Born in 1921 at Itoli, taluka Jintur in Parbhani district, Shripatrao Santukrao Savangikar was a freedom fighter who pursued his education at a law college in Hyderabad. As a student, he participated in the Vande Mataram movement in 1939 and subsequently started working as a lawyer in Parbhani in 1944. He was an active member of the Hyderabad State Congress and played a key role in the movement against the Nizam government initiated by Swami Ramanand Teerth in 1947. He went into hiding during the revolt against Nizam's rule and received orders from Swami Ramanand Teerth to work independently under the supervision of District Chief Vinayakrao Charthankar. He helped store materials in the Loni and Washim camps and also played a role in procuring weapons for the Hyderabad liberation struggle. As a member of the protest committee led by Vinayakrao Koratkar, he participated in the boycott of the court (Tarte Vakalat) until the police took action.
During the movement against the Nizam government, Shripatrao Savangikar worked underground alongside Shrinivasrao Aundhekar, Ganpatrao Pedgaonkar, and Anantarao Kausdikar. For his efforts, he received a Certificate of Honor as an “Underground Independent Soldier” from the Maharashtra Government, which was attached to his record. After India gained independence, he practiced law and also engaged in social work. He served as the Chairman of the Parbhani Municipal Corporation from 1967 to 1970 and was actively involved with various organizations such as the District Congress Committee, Ganesh Library, and Nutan Vidya Mandir, an educational institution in Parbhani.
He passed away on 4 August 1971.
Source: Kavita Damodarrao Joshi, DRP, CCRT