MAHARASHTRA: Mitesh Nayaran Ghatte, currently working as a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) in Mumbai for the last several years, may be posted in the city, but his heart remains nearly 450 kilometres away at his native village Ishwarpur in Sangli district.
From medical support to education and sustained social service, his constant effort has been to ensure that even the last person in the village witnesses real development, dignity, and progress in daily life and opportunity.
After joining the police service in 2008, Ghatte came in contact with many people working in government service and administration. Gradually, he realised that these professional relations and access could be used for the welfare of his village in Sangli district. “But I was not sure how it could be done. Then I was transferred to Karad when Prithviraj Chavan was the chief minister of Maharashtra and also came from Karad.
Karad became a centre for administrative and political activities and gave exposure to do something different. I started studying government schemes and realised many were good on paper but hardly reached people. So we decided to set up an NGO in the name of my doctor father, known as NT Ghatte Trust,” he said.
Talking about the legacy of the Ghatte family and their roots going back to the 1940s, Ghatte said they were fortunate and blessed to be guided by social activist and educational reformer Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil. Bhaurao Patil founded the Rayat Education Society in 1919 to spread education in rural areas, when education was a distant dream for poor and downtrodden communities across Maharashtra.
“My grandfather from my mother’s side, Dr V S Nerlekar, was a bright student but could not pursue education due to poverty. Bhaurao Anna came to his rescue and funded his education, and my grandfather became the first doctor (MMBS) from Sangli district in 1940. After that, the Ghatte family has produced 50 doctors, all working in different parts of the world at various positions,” Ghatte said.
He said his grandfather firmly believed that whatever he achieved because of Bhaurao Patil had to be returned to society. “Whatever he got in life due to Bhaurao Patil, he felt it was his duty to return it. He donated one third of his income to Rayat Education Society for several years without publicity so that students who could not afford education could become doctors, engineers, or do something meaningful in their lives,” Ghatte said.
Mitesh grew up in an environment where devotion to social welfare and education was a basic family mantra. “Giving is living. Once we start offering anything for community, social, and education service, it comes back with compound interest. Greed and selfishness limit our shining and restrict inclusive growth. We got such a pedigree at a young age. I was fortunate, because education and jobs alone are not enough; life is half without social service,” Mitesh pointed out.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ghatte observed that while governments and agencies were helping people, some sections remained untouched. “This section was sugarcane cutters staying in farms and sugar factory premises during the season. We offered sanitisers, masks, and medicines. We set up medical health camps and ensured no one suffered. If a person was infected and serious, we moved them to district hospitals. We also opened a blood bank and started an ambulance service,” Ghatte said.
Girls’ education and empowerment became another focus area of the trust. “We carried out surveys of government-run primary schools where girls were skipping school in large numbers due to distance. Many parents were reluctant to send daughters because of the gap between school and home. So we decided to donate 150 bicycles only for girls. Attendance increased and dropouts reduced. We also donated 94 computers through CSR funds and asked schools to focus on IT education,” he said.
He said exposure beyond traditional careers was equally important. “We invite personalities from different fields so rural students get exposure to options beyond tradition. We arrange career guidance camps and workshops. We started a library and ensured students read books and develop reading habits early,” Ghatte said.
Ghatte has adopted four children and supports their education by paying tuition and other fees. The legacy of service continues in his family.