Servants of India Society and the Social Service League
Modern History › Reform Movements and Their Leaders · Topic 12.7
Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 with M.G. Ranade's help to train selfless national missionaries for the service of India by constitutional means. His follower Narayan Malhar Joshi founded the Social Service League in Bombay to secure better conditions of life and work for the masses.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Reform Movements and Their Leaders
At a Glance
- Servants of India Society Founded 1905 by Gokhale with Ranade’s help
- Aim Train national missionaries; serve by constitutional means
- Social Service League Founded by N.M. Joshi in Bombay
- Work Schools, libraries, nurseries, legal aid, relief
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Reform Movements and Their Leaders
Where Does It Fit?
This is the seventh topic of the category on reform movements and their leaders. The previous topic covered Phule in Maharashtra. This topic covers two service-oriented bodies of western India, both linked with Gokhale. The next topic covers the Ramakrishna movement and Swami Vivekananda. Previous topic: Satyashodhak Samaj and Jyotirao Phule.
What Was the Servants of India Society?
Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915), a liberal leader of the Indian National Congress, founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 with the help of M.G. Ranade. Its aim was to train national missionaries for the service of India, to promote the true interests of the Indian people by all constitutional means, and to prepare a cadre of selfless workers who would devote their lives to the country in a religious spirit.
In 1911 the Hitavada began to be published to project the views of the Society. The Society chose to remain aloof from political activities and from organisations like the Indian National Congress.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founder | Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915) |
| Year | 1905, with the help of M.G. Ranade |
| Aim | Train national missionaries; promote Indian interests by constitutional means; prepare selfless workers |
| Organ | The Hitavada, published from 1911 |
| Political stand | Kept aloof from political organisations like the Congress |
| After Gokhale | Srinivasa Shastri became president after Gokhale’s death in 1915 |
The Society still functions, though with a shrunken base, at many places in India. It works in education, providing ashram-type schools for tribal girls and balwadis at many places.
What Was the Social Service League?
Narayan Malhar Joshi, a follower of Gokhale, founded the Social Service League in Bombay. Its aim was to secure better and more reasonable conditions of life and work for the masses, and it set up schools and libraries for this purpose. The League organised many schools, libraries, reading rooms, day nurseries and cooperative societies. Its activities also included work as police court agents, legal aid and advice to the poor and illiterate, excursions for slum dwellers, facilities for gymnasia and theatrical performances, sanitary work, medical relief, and boys’ clubs and scout corps. Joshi also helped found the All India Trade Union Congress in 1920.
| Area of work | Examples |
|---|---|
| Education and culture | Schools, libraries, reading rooms, theatrical performances |
| Family and child welfare | Day nurseries, boys’ clubs, scout corps |
| Economic help | Cooperative societies |
| Legal aid | Police court agents’ work, legal aid and advice to the poor and illiterate |
| Health and sanitation | Sanitary work, medical relief, gymnasia |
How Do These Bodies Fit the Reform Story?
The chapter lists the Social Conference, the Servants of India Society and Christian missionaries as the organisations that were instrumental in the early stage of social reform, together with enlightened individuals, as stated in Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh Movement Revivalist…">Two Streams of Reform: Reformist and Revivalist. The Social Conference is taken up in Temple Entry Movement and the Indian Social Conference.
As an analytical point, these two bodies represent a different type of reform from the religious societies. They were not tied to a creed or a single social question. They trained workers and delivered services, and in the case of the League, took up the conditions of workers and slum dwellers, an area that religious reformers had left largely untouched. That is why they are important for understanding how social reform in western India moved towards secular social service, which the chapter identifies as the later direction of social reform.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Direct facts Founder, year and aim of the Society are standard Prelims items
- Link to Gokhale They connect Gokhale and Ranade with social service
- Direction of reform They illustrate the shift to secular social service
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the Ramakrishna movement and Swami Vivekananda. Next topic: Ramakrishna Movement and Swami Vivekananda.
Key People and Terms
- Servants of India Society Gokhale’s 1905 society for national missionaries
- Social Service League N.M. Joshi’s Bombay body for better conditions of life and work
- Hitavada The paper published from 1911 to project the Society’s views
- Balwadi A pre-school centre for young children
- Day nursery A day-care centre for children
- National missionary A worker trained to serve India selflessly
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Servants of India Society, 1905, by Gokhale with Ranade.
- Aim: national missionaries, constitutional means.
- Hitavada began in 1911.
- Srinivasa Shastri president after 1915.
- Social Service League: N.M. Joshi, Bombay.
Do Not Confuse With
- Servants of India Society and Congress The Society stayed aloof from political organisations such as the Congress
- Gokhale and Joshi Gokhale founded the Society; Joshi, his follower, founded the League
- Social Service League and Social Conference The League provided services; the Conference campaigned for reforms
Memory Hook
Gokhale trained servants; Joshi served the slums.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for service-oriented reform bodies. These points add depth.
- Selfless cadre Trained national missionaries
- Welfare services Schools, relief, legal aid, nurseries
- Labour link Joshi helped found the AITUC
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“What was the role of the Servants of India Society and the Social Service League in social reform?”
How to Answer
- Society Founder, aim and method.
- League Work for the masses.
- Place in reform Secular social service.
- Conclude Note their lasting work.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded the Servants of India Society?
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a liberal leader of the Indian National Congress, founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 with the help of M.G. Ranade. Its Hitavada, published from 1911, projected the views of the Society, which kept to constitutional means.
What was the aim of the Servants of India Society?
The Society aimed to train national missionaries for the service of India, promote the true interests of Indians by all constitutional means, and prepare a cadre of selfless workers who would devote their lives to the country in a religious spirit.
Who led the Servants of India Society after Gokhale?
After Gokhale's death in 1915, Srinivasa Shastri became the president of the Servants of India Society. The Society still works with a shrunken base, running ashram-type schools for tribal girls and balwadis at several places in India.
Who founded the Social Service League?
Narayan Malhar Joshi, a follower of Gokhale, founded the Social Service League in Bombay. Its aim was to secure better and more reasonable conditions of life and work for the masses, and it set up schools and libraries for this purpose.
What work did the Social Service League do?
It organised schools, libraries, reading rooms, day nurseries and cooperative societies, offered legal aid and advice to the poor, arranged sanitary work and medical relief, and ran boys' clubs, scout corps, gymnasia and excursions for slum dwellers.
Did the Servants of India Society take part in politics?
No. The Society chose to remain aloof from political activities and from organisations like the Indian National Congress, although Gokhale himself was a liberal leader of the Congress. It concentrated on training workers and service.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The Servants of India Society was founded by Gokhale in 1905.
M.G. Ranade helped him.
2 The Social Service League was founded by Gokhale.
N.M. Joshi, a follower of Gokhale, founded it.
3 Srinivasa Shastri became president of the Servants of India Society after Gokhale.
Gokhale died in 1915.
4 The Servants of India Society was closely aligned with the Congress as a political organisation.
It remained aloof from political organisations.
5 N.M. Joshi was connected with the founding of the AITUC in 1920.
The League also worked for the masses.
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