न्या. महादेव गोविंद रानडे
कै. कृष्णाजी वि. वझे
‘Vasant Vyakhyanmala, Nashik’, literally meaning the ‘Spring Lecture Series of Nashik’, holds a pride of place in the cultural landscape of this historical & religious city of Nashik. In May 2023, it is celebrating its Centenary Year. This spring lecture series boasts a glorious and proud history.
The city of Nashik, in the western part of the State of Maharashtra, India, is blessed with a heritage of social and cultural values apart from its mythological and spiritual background. I also have a very agreeable & cool climate.
It is part of our scriptures that during his exile, Prabhu Shri Ramchandra spent some time in Panchavati, Nashik. After the death of King Dashrath, father of Prabhu Shriram, his ashes were immersed in the holy river Godavari of Nashik. The Kumbh Mela, a mega congregation, which is held every twelve years is also held at Goda Ghat & Ramkund areas of the holy banks of Godavari. Due to this event and religious importance, Nashik is known as the Kashi of the South, ‘Dakhsin Kashi’. It was a common practice for the gentry from other places to come & stay in Nashik during summer days.
Great Social Reformer, Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, who belonged to Niphad in Nashik district; started ‘Vasant Vyakhyanmala’ in May 1905, when he was posted as a judge in Nashik. This lecture series continued till the year 1908. However, when Justice Ranade was transferred elsewhere, the work of the lecture series suffered a setback.
Shankaracharya Dr. Kurtkoti also used to come to Nashik in the summer. During these visits, his religious discourses were often held at Goda Ghat. In May 1921, while discussing with his disciple Krishnaji Vinayak a.k.a. Raosaheb Vaze, The Shankaracharya advised him to resume the Vasant Vyakhyanmala again in Nashik. Accordingly, Raosaheb Vaze decided to resume the Vasant Vyakhyanmala in Nashik after discussing it with his friends. It was due to his efforts that the Vasant Vyakhyanmala of Nashik, resumed its glorious journey on 1st May 1922.
Very fittingly, Dr. Shankaracharya Kurtkoti delivered the first lecture. Lectures on various topics started for a month from May 1. Since then, Vasant Vyakhyanmala, the Spring Lecture Series, is conducted uninterrupted for the last 99 years, from 1st May to 31st May every year, on the sacred banks of River Godavari of Nashik.
The Dev Mamledar Yashwantrao Maharaj Patangana, the place where the lectures are organised adjacent to the temple of Dev Mamledar Yashwantrao Maharaj; also has an exceptional and inspiring history. Shri Yashwantrao Bhosekar, who was employed in the revenue department, sold all his property and distributed the money among the poor and deprived people of around Nashik, who was devastated by the severe drought of 1870-1871. But when Yashwantrao realized that the amount was very meager in front of the enormity of the drought situation, he distributed the cash amount of Rs 1.27 lakh from the government treasury to the poor. This news spread and reached his higher-ups in the government. But when his senior officers came and checked, quite miraculously, they found the entire sum of 1.27 lakh intact in the treasury safe.
Since then, the people started calling him ‘Devmamledar’ an honorary title, respecting and celebrating his service to the poor. This was indeed an exceptional incident of a government officer being honored with a title by citizens. Yashwantrao Maharaj lived in Nashik and in his memory, the citizens built a large temple and an open stone terrace on the banks of river Godavari. Vasant Vyakhyanmala is organized at this very place by the riverside, in the breezy and pleasant evenings of each year’s summer.
In the pre-independence era, Vasant Vyakhyanmala served as an important platform for patriots and revolutionaries to fearlessly express their thoughts. During this period, from national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Swatantryaveer Savarkar, Pandit Nehru, Jayaprakash Narayan, Vinoba Bhave, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Prabodhankar Thackeray to great personalities like Acharya Atre, Balasaheb Thackeray, Lata Mangeshkar, Jayant Narlikar of the post-independence period, all have enthralled and motivated the audience with their brilliant speeches from this platform.
This glorious tradition of Vasant Vyakhyanmala is being carried on by a multitude of dignitaries, thought leaders, and experts from various fields of study and different walks of life. In fact, they are always eager to express their views at this hallowed venue.
In the early days, the people who came for lectures used to sit down on the roughly carpeted floor and enjoy the lectures. Over time, the necessary improvements have taken place and now there is a grand stage, an excellent sound system, and a comfortable sitting arrangement for the audience. In the beginning, the lectures were often limited to religious, spiritual, or literary subjects. However, over time, lecturers started to cover various other important topics such as competitive exams, childcare, etc. too. So much so that mundane but popular subjects from beauty parlors to cooking recipes also started to feature. Therefore, the popularity of Vasant Vyakhyanmala is constantly on the rise. In present-day India, it’s the only lecture series of its kind that runs continuously for a month on the banks of a large river.
Vasant Vyakhyanmala attracts an audience of at least one thousand every day, and the number increases according to the popularity of various topics and speakers. Vasant Vyakhyanmala is also thus well known for being a lecture series with the largest audience in India. Many interested people from outside Nashik make it a point to travel to Nashik, especially for attending a special lecture in the month of May.
Vasant Vyakhyanmala used to get a grant from Nashik Municipality since its inception when Nashik was a small town. But when the city grew, Nashik Municipal Corporation has also been helping Vasant Vyakhyanmala by way of a grant. Citizens coming for lectures also contribute and help the institution to sustain itself. The ‘Memorial Lecture’ initiative has also been contributing and thus this annual event has been going on uninterruptedly.
It was a proud moment when in 2014, Vasant Vyakhyanmala shifted to its own office. Former MLA of Nashik and former state minister Shobhatai Bachhav, in consultation with the then Chief Minister Late Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, provided funds for the construction of the building on an open plot of the municipal corporation. The new office building will be very useful for storing & preserving old documents. A grand stage has also been received from the MP fund of former MP Shri Sameer Bhujbal. Through the Smriti Lecture Scheme and the frugal work of the workers, the organization now has a reserve fund of about Rs 40 lakh in the form of a fixed deposit.
Newspapers in Nashik regularly publish news related to Vasant Vyakhyanmala lectures. Various news channels also telecast such news. For the last few years, Vasant Vyakhyanmala lectures are being telecast live on the local cable news channels.
The journey of Vasant Vyakhyanmala is thus going on uninterruptedly. The organisers are looking forward to the centenary celebration of Vasant Vyakhyanmala in May 2023. A welcome committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Shri Dada Bhuse, Minister of Ports and Mines Development, Maharashtra state, and Guardian Minister of Nashik district. This committee includes people’s representatives from all political parties, officials of various organizations, and government officials.
The highlight of this year’s Vasant Vyakhyanmala is that 11 personalities who have made India proud by excelling in various countries around the world have been invited for the lecture. These Marathi personalities will come from America, Britain, Germany, South Korea, Dubai, and other countries and will present their inspiring thoughts in front of the people of Nashik. Ten eminent speakers from different states of India have also been invited.
President Sushri Draupadi Murmu, Sharad Pawar, and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi have been invited to the inauguration and closing ceremony of the Centenary celebration of Vasant Vyakhyanmala in May 2023.
Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav, Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis, State Cultural Affairs Minister Shri Sudhir Mungantiwar, and State Industries Minister Shri Uday Samant have also been invited. Therefore, this grand event will definitely attract Nashikites, but at the same time, we are confident that discerning people will travel to Nashik to listen to these lectures from different parts of the state as well as from all over the country.
