BRIEF NOTE ON THE VARIOUS SOCIAL AND ENTREPRENEURAL
ACTIVITIES OF PROF.SHRIKANT BHATE.
Prof.Shrikant Bhate, based in Pune,
66 years of age and retired in 2008 as Professor and Incharge Principal from Bharatiya
Kala Prasarini Sabha’s College of Architecture,Tilak Road,Pune after working in his
almamater for 25 years.
Prof.Shrikant Bhate is basically an Architect by profession and has been engaged in
teaching, research and professional practice all these years and still continues his limited
teaching activities in various colleges of Architecture in and around Pune for the
students of undergraduate and post graduate level. He says it is a great satisfaction to
see his students flower in to capable architects and doing good work for the society.
After his retirement Prof. Shrikant Bhate started his second innings by undertaking and
helping socially relevant projects and many organisations approach him for his guidance.
His natural inclination is working for underpreviledged people and hence all his major
jobs are in rural setting.In the year2010 he visited Baramulla in Kashmir to see and help
an organisation namely Kashmir Humanity Foundation(KHF) which is doing good work
for Kashmiri boys and girls and he decided to work with KHF and donated 10 computers
and sewing machines to this organisation and is happy to state that work is going on
well and many youths are being trained in that Institute and getting good emplyment.
He feels that Kashmir is facing very difficult situation and requires lot of help from
philanthrophists and donors so that the youths may be prevented from doing terrorist
activities and getting good skill based education will help them lead life of dignity and
honour. The ladies students require special help due to very complicated social issues
and he says that if one girl gets educated the next generation will definitely be much
better educated and hence we must focus on issues related to girls, women etc.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CENTER NEAR BARAMULLA, KASHMIR.
Students learning the skills in Fashion Designing Training Center near Baramulla,
Kashmir.
He is also involved in helping number of voluntary organisations developing their
educational campuses. In the year 2008 he helped establish a school campus at village
Yamgarwadi, near Sholapur for Bhatke Vimukta Parishad and at present about 500
students are studying in this campus with separate girls hostel, staff quarters, virtual
classroom facility etc.He is happy to note that students from rural areas are very
talented but due to paucity of funds and facilities they do not get proper guidance. He
showed a letter written to him by students and teachers after they started working in
the new building and great positive impact it had on them.
GIRLS HOSTEL at village Yamgarwadi for Bhatke Vimukta Parishad.
Educational campus at village Yamgarwadi near Sholapur for Bhatke Vimukta Parishad.
He has also extended his help in constructiong houses for weaker section of society at
village Ansarwad near Latur, Marathwada. Out of 80 houses 12 are completed and
families have moved and occupied new houses. Each house comprises of a verandaha,
living cum bed room, kitchen, bath and w.c and open court to keep their animals or
undertaking any business activity and having total built up area of 350 sq.ft and costing
rs. One lac and twenty thousand per house. The cost is shared by the beneficieries to
the extent of 25 % and a businessman from Mumbai shared 75% of cost. The people
staying there have started number of small enterprieses leading to a life of dignity and
happiness and showing overall progress in their life. It is expected that the entire project
will be completed in another couple of years and such projects will be initiated at
number of other places where nomadic tribe people are staying. This will give them
stable life and opportunity for their children to have proper education.
HOUSING FOR GOPAL SAMAJ PEOPLE AT VILLAGE ANSARWAD NEAR LATUR.
Govt officials vistied this housing complex and expressed their appreciation and
compared with Indira Awas Yojana, these houses had much more participation from
stake holders and their future needs have been properly addressed in overall planning
of the society and also individual houses.
VILLAGE INDUSTRY CENTER AND GUEST HOUSE AT VILLAGE ANSARWAD.
In the industry shed women weave cotton mattresses on handloom and earn around rs
100 to rs.150 per day thus it has provided them an opportunity to be financially
independent.
Prof.Bhate established an NGO in the year 1990 under the name of PARISAR NIYOJAN
SAMITI and was running number of skill based courses in building trade for number of
years. At present he is mainly concentrating on developing educational resources for
students of Architecture and regularly uploads it on his Facebook page which is proving
to be very helpful to both students and professionals in Architecture.
He has also initiated a Family Empowerment Project in village Ansarwad with the help
of local Bank. The members of Self Help Group will be given a loan of rs. 50,000 per
member and they will be provided with basic needs of daily life such as,
1. Water Filter.
2. Clean Toilet.
3. Bio Gas plant which will provide gas for cooking.
4. Solar cooker for cooking with the help of solar heat.
5. Solar domestic lighting system when grid electricity is off.
6. Nutritious food made from Moringa leaves.(Drum stick, Shewaga Tree)
So this will take care of the basic needs of every family. The toilet will help in
producing good wormi compost, and nitrogen rich urine to be given to farm
which will help in increasing the agricultural production and with cooking gas and
electricity readily available, each family will be immensly benefitted and in
monetry terms may gain to the extent of rs. 2000 to rs 3000 per month and may
have to pay about 1000 rs to the bank towards repayment of the loan. Prof Bhate
and his team of like minded people are also helping the women to have gainful
employment so that they lead a life of dignity and achieve overall progress.
This is an exercise in meeting the basic needs of a rural family and empowering
them with livelhood skills to earn their living.
Women Empowerment Project at Village Ansarwad near Latur.
Presently he is also involved in Design and Construction of Educatioal Campus of
Gurukulam near Beed, and also school campus for students of cerebral palsy at
Latur, Marathwada.
EDUCATIONAL CAMPUS FOR GURUKULAM NEAR BEED, MARATHWADA.
Prof. Bhate believs that it is time to give back to the society and keeps himself
busy working with various organisations in doing his best ,with acts of kindness
such as giving education to poor child or providing a shelter to the needy or
helping somebody getting skills to lead a happy life.This is a journey of
fulfillment,great joy and satisfaction.He says that he believs in the divine power
but he is against any rituals and hence his best prayer is his work for the society
where he can see the effect of his prayer in the eyes of all those who get new
energy to lead a life of dignity and happiness.
With a very disciplined life pattern of regular exercise, good inspirational reading,
listening to music, balanced diet and positive thinking keeps Prof.Shrikant Bhate
constantly motivated to keep working and spend his life with a sense of purpose
and fulfillment.
He gives credit to his wife Shraddha and all his family members and like minded
friends of his team for helping him in all these endeavours. He signed off by
saying a famous quote of great American scientist George Washington Carver
who says,
“ Start where yoy are, with what you have, do something out of it and never be
satisfied”
Prof Shrikant Bhate can be contacted on mobile no 9890440648 or by e mail at