Great freedom fighter Shivram Bhiku Murkar was born in Dabhol village in taluka Dapoli, district Ratnagiri. He grew with 2 brothers and 2 sisters. His family lived hand to mouth and their entire responsibility was on Shivram’s shoulders. He fed his family with the help of his fishery business and a small hotel that he ran.
He actively participated in the freedom struggle, the record of which is lost in time. Unfortunately, there aren’t any living contemporaries who would tell the tale of his bravery. Whatever information was found is incomplete and scanty.
It is told that as he worked in fisheries and had to deal with ports every day, he received secret messages that came via the sea route and passed on to his revolutionary comrades, including the ones underground. He was arrested by the British in Mumbai in 1930. He was arrested because he helped hiding the revolutionaries. He was sentenced to a prison life of around 2 – 3 years. Few years later he permanently shifted from Dabhol to Dapoli. He built a house in Dapoli and ran the State Transport canteen for a living. His good friend Baburavji Belose provided him with most of the materials to build his house. He had close relations with right from Baba Fatak to Yashvantrao Chavan. He later stopped running the ST canteen and opened his own restaurant named ‘Samata Lunch Home’. He continued his social work along with taking care of his restaurant business. He used to provide shelter and food to people who came to Dapoli for education or medical help, etc.
His current generations still have the honor letters and emblems that he received for his great work as a freedom fighter. The world observed the sad demise of this great freedom fighter on 23rd December 1977.
