After passing his Matriculation examination in 1902, he joined the Fergusson College, Poona, and passed his B. A. in 1907. With a view to joining the ranks of lawyers who provided the active political leadership in those days, he joined the Law College and passed the First LL.B. examination in 1908, but gave up further studies in order to enter public life as a fill-time worker straightaway.

His teacher Chandavarkar, who had a passion for Mathematics, Metaphysics and Music, created an everlasting interest in Kakasaheb to study Mathematics, Astronomy, Science, History, Sanskrit, English and Poetry. His eldest brother, Baba, composed poems in Sanskrit and Kakasaheb soon picked up that art for himself. Another teacher from Karwar, Vavan Mangesh Dudhashi, deeply influenced him in his religious outlook.

In 1909 Kakasaheb became the Headmaster of the Ganesh Vidyalaya, a national school at Belgaun. In 1910 he shifted to Baroda and became the Headmaster of the Ganganath Bharatiya Sarva Vidyalaya. This institution had to close down in 1911 under political pressure. At this time, an inner conflict was going on in his mind between political aspirations prompting him to employ any means for India’s liberation and spiritual urges pushing him towards renunciation. He went to the Himalayas where he trudged on foot at many as 2,500 miles. At the end of three years, he decided to rededicate himself to work for the freedom movement.

He returned to Hardwar and became the head of the Sanatani Rishikul. He soon left the institution to join another teaching post, this time to head the Sindhu Brahmacharyashram at Hyderabad (Sind). A little late, his restless spirit took him to Bengal. In the middle of 1914, he joined the teaching staff of Santiniketan. Here he met Gandhiji (17 February, 1915). It was love at first sight on both sides. Days of long discussions with the Mahatma convinced Kakasaheb that, he informed Gandhiji that he was ready to join him.

From that time, he became as inseparable lieutenant of Gandhiji till the latter’s assassination in 1948. Kakasaheb was installed as the head of the Sabarmati School which was to evolve, fifteen years later, the well-known Gandhian scheme of Basic Education. When, in the wake of the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920, Gandhiji founded the Gujarat Vidyapith (the National University of Gujarat), Kakasaheb was associated with it, first as a Professor and later as the Vice-Chancellor for eight years (1928-35). Simultaneously, he was the Principal of the Gujarat National College.

When in 1935 Gandhiji shifted his head-quarters from Sabarmati to Wardha, Kakasaheb with him and was entrusted with the task of reforming the Nagari script and popularising Hindi as the national language. A freedom-fighter, he served five long imprisonments between 1922 and 1946. Near Gandhiji in spirit shifted his headquarters, after Gandhiji’s murder, to ‘Sannidhi’, near Gandhiji’s Samadhi in New Delhi.

Kakasaheb was a member of Parliament from 1952 to 1964. In the Republic Day Honours list of 1964, the President conferred on him the honour of Padma Vibhushan (next only to Bharat Ratna) in recognition of his long services to the cause of nationalism and humanism. From 1965 onwards, he gradually withdrew from all organisations and institutions to make room for younger men. He wants to devote the closing years of his life to the establishment of the ‘familyhood’ of all religion and emotional integration of all sections of the Indian community.

Chosen by Gandhiji to execute the Basic Education programme, Kakasaheb utilized his wide knowledge and rich experience of various educational systems for the successful working of the scheme.Kakasaheb worked for over

thirty years for popularising Hindi as ‘Shan Ki Boli’ (everybody’s language), and for his long services, the Rashtra Bhasha Prachar Samiti, Wardha, awarded him the Mahatma Gandhi Prize for 1959. He was Chairman of the Committee appointed by the Constituent Assembly in 1948 to recommend the most suitable system of Hindustani Shorthand and Keys for a Hindi Typewriter.

He was Chairman of the Backward Classes Commission (1952); President of the All India Basic Education Board, the Hindustani Prachar Sabha, and the Gandhi Memorial Museum. He was a member of the All India Congress Committee for some years. He was also a member of the Sahitya Academy and President of the Gujarati Sahitya Sammelan (1959).

He was Vice-President of the Indian Council of Cutural Relations till 1959. Kakasaheb travelled extensively in Europe, America, Africa and Asia. His idea was to study the problems of the Indian settlers there and also to cultivate cultural relations with the people of these countries.

As a student of the Ferguson College, Kakasaheb came into close touch with secret political societies which believed in methods of violence for the overthrow of the British Government. He remained in this camp for more than a decade before he met Gandhiji in 1915.

The works of Spencer, John Morely, Grant Allan and other rationalist thinkers had turned Kakasaheb into an agnostic. But the sermons of Ranade and Bhandarkar, and the writings of Swami Vivekananda, Sister Nivedita and Anand Coomaraswami made him realize that ‘Rationalism ‘ did not could not deny God.

Though brought up in orthodox surroundings, Kakasaheb, from his childhood and teenage, displayed his aversion to caste distinctions, observance of untouchability and the ill-treatment of window. He advocated social and religious reforms to facilitate the advent of political freedom. He stood for the equality of all men and women in the society irrespective of the religious faiths they followed.

For a period of nearly sixty years, Kakasaheb selflessly dedicated his life to social service through various institutions. For the Radha Laxmi Harijan Ashram, Belgaum, he made a trust of his ancestral property for meeting the expenses of the institution.

A staunch follower of Gandhiji, Kakasaheb discouraged regionalism. Although he stood for the liquidation of the British rule in India, he favoured maintaining good relations with the British people to learn many good things from them. He shared the general public opinion which blamed the British rule in India for the economic grievances of the country.

He supported the idea of a self-sufficient economy by developing cottage and village industries. Naturally he was not in favour of modern industries, since, by their use of machinery, they increased the number of unemployed. He looked at Labour problems though Gandhian eyes.

Kakasaheb was the sub-editor of the Maratha, Poona (1909), and of the Rastramat, Baombay (1909-10). When Gandhiji was arrested in March 1922, Kakasheb became the editor of the Navajivan (Gujarathi). His various articles in Gujarathi made the issues of Navajivan very popular. He was recognized as the best Gujarati writer, though his mother tongue was Marathi.

Kakasaheb has written more than eighty books in four languages, viz.,: Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi and English. His Gujarati books have given a new and rich life to Gujarati literature. His books on philosophical themes are widely read and studied. His commentary on the Geeta and translations of some books of Rabindranath into Marathi and Gujarati are recognised as the finest of their kind.

The Government of Bombay (1960) and Gujrat (1964) awarded him cash prizes for some of his books. Many of his books have been prescribed as text-books for studies from Matriculation to the M. A. examinations in every University in Gujarat and in other Indian Universities where Gujarati is being taught. His travel accounts, giving descriptions of Nature and its various forms and beauty, are extremely charming to read.
Kakasaheb has always led a simple, quiet and ascetic life.