Founder

Bharat Ratna Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve, popularly known as ‘Anna’ was born in Konkan, (Maharashtra) on 18th April 1858. He spent his childhood at Murud (Ratnagiri) in poverty and hardships. He observed the dire consequences of the custom of child marriage. After the death of his first wife, he remarried a child widow and set an example of widow re-marriage. He incurred the wrath of the society due to this progressive decision, but he remained unmoved.

As he knew the significance of education for women, he set his goal of life by devoting himself for this purpose. It was a challenging task to stand against the views of the society and age-old beliefs. Gradually the significance of girls’ education was accepted. The flourishing institute that stands proudly today is a fruit of his endless efforts and far-sighted vision.

Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha (MKSSS) was established in 1896 by Bharat Ratna Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve, to provide education to women and make them self-reliant. MKSSS aims at “Empowerment of Women through Education“as Maharshi Karve believed that “Women’s Education & National Development are complementary to each other.”

In the beginning, he started the “Anath Balikashram”, with an objective to provide education to child widows. The Anath Balikashram started functioning from 14th June 1896. The first building of the Institution was a tiny hut constructed on a small piece of land in Hingne, at a distance of about 4 km, from Pune. In the beginning, only 4 girls were admitted and started getting education in this Kutir (hut).

Currently, MKSSS has campuses all over Maharashtra, where more than 32,000 girl students are taking education. Over the period of last 125+ years, the Institution has grown manifold and it is running 64 educational units at present. These units are located at Pune, Satara, Wai, Ratnagiri, Nagpur & Kamshet and are exclusively for girls.