ULHAS CHANDRAKANT PRADHAN
Trustee, CKP Mandal, Vile Parle
Past-President, ABCKP Udyog Prabodhini
Founder, CKP Young World
Mr. ULHAS CHANDRAKANT PRADHAN received his first training of social work even while he was still schooling. His father LATE CHANDRAKANT KRISHNARAO PRADHAN was a leading social worker of CKP community in general and CKP Samaj, Andheri. He was also a founder member, treasurer and later a Trustee of Vidya Vikas Mandal (VVM), an educational trust and also Trustee of VinzaiDevasthan Mandal. Among other grass root functions Ulhas also had to take part in accounts writing of these institutions. Preparing the balance sheets of the Mandal, its schools and ultimately preparing a consolidated balance sheet by merging all the schools’ accounts with the Mandal’s balance sheet was a momentous task. This early age training helped Ulhas in making the foundation of the accounting knowledge firm and strong. In VVM, Ulhas also had opportunity of observing the working of Presidents like the honourable Late Acharya M. V. Donde (renowned educationist and Mayor of Mumbai) as also the dynamic and towering personality like Late Babasaheb Gawde (practically all-in-one of renowned institution Maratha Mandir).
He also inherited the businessman-ship from his father though he chose to use his Engineering education by entering into manufacturing of Packaging Materials. After doing this business for 25 years, he retired from the partnership. During this period he acquired in-depth knowledge of all financial aspects of running a business along with the technical aspects.
While in business, he had opportunity of participating in and observing the working of the trade associations and federations and also the executive committee of the 100 units strong industrial estate in which they had their office.
Thereafter, he took active part in the management of CKP Industrial Wing, – then a division of Akhil Bharatiya CKP Madhyawarti Sanstha – an apex body of all CKP business community organisations across India. When he took charge of the Treasurership of Wing, earlier 2 years’ accounts were not written. He not only completed the pending work on computer but also the current year’s accounts as soon as the year ended. That helped to call the AGM in stipulated time. This culture continued till he was treasurer of the Wing.
While working with this institution, he pressed many modern and innovative ideas in the working and vision. Some of them got good response and reaped good results. Holding an Annual Dinner in Pune was one such idea which gave birth to a new organisation of CKP Businesspersons in Pune.
In the year 2009, Mr. Ulhas Pradhan was elected as the President of ABCKP UDYOG PRABODHINI (earlier known as CKP INDUSTRIAL WING of which he was treasurer as mentioned earlier in this introduction). After taking charge of the Presidentship Mr. Pradhan inducted some young blood in his team and re-activated the house journal of the Prabodhini which was not functional for some time. This journal appropriately named and registered as BUSINESS INSIGHTS received an entirely modern, young and professional look because it is handled by professionally efficient youngsters like Dr. Ashutosh Pradhan.
Mr. Pradhan was also the Vice President of the Mumbai Pashchim Vibhag of Akhil Bharatiya CKP Madhyawarti Sanstha before the current committee was formed.
While involved in the CKP community work, he realised that only the senior citizens were taking part in the activities. The vital youth element was just missing. He firmly believed that without active participation of the community youth, no community can progress. So around the year 2000, Mr. Ulhas Pradhan entered into the activity of networking the CKP youth.
Since internet was the only medium to get in touch with the youth, he created internet groups and invited the CKP youth to join it by searching them in internet. It reaped good results and huge youth activities were generated in CKP community. Before that, many youngsters were not even aware of their CKP roots. They not only came together on internet but also started meeting in small groups all over the world. The size of the meeting groups later increased fro 15 to 150. These personal interactions lead to mutual affections and bonding amongst them. A number of marital alliances amongst themselves were a natural culmination of these personal interactions.
Mr. Ulhas Pradhan is trying to build a formal youth body of the CKP community. Basic steps towards the goal have already being taken.
In the year 2000 Mr. Pradhan was also instrumental in creating a website devoted to the entire CKP community worldwide – www.ckpworld.com. This website not only contained all the info about the CKP community such as the origin and history, CKP organisations worldwide, their contact details, names and contact details of the office bearers and the committee members of these organisations, social resumes of the eminent CKPs and important social workers. It also contained a directory of about 350 CKP businesspersons which could be sorted out by various criteria such as the trades, states, cities, surnames etc.
For some reason this website turned in-operative after 5-6 years. Now, Dr. Ashutosh Pradhan of Vile Parle, Mumbai has created another website www.ckp.in and Mr. Ulhas Pradhan helped him to upload various data on the site. The directory of CKP businesspersons will be created on this site soon. They are also planning to create a census of the entire CKP community worldwide. They are also creating sub-websites connected to this site for every CKP organisation which will be a free service so that all the CKP organisations will be available under one roof. Though the websites of the CKP organisations will be offshoots of the main website, they will be allowed to upload and manage their own contents. They may also create their own domains and connect the website through that domain so that their identity remains separately. The profiles of eminent CKPs are already being uploaded to this site.
Mr. Ulhas Pradhan has also collected over 4300 all-CKP friends on the networking website. Facebook and this list is growing by the day as well as by the night since CKPs from all over the world are now voluntarily joining this list.
After working for some years on the Managing Committee of the prestigious CKP MANDAL, VILE PARLE, Mr. Pradhan became Chairman of the Mandal for the last 4 years. During his two tenures as Chairman, he gave emphasis to delegating not only the tasks but also the powers needed to execute the tasks to various sub-committees. This has created an atmosphere of teamwork. Simultaneously, he also gave stress on day to day office work and modernised the systems by computerising major functions of the office. During his tenure, the building of the Mandal was also re-decorated, one fully equipped AC hall was added on the second floor and a lift was installed for better utilisation of the upper floors. In the year 2011, Mr. Ulhas Pradhan was elected as the President of the Mandal and later in 2013 he was elevated to the post of a Trustee of the Mandal.