The Devendra Fadnavis-led government, which has been dithering on its reservation promise to the Dhangar community, has come up with an innovative way to appease the community for the time being. It has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar from this year onwards.
An order in this regard was issued on Friday. It directed all government offices in Maharashtra to hold the first such celebration in the name of Queen Holkar on May 31.
Born on the date in 1725, Ahilyabai belonged to the Dhangar or shepherd community, and went on to rule the Malwa kingdom for over 30 years.
In Maharashtra, the Dhangar community has been listed under the Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes. Local Dhangar leaders have been demanding inclusion in the ST category, arguing that the Centre already provides quota benefits to Dhangad community, but Dhangars in Maharashtra were deprived because of the different spellings.
Before the 2014 Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the BJP had promised to fulfill the long-pending demand of the community. The promise is yet to be realised. After pressure from the Opposition and the community, however, the government roped in the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to tackle the complex issue. The TISS report is expected to be in by December 2017, said government sources.
Ahilyabai was born in the village of Chaundi, in the present-day Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. Her father Mankoji Rao Shinde was the Patil of the village. At the time, women did not go to school but Ahilyabai's father taught her how to read and write. According to the legend, Malhar Rao Holkar, a commander in the service of the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao of the Malwa territory, stopped in Chaundi on way to Pune and saw the then eight-year-old Ahilyabai at the temple service in the village. Recognising her talent, he brought her to the Holkar territory as a bride for his son Khanderao.
She was married to Khanderao Holkar at the age of 11. After the death of her husband in 1754, and later her father-in-law in 1767, Ahilyabai, who was already trained in military and administrative matters by her father-in-law, petitioned the Peshwa to take over the administration herself. From 1767 until her death in 1795, she ruled Malwa, which is today's central and western Madhya Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra.
