Latur, March 3 The last rites of renowned educationist and former Rajya Sabha member Dr Janardan Waghmare were performed at his village in Maharashtra's Latur district on Tuesday.
State Minister Babasaheb Patil, Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh, NCP's Sanjay Bansode, MP Shivaji Kalge, among other senior politicians and officials, were present for the cremation held at Kavtha village in Ausa tehsil, 20 km from the district headquarters.
Waghmare (91) passed away after a brief illness at his residence in Latur on Monday.
He was a close aide to NCP founder Sharad Pawar and had been widely acknowledged for his lifelong contribution to education, literature, and public service.
Waghmare was the founder and vice-chancellor of Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded.
Born on November 11, 1934, in Janwal village of Chakur tehsil, Waghmare served as a Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra between 2008 and 2014. During his parliamentary tenure, he was a part of several key committees, including agriculture, human resource development, defence, and external affairs.
He also served as the Latur Municipal Council president between 2001 and 2006.
Waghmare had established the Rajarshi Shahu College in Latur and served as its principal.
He was regarded as the architect of the 'Latur Pattern' for academic excellence, a model synonymous with students from the region dominating merit lists in board and entrance exams.
Waghmare also authored more than 80 books in Marathi, Hindi, and English on education, social reforms, Dalit literature, philosophy, and biographies.
He was a recipient of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award, Yashwantrao Chavan Literary Award, and several government honors for his contribution to education and literature.
In 2009, he was part of the Indian parliamentary delegation to the United Nations, where he addressed representatives from 150 countries on global peace. He also introduced an important bill in Parliament advocating mandatory premarital HIV/AIDS testing.
His mortal remains were brought to the cremation spot at 11 am in a sombre procession, taken out throughout Latur city, Babhalgaon, and Lodaga villages.
Several activists, villagers, family members, and well-wishers had gathered to pay their respects.