Padma Shri: Such a long journey for Dombivlikar Kaka

Mane has been working for the rehabilitation of leprosy afflicted people across the state for decades. He is among the 91 Padma Shri awardees this year.

Dombivli: There is a long list of achievements attached to Dombivlikar Kaka. A navy man who earned a war medal, a community good Samaritan working towards bettering the lives of those around him and finally, a social worker, who has been serving leprosy patients for the last 35 years. It is for this tireless effort towards helping the sick that has earned Gajanan Jagannath Mane, 74, a Padma Shri award this year.

Kalyan, India - January 28, 2023: Gajanan Mane, popularly known as Dombivlikar Kaka, who was awarded the Padmashri for his social work for lepers in Dombivli. He brought the lepers into the mainstream by providing education, health, self-reliance, and employment opportunities. Ever since he retired after serving in the Indian Navy for twelve years, he has worked tirelessly for leprosy for 32 consecutive years, at Dombivli, India, on Saturday, January 28, 2023. (Photo by Pramod Tambe/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

Mane has been working for the rehabilitation of leprosy afflicted people across the state for decades. He is among the 91 Padma Shri awardees this year.

Mane, who lives in Dombivli, set up a colony for those afflicted with leprosy, a bacterial disease that mainly affects the skin, eyes, nose and peripheral nerves, at Hanuman Nagar in Kalyan. He also ensured jobs for many of them. He followed up with the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to build a dedicated hospital for these patients near Hanuman Nagar.

As his moniker suggests, he is a beloved uncle in the community around him and Mane, the Padma Shri honour notwithstanding, has a vision. Apart from looking after the leprosy patients, he wants to motivate the youth to join the Indian armed forces.

Mane, who finished his schooling from his native place Ambav Devrukh village in Ratnagiri, got motivated to join Indian armed forces after he learned about India’s defeat in the 1962 war against China.

“My family’s financial status was bad and I used to do all kind of jobs like cleaning utensils, selling tea etc,. My family was against me joining the armed forces but I was very sure about it. And without informing my parents, I joined the Indian navy in the year 1965,” he said.

In 1976, he retired from the navy and joined a private company for work. “One thought that kept coming to me was what can I do for the nation. Hence, I kept doing community work like dealing with waterlogging issues, accident prone areas, connecting bridge at Dombivli railway station,” said Mane.

“Once, I came across Hanuman Nagar, where there were leprosy patients residing and I realised how deprived they are of basic facilities. The journey to help them started from there,” he said. Around 750 members of families with leprosy patients lived in Hanuman Nagar.

He began working for their upliftment providing them medicines, clinic, employment, maintaining cleanliness, getting connecting roads constructed, water supply to their homes, distribution of sewing machines for women, awareness about education, government licensed foodgrains shop in their area. He also availed ₹2,500 grant monthly for 65 patients who were fully disabled.

He has won 13 awards across the country in all these years. He also written two books, including one on leprosy patients. Earlier, he was recommended by the Maharashtra government for the Padma Shri award twice — in 2015 and in 2017.