Ketkar Shridhar Vyankatesh was born on 2 February 1884, in Raipur, Madhya Pradesh. His father, a postmaster, was transferred to Bombay shortly. His mother then relocated to Amaravati with Shridhar and his siblings, where he received his early education.
Even in his youth, he displayed remarkable intelligence, consistently excelling in academics and competitive exams. His extensive reading, eloquence and sharp memory earned him the nickname "Walking Encyclopaedia" among his peers. Influenced by Lokmanya Tilak's ideology, he developed a strong passion for Indian independence, Swarajya and Swadeshi while studying at Wilson College in Bombay. Disillusioned by the imperialist attitudes prent in colonial-era colleges, he firmly believed in India's freedom through armed revolution. Inspired by the possibility of acquiring military education in America, he left for the United States in April 1906, despite familial opposition.
Returning to India in 1912, Ketkar briefly taught Economics and Political Science at Calcutta University before embarking on extensive lecture tours advocating for social and governance reforms.
Ketkar proposed three key reforms: regionalization based on language, governance in indigenous languages, and the establishment of province-wise universities teaching in local languages. Convinced of the need for comprehensive knowledge dissemination, he dedicated himself to the monumental task of creating an encyclopedia for national service.
Active in the Non-Cooperation Movement, he played a pivotal role in politicizing the masses and advocating for self-determination. He organized conferences and raised grievances against the government, contributing significantly to India's struggle for independence.
Ketkar Shridhar Vyankatesh passed away on 10 April 1937.