Dr. Shrikant Jichkar
Personal details
Born
Shrikant Jichkar

(1954-09-14)14 September 1954
Katol, Maharashtra, India
Died2 June 2004(2004-06-02) (aged 49)
Nagpur
Political partyIndian National Congress
SpouseRajashri Jichkar
Children2

Shrikant Jichkar (Marathi : श्रीकांत जिचकर) (14 September 1954 – 2 June 2004) was an Indian central civil servant and politician. He obtained 20 university degrees,[1] and was elected the youngest MLA in the country at the age of 26.[2]

Biography

He was born to a Marathi family. His first degrees were in medicine (MBBS and MD from Nagpur), following which he read a Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws in international law, Master of Business Administration, Doctor of Business Management, Bachelor of Journalism, Doctor of Literature in Sanskrit, along with ten Masters of Arts degrees in public administration, sociology, economics, Sanskrit, history, English literature, philosophy, political science, ancient Indian history, culture & archaeology, and Psychology. Most of his degrees were with First Merit, and he obtained several gold medals for his degrees. Between 1973 and 1990 he wrote 42 university examinations, every summer and every winter.[3]

In 1978, he stood for the Indian Civil Service examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission, following which he was selected as a central civil servant under the Indian Police Service cadre. He later resigned from the cadre and stood for the civil service exam to become a central civil servant under the Indian Administrative Services cadre in 1980. Four months after joining, he resigned once more to contest his first general election, where he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, becoming the youngest MLA in the country at the age of 26.[4] He later became a minister, at one point holding 14 portfolios.[5]

He was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1980–85), Maharashtra Legislative Council (1986–92) and served as Minister of State, Government of Maharashtra. He was a member of Rajya Sabha, India (1992–98).[2] He founded the Sàndipani school at Nagpur in 1992. He unsuccessfully contested in the 1998 loksabha election from Bhandara-Gondiya (Lok Sabha constituency) and 2004 loksabha election from Ramtek (Lok Sabha constituency), and lost by a small margin of votes.

He died when a truck collided with his car on 2 June 2004 near Kondhali, approximately 61 kilometers from Nagpur. He was accompanied by a relative of his, Shriram Dhawad, who sustained multiple injuries from the accident.[1]

Philanthropy

He established Sāndipani School, Nagpur in 1993[6] under the Shrikant Jichkar Foundation. He also contributed to the education and health of unprivileged children through his trust. After his death, his children continue his philanthropic ventures under the banner of Zero Gravity Foundation.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "With 20 degrees, Nagpur's Dr Shrikant Jichkar was most qualified person in India". Nation Next. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b "5 Facts You Should Know About". The Story Pedia. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  3. ^ "This is the most educated person in India with 20 degrees : Listicles: Microfacts". indiatoday.intoday.in. Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  4. ^ "This Is The Story Of Shrikant Jichkar, The Man Who Had 20 Degrees From 42 Universities!". IndiaTimes. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  5. ^ "At a Glance: Late Dr Shrikant Jichkar, India's one of the most learned politicians". June 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  6. ^ "The Founder". sandipanischool.edu.in. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  7. ^ U.S. Consulate Mumbai [@USAndMumbai] (28 December 2017). "Young #Changemakers @MaitreyiJichkar & @Yjichkar, founders of the Dr Shrikant Jichkar Foundation, showcased their school rehab projects and volunteer network #ZeroGravity for Deputy Principal Officer Larson. What inspiring work! https://t.co/YvSJDAudWw" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022 – via Twitter.
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