120 years back, on July 26 1902, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj introduced reservation in the Indian subcontinent by giving 50% reservation to Shudras and Ati-Shudras (now: SC/ST/OBC) in his Kolhapur State. 

Shahuji Maharaj by providing reservation liberated the backward and depressed classes who were denied education and were forced to do their respective birth based caste jobs, generations after generations. 

Shahuji Maharaj is also known as pioneer of affirmative action or father of reservation in India. This is just one of the remarkable works of Shahuji Maharaj out of many to strengthen Indian social democracy. He was greatly influenced by the life and philosophy of Mahatma Jotiba Phule and Savitrimai Phule. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar called him ‘Pillar of Social Democracy’.