Poojya Sane Guruji Vidya Prasarak Mandal,Shahada
A Pioneer in the field of Socio-Economic and Educational transformation of North-West Maharastra through Co-operative Movement

It has been his endeavor to provide quality educational facilities and infrastructures in rural areas contributing to India’s development at the grass roots.
Born on 9th October, 1923 in a very poor peasant family in a small village of Lonkheda, Shahada in India, Shri. P.K. Anna Patil completed his primary and secondary education at Shahada and Nandurbar.

He graduated from M.S. University, Baroda, with a degree of B.com. and obtained the degree of LLB from the University of Poona. During his school and college days, Shri. Anna Saheb Patil actively took part in the freedom movement of India. He was one of those brave boys at Nandurbar in 1942 in Quit India Movement. While saving one of his young friends, Shri Patil luckily survived and later on imprisoned. His contribution to the freedom struggle has been acclaimed widely and with all respect. He started the legal practice at Nandurbar and was very soon dragged by the Co-operative movement in the State, under the able guidance of the well known economist Dr. Dhananjay Rao Gadgil, the pioneer of the Co-operative movement in Maharashtra. Shri P.K. Anna Patil was the Chairman of the Dhulia District Central Cooperative Bank for eleven years. His firm faith in the teaching of Gandhiji and the co-operative movement encouraged him to start the Co-operative Sugar factory, Spinning mills, Paper plant, Partical board unit, Distillery and starch factory at Shahada and Dhulia.

His work in the co-operative field and the field of education has made the people of this area to describe him with the title of “Sahakar Maharshi” and “Shikshan Maharshi”.

• सन २०१८ च्या पुरूषोत्तम पुरस्काराचे मानकरी - मा. डॉ. ज्ञानदेव गंगाराम हापसे (ऊस संशोधन शास्त्रज्ञ, पुणे)-मराठी विज्ञान परिषद, मुंबई