reservation under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category in many other states. The Dhangars, who comprise around 10% of Maharashtra's population, have a significant presence in six to seven Lok Sabha constituencies, such as Baramati, Parbhani, Dharashiv (Osmanabad), Ahilyanagar, Amravati, Solapur and Shirur. Given their significant numbers, the BJP decided to win them over as a potential votebank in 2014. It was then, as state BJP chief during Congress-NCP rule, that Devendra Fadnavis promised to re-classify the Dhangars as a Scheduled Tribe if the BJP was voted to power. But the party failed to keep its promise. A decade later, in October 2024, the previous Mahayuti government under Eknath Shinde resurrected Ahilyadevi as a state icon when they renamed Ahmednagar as 'Ahilyanagar'. Now, the BJP-led Mahayuti government under Devendra Fadnavis has made the Maratha queen a political priority once again. Topping the initiatives announced on Tuesday is a ₹ 681-crore plan for the conservation of the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar memorial in Ahilyanagar. 'We will restore and conserve her memorial at Chaundi and will build it like a national monument, an inspirational place and a pilgrimage site,' said Fadnavis. The government will also make a multilingual, biographical movie on the Maratha queen, which will be released globally in cinemas, on television and on OTT platforms. The Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation (MFSCDC) has been appointed as the executive agency for the project. 'It will be a commercial movie which will be made in several languages such as Marathi, Hindi among others,' said Fadnavis. Fadnavis also said the government would desilt and rejuvenate all the ghats, wells and water supply systems developed Ahilyadevi during her tenure as queen of the Holkar dynasty. 'A special ₹ 75-crore scheme will restore 34 historical water structures, including 19 wells, six ghats, and six kunds that were identified in a state-wide survey,' the chief minister said. A new medical college and hospital named after Ahilyadevi will be built in Ahilyanagar at an estimated cost of ₹ 485 crore. It will be a 430-bed hospital, while the medical college will have 100 seats. Fadnavis also declared the renaming of a scheme for Dhangar students to access English-medium residential schools as 'Raje Yashwantrao Holkar', and the renaming of a post-matric hostel scheme for Dhangar students as the 'Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Hostel Scheme'. Hostels will be developed in all regions of the state, each housing 200 students. A government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) for girls will also be opened in Ahilyanagar, Fadnavis said. Concluding the slew of announcements, the chief minister said a postage stamp would be released to honour the contributions of the Maratha queen, as would a song to spread awareness about her achievements.
News18
25-04-2025
- General
- News18
From Village Shepherd To Cracking UPSC, Birdev Siddhappa Dhone's Road To Glory
Last Updated: The 27-year-old Birdev Siddhappa Dhone was tending to goats in Belgaum, Karnataka, when he realised his dream of passing the UPSC examinations. Birdev Siddhappa Dhone, a shepherd from Karnataka, made waves on Tuesday, April 22, after inspiringly cracking the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations in his third attempt. Despite enormous hardships in his journey, Dhone passed the nation's toughest exams with a rank of 551. The 27-year-old was busy tending to his uncle's goats in Belgaum when he heard the life-changing news that he celebrated traditionally. 'The immediate celebration was simple and true to our cultural ethos- my uncle tied a yellow pheta (turban) on my head and smeared the holy bhandara (turmeric powder) on my forehead. Someone took my picture, which somehow went viral,' Dhone said, as quoted by the Indian Express. Dhone passed out of the College of Engineering Pune in the civil engineering branch in 2020, having done his 10th standard studies from his village's Zilla Parishad school before completing his senior secondary education at Jai Maharashtra School. 'My education till class Xth was done in the Zilla Parishad school in my village with my senior secondary education from the Jai Maharashtra High School there,' Dhone said. Hailing from the village of Yamage in Kagal taluka of Kolhapur, Dhone was born into a family of traditional shepherds, Dhangars. Apart from his supportive parents, the youngster has an elder brother, who is a Naik in the Indian army. The family owns an acre of land and uses sheep and goat rearing as its main source of income. Dhone got a job as a postman in the Indian Post and worked there in 2020-21 but his civil service aspirations never died. He took an incredible leap of faith when he resigned from his postman job to pursue the UPSC single-mindedly. He even went to Delhi for his preparations, with his friend providing him with financial support in the city. 'It was always there in the back of my head that I had to crack the civil services—it was to be difficult, but I knew I had to do it," he said. 'Financially, it was difficult, but one of my friends helped me and my intense desire to be in bureaucracy saw me through the preparation.' Apart from the great Indian Administrative Services, Dhoni has interest in the Indian Police Services and said he would be equally thrilled to become a police officer. 'As an officer, I would like to listen to people – and ensure they are heard,' he said while also noting that his triumph 'appears like a dream.' First Published: April 25, 2025, 18:14 IST
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Dreams delivered: From shepherd to postman to 551st rank in UPSC
On Tuesday, Birdev Siddhappa Dhone (27) was busy tending his and his uncle's goats near Belgaum in Karnataka when he got the news which changed his world. Dhone had cracked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations and stood 551st in the country. 'The immediate celebration was simple and true to our cultural ethos- my uncle tied a yellow pheta (turban) on my head and smeared the holy bhandara (turmeric powder) on my forehead. Someone took my picture, which somehow went viral,' he said. The picture, which shows the temporary tent, and the animals which the family is tending to at present. It reflects not just the humble background from where Dhone comes but also a testimony to his tenacity and hard work, despite the odds. Born in a family of traditional shepherds (Dhangars) Dhone hails from the village of Yamage in Kagal taluka of Kolhapur. His family, which comprises his parents and an elder brother (who is a Naik in the Indian Army), owns an acre of land with sheep and goat rearing being the main source of income for the family. 'My education till class Xth was done in the Zilla Parishad school in my village with my senior secondary education from the Jai Maharashtra High School there,' he said. After standard XII, he passed out of the College of Engineering Pune in the civil engineering branch in 2020. Between 2020 and 2021 Dhone worked as a postman in the Indian Post but his civil services dreams refused to die. Hailing from a humble background he took a big risk when he decided to try for the civil services, resigning from his position as a postman. 'It was always there in the back of my head that I have to crack the civil services—it was to be difficult but I knew I had to do it,' he said. Dhone went to the national capital, Delhi, to prepare for civil services. 'Financially it was difficult but one of my friends helped me, and my intense desire to be in bureaucracy saw me through the preparation ,' he said. This was his third attempt and Dhone hoped he would be able to get into the prestigious Indian Administrative Services, but he said he would be equally happy to be in Indian Police Services (IPS). 'As an officer I would like to listen to people – and ensure they are heard,' he said. Dhone is yet to return to his village in Kolhapur, for now, he lives in a small village near Belgaum but his phone has not stopped ringing. Between accepting congratulatory messages and tending the animals, Dhone says he feels his hard work has paid off at last. Back in Yamage, the villagers have planned a grand welcome for him on Sunday. 'It all appears like a dream,' he said.
