Narayan Meghaji Lokhande

Narayan Meghaji Lokhande (Marathi: नारायण मेघाजी लोखंडे) (1848-1897) was a pioneer of the labour movement in India. He is remembered not only for ameliorating the working conditions of textile mill-hands in the 19th century but also for his courageous initiatives on caste and communal issues.^[1] The Government of India issued a post stamp with his photo in 2005.

Social contribution

Narayan Meghaji Lokhande was a prominent colleague of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. Lokhande is acclaimed as the Father of the Trade Union Movement in India. From 1880 onwards he took over the management of Deenbandhu which was published from Bombay. Along with Lokhande, Jyotirao also addressed the meetings of the textile workers in Bombay. It is significant that before Jotirao and his colleagues Bhalekar and Lokhande tried to organise the peasants and the workers, no such attempt was made by any organisation to redress their grievances.^[2] Mahatma Phule started the first Indian Workers organization – 'Bombay Mill Hands Association', with the help of Shri. Narayan Meghaji Lokhande.

Some of the rights mill workers got because of N M Lokhande were:^[3]

1. Mill workers should get a weekly holiday on Sunday.
2. In the afternoon, workers should be entitled to half-hour recess.
3. The mill should start working from 6:30 in the morning and close by sunset.
4. The salaries of the workers should be given by the 15th of every month.

Praised by government

In 2005, the Government of India released a Postal Stamp to commemorate his work.

References