Raosaheb Gogte facts for kids

Balkrishna Mahadev Gogte (born 16 September 1916 – died 26 February 2000), also known as Raosaheb Gogte, was an important Indian lawyer, businessman, and someone who helped others. He also cared a lot about education.

Gogte started the Gogte Group of companies. These companies worked in different areas like getting minerals from the ground (mining), making salts, and producing fabrics (textiles). Many places and institutions are named after him, including the Gogte Institute of Technology, Gogte College of Commerce, and several halls and circles in cities like Mumbai and Belgaum.

About Raosaheb Gogte

His Early Life and School Days

Raosaheb Gogte was born on 16 September 1916, in a place called Tembhu, which was part of British India at the time. His father, Dr. Mahadev Gogte, was a surgeon, and his mother was Kamlabai Gogte. His family had a long history in the Karad area.

Raosaheb was the oldest of five children. He started school in Karad in 1925. Later, he moved to different places like Jalgaon and Chalisgaon for his education. In Chalisgaon, he even stayed at a place called the Gandhi Ashram, which was important for India's freedom movement.

In 1931, his family moved to Belgaum. There, he continued his studies at Chintamanrao High School. He was very good at public speaking and was chosen as a student leader. He also took part in peaceful protests to help India gain independence. At 17, he finished school and decided to study law. He passed his law exams in 1935, when he was 19 years old. After that, he worked at the Bombay High Court for a year.

In 1936, he met Ushatai Chiplunkar, and they got married on 7 June 1943. They had three sons: Arvind, Anand, and Shirish.

Becoming a Lawyer

In 1936, at the age of 21, Raosaheb Gogte started working as a lawyer in Belgaum. One of his first cases involved two women who were accused of cheating. He helped them get found not guilty. Because he didn't get paid money for his work, the women offered him two special knives they had made. People started calling him "Raosaheb" after this event, and the name stuck with him for the rest of his life.

Besides being a lawyer, Gogte also taught law at the Karnatak Law Society. He helped organize students in the Belgaum area. He also worked with bus operators, helping them with legal issues like insurance and getting permission to run their routes. He even had to cleverly avoid arrest once while trying to help with transport negotiations. By 1943, he was a main lawyer for bus operators' groups in several big cities like Belgaum, Pune, and Ahmedabad.

Starting Businesses and Helping People

Around 1944, Raosaheb Gogte started his own trucking business. When there wasn't enough petrol during World War II, he tried to make fuel from charcoal, but it didn't work out. He also tried to set up a steel factory, but that wasn't successful either.

In 1952, he got into the business of transporting fish. To keep the fish fresh, he helped set up an ice factory in Belgaum. He even traveled to Scotland to learn about freezing food quickly, but his own freezing plant didn't work out as planned.

In the 1950s, Gogte became interested in mining for iron and manganese ores. In 1954, he started mining for manganese. He also helped other mine owners form an association, and he was its first president. With some financial help, he started the Gogte Mines company in 1957, mining for iron ore. He even got special boats (barges) to transport the ore.

He also helped a famous hotel owner, Mohan Singh Oberoi, start his big hotel in Mumbai. One of the hotel's fancy rooms was later named after Gogte.

Between 1959 and 1960, he got money from a bank to buy modern mining machines from the United States. In 1963, he found a large area of land to start a salt works. His brother Vasudev managed it, using special techniques from other countries. The Gogte Salts company officially opened in 1964.

Gogte also gave a lot of support to education. In 1966, the Gogte College of Commerce was named in his honor. His mining company officially became a formal company on 20 July 1967.

A Leading Businessman

In 1972, Gogte became the president of the Belgaum Chamber of Commerce. He worked hard to encourage people to start small businesses in the area. By 1974, he was selling his iron ore to countries like Romania. He also started the Gogte Minerals company in 1977.

In 1979, Gogte gave more money to the Karnatak Law Society, and they honored him by naming the Gogte Institute of Technology after him.

On 17 May 1980, Gogte started Gogte Textiles, getting into the fabric business. He got land and ordered weaving machines from Switzerland to build a textile mill. He received financial help from banks to make this happen. In 1981, he was chosen to be the chairman of the National Institute for Training in Industrial Engineering (NITIE) for three terms. In 1986, he was also made chairman of a state industrial company in Maharashtra.

In the 1980s, Gogte worked to develop the Konkan region of India with investments from Saudi Arabia. By 1990, his Gogte Textile Mills was one of the biggest exporters of textile goods in Karnataka.

Later Years and Legacy

In the early 1990s, Gogte made donations to the Belgaum Chamber of Commerce. In return, they named their main meeting room the Gogte Hall. He continued to serve as chairman of NITIE until 1994. He was also on the board of directors for several companies, including some from the Tata Group and Oberoi hotels.

Raosaheb Gogte also supported arts and sciences. He organized concerts for famous singers and helped fund scientific research. He also supported the Marathi and Kannada film industries. A drama award was even created in his honor.

Raosaheb Gogte passed away in Belgaum on 26 February 2000, at the age of 83. He left behind his wife, three sons, and their families. His businesses are now run by his sons and grandsons.

Today, besides the colleges named after him, a statue of him was put up at the Karnataka Education Society headquarters in 1986. His name lives on through the Gogte Hall at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana in Mumbai, the Gogte Suite at the Oberoi Hotel, the Gogte Hall at the Belgaum Chamber of Commerce, and the Gogte Circle in Belgaum.