Dashrath Jadhav

Work area : Latur district, Maharashtra

Dashrath Jadhav is a veteran social activist who has been working in the Latur district of Maharashtra for over three decades. Having witnessed a life of poverty and dispossession in their family and around, he faced many challenges while he could complete his education at Nirmala Niketan, a prestigious social work college in Mumbai.

He could have continued with a high-paying job which he secured in the city, but instead chose to return home to work towards ending injustices his community faced. Deeply inspired by Babasaheb Ambedkar and Jyotirao Phule, he was also associated with the Dalit Panthers before co-founding the Campaign for Human Rights (CHR). Shramjivi Sanghatna was born out of CHR as a trade union and continues on its path to securing justice for the most marginalised communities. Dashrath became a SRUTI fellow in 1997.

In the region, landlessness is a major issue. The non-provision of Record of Rights, the ‘7/12’ restricts people from securing crop loans, insurance, loans from banks to open businesses, and electricity and water connections, and stops their children from getting admission to schools. Everything has to be negotiated for. But by making significant contributions to the regularization of gairan (grazing) land, the sangathan has been instrumental in helping families with procedural support as well as in giving them confidence.

Dashrath has led the struggles against caste-based atrocities and bonded labour. Shramjivi Sanghatna soon started supporting sangathans across the state to raise issues of discrimination, inequality, land-grab and violence against women. Their tireless work resulted in a significant change in public attitude towards caste-based atrocities and an effective justice system. The sangathan has also taken up the issue of migrant workers, PDS, education, building livelihood opportunities, promoting women SHGs and addressing issues faced by marginal farmers.