Kaka Kalelkar

Who was Kaka Kalelkar?

Dattatreya Balkrushna Kalelkar, popularly known as Kaka Kalelkar, was an Indian independence activist, social reformer and journalist. He was a major follower of the philosophy and methods of Mahatma Gandhi.

Kalelkar was born in Belgundi Village, Taluka and District Belgaum, Karnataka near Sawantwadi in Maharashtra. He had his college education at Fergusson College in Pune.

After his college education, he worked for a while on the editorial staff of a nationalistic Marathi daily named Rashtramat, and then as a teacher at a school named Gangadhar Vidyalay in Baroda. Within a few years, the ruling British government forcibly closed down the school because of its nationalistic spirit.

After a few years, Kalelkar became a member of Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. For some time, he served as the editor of Sarwodaya periodical which was run from the premises of the Ashram. With Gandhi's encouragement, he played an active role in establishing Gujarat Vidyapith at Ahmedabad, and served as its vice-chancellor for some years. Gujaratis lovingly called him સવઈ ગુજરાતી. meaning 1.25 gujrati