Early sparks
Education
Young Devendra was initially put in the Indira Convent School, Nagpur, named after the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. After a few years, came the most infamous period of Indian politics – the Emergency, imposed by the central government led by Mrs. Gandhi. It was meant to throttle all voices of dissent against the government. Devendra’s father Gangadharrao was a member of Jansangh, an organisation known for its strong views and ideological differences with the then ruling party. Gangadharrao got arrested during a protest rally and was put in jail for a long time.
This created defiance in the mind of child Devendra in a way that he refused to go to the school named after the person who was responsible for jailing his father. His adamance finally saw him change to another school called Saraswati Vidyalaya.
Schooling and Intermediate
Devendra went on to complete most of his schooling at Saraswati Vidyalaya which was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh school in Nagpur and passed out his intermediate from Dharampeth Junior College, also in Nagpur.
Graduating in Law
Raised in an environment of patriotism and distinctive ideological views, Devendra developed an inclination towards politics early in life. So, after passing the intermediate he decided to study law because he thought that a good knowledge of law would strengthen his innate sense of justice and public service – qualities that make one serve people better.
Devendra enrolled at the Government Law College, Nagpur, for a five-year integrated law degree, and graduated in 1992 with a gold medal in LLB degree.
An MBA after Law
After graduation, Devendra went on to do post-graduate in business management to acquire more in-depth knowledge of the applications of law, especially in the areas like handling of people and organisation, dealing with the policy matters, etc.
A diploma in Project Management
A further value addition that provides insights into the planning and organization of resources with knowledge of technology, finance, and intellectual property required to accomplish a project, a specific task or an event. Devendra studied and acquired a Diploma in Methods and Techniques of Project Management from D.S.E. Berlin.
Being at the helm of affairs in a demanding state like Maharashtra, no doubt that these qualifications give him an extra edge in terms of project identification/completion, man-management, and time management. His knowledge of law makes him a formidable force of social change.
