"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try"
Shri Gajanan Jagannath Takane, the founder of Rugna Seva Mandal Trust, was born on January 23, 1932 in a financially weak family. Back then, the practice of pursuing education at a higher level was less prevalent. However, with the support of his parents, he pursued education sincerely. His strong will to study well prompted villagers to contribute for his higher education. With their support and blessings, he continued to pursue Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Baroda. His sheer determination and hard work made him the first to graduate in the village of Methi, Dhule district, Maharashtra. In the year 1955, he was chosen to be a part of the Maharashtra Police Cadre as Police Sub Inspector, an achievement that brought him and his family great pride.
While his hard work and determination paid off, and success was at his feet, he chose to give back to the society, primarily his villagers who had once stood by him. He realized the importance of quality education, and how it aids in improving the quality of life, and in ensuring a person's well being.
While his hard work and determination paid off, and success was at his feet, he chose to give back to the society, primarily his villagers who had once stood by him. He realized the importance of quality education, and how it aids in improving the quality of life, and in ensuring a person's well being.
In the year 1973, he established a school under the Rugna Seva Mandal Trust, which is exempted from income tax, under 80G of the IT Act. Today, over 500 students from villages around the Dhule district study at the school. While he helped people from various walks of life, and yet abided to his professional duties, he also supervised and developed the trust.
During his tenure in the police force, he also wrote a book in Marathi named 'Polisatil Manus' a compilation of stories of police officers who served the society beyond their line of duty. Over 16,000 copies of the book were sold, of which 40% royalty was added to the trust's kitty. Another 40% went towards the welfare of the police force. He also authored a book on '125 years of the office of the commissioner rank' in the year 1989.
With great honor, he retired from the Mumbai Police Force in 1990 as Assisttant Commissioner Of Police, and continued to develop and grow the trust and the school. While he spent most of his life helping the society, mainly his village, he never chose to publicize his contribution and work in any manner whatsoever.
His journey of goodwill ended on February 16, 2008 when he moved on to a better world, leaving his wife, Smt Prema Takane to take over his vision to educate and secure the youth of the village. She took over as the chairman with immediate effect, and continued the legacy of her husband, with her prime focus being inculcating hygiene and discipline among not only the students but also villagers.
She inaugurated the statue of her husband and founder at the school campus. She also celebrated the trust's silver jubilee in the year 2008. During her tenure as the chairman, she initiated the establishment of a computer laboratory in the school. Today, the laboratory consists of 18 fully functional personal computers with internet connection. She passed away on December 20, 2012 leaving her son, Nitin Takane, now chairman of the trust, the responsibility to carry forward his late father's legacy.