Memorial of Gopal Krishna Gokhale where vows of Servants of India Society taken on Fergusson hill in Pune, Maharashtra
The ‘Servants of India Society' was founded by Gopal Krishna Gokhale at Fergusson hill on June 12, 1905, in the Pune district of Maharashtra. Gokhale founded the society along with three of his friends- Natesh Appaji Dravid, Gopal Krishna Deodhar, and Anant Vinayak Patwardhan, all of whom became lifelong members of the society.
The Society was founded out of the belief that if the masses were to be liberated, there should be a band of selfless and intelligent workers who would dedicate their lives to the service of the nation. Its volunteers were trained to be nationalist missionaries who took vows of renunciation, gave up all ideas of selfishness, pride, and fame, and dedicated themselves to their work and duty. The society focused on nation-building activities such as education, social welfare, upliftment of the downtrodden, and betterment of the underprivileged sections of society. Their activities were not restricted to economic or political spheres only, rather addressed a wide range of social issues too. In fact, the society was considered to be the first secular organization in the country to devote itself to the underprivileged, rural and tribal people, and other social causes.
The Society worked majorly to unite people of different ethnicities and religions for welfare purposes which helped directly in the integration of the masses during the Indian Independence movement.
Source: Indian Culture Portal