Narayan Malhar Joshi

In 1911, Joshi established an organization called the Social Service League. The League conducted training programmes for volunteers, whose services were later utilized for relief work among people suffering from famines, epidemics, floods and other disasters, and also for welfare programmes among the poor and the destitute. He was president of Bombay Textile Labor Union. Among other titles, he is considered one of the pioneers in Modern Indian Social Work. On 20 September 1922, N M Joshi established an organization called the Sahakari Manoranjan Mandal. The 'sahakari' conducted training programmes for theatre artists, which later on successfully ran various Sangeet Natak plays written and directed by mill workers.

Early life

Narayan Malhar Joshi was born into Deshastha Brahmin family on 5 June 1879 at Goregaon, Kolaba (Raigad) district, Maharashtra. Joshi attended the New English School and Deccan College, graduating in 1901. He became a high school teacher after graduating, and later joined the Servants of India Society in 1909. In 1911, he moved to Bombay to found the Social Service League.