Jagannathrao Hegde

Dr. Jagannathrao Hegde (born 1943) was the former Sheriff of Mumbai. His term was of two years and took over on December 23, 2003. Vijaypat Singhania replaced him as the new sheriff on December 18, 2005. Hegde is a dental surgeon.

Dr. Jagannathrao Hegde is an eminent person from Mumbai. A dental surgeon by profession he was the Sheriff of Mumbai from 2004 to 2006. He was the most active and popular incumbents of the august Office of Sheriff of Mumbai. This was acknowledged by the government when it chose him as the ‘Best Sheriff of Mumbai’ in the past 100 years. Besides this distinction of being a guardian of the society, Dr. Hegde is also widely known as a dedicated and responsible social worker, a knowledgeable educationist and an enthusiastic sports administrator who has spent a lot of time towards the cause of upliftment of the masses in the city and those residing in the mill labour dominated areas of Kalchowky, Parel, Lalbaug and Bhoiwada for well over five decades.

Having a big clientele and the majority of it hailing from the economically weaker sections of society he started feeling for them which resulted in his bond with them growing stronger each passing day. His desire to serve them honestly and tirelessly earned their adulation. Very soon he was to become very popular among them. He had the opportunity to get associated with the Lion’s Club and Rotary Club Dental Association, institutions which used to regularly conduct free Dental Check-up camps in schools, colleges, residential buildings and chawls in and around the densely populated areas in South-Central Mumbai.

Dr. Hegde’s most preferred activity is Dental Health and Medicine. To popularise the concept of dental healthcare he struck upon a novel/unique concept. Healthy Teeth Contests and Beautiful Teeth and Smiles Competitions were an instant hit among the students and their parents who got proper and timely advice at the right time. The numbers of those who benefitted would surely run into crores considering the time span of his activities. These activities inspired him to look beyond and further. He got involved in organising other health related and social activities like Free Eye check-up camps where in addition thousands of needy people were distributed free glasses/spectacles. Taking a step further he expanded the boundaries of his services by organising Blood Donation Camps. All these activities were carried out on a large scale thus widening his operational base.

Once a person gets hooked to social work as a passion and responsibility his activities are sure to grow or expand and Dr. Hegde was no exception. Seeing his ability to juggle his time between his profession (which earned him his livelihood) and social service, his friends from other professions and diverse strata of society thought it fit to invite him into other fields like education and sports. His professional approach impressed the management of two renowned colleges in Mumbai. The Dr. D Y Patil Dental College and the Terana Medical College considered him competent enough to be their Medical and Dental Director. A rare honour! The dentist had prior experience in the field of education. He was very much involved as a Vice-President of the Abhyudaya Education Society. His other contribution to the field of education was as a Member of the Senate and Executive Council of the University of Mumbai, again a rare privilege!

Being appointed as Honorary Adviser of the S N DT University was due recognition of is expertise. The University has 200 colleges affiliated to it with almost 70 thousand students on their rolls. His services were also sought by the National Education Society, another big institution with 44 colleges and 32 thousand students. He worked as their Trustee.

Dr. Hegde’s foray in the field of sports started with the Amateur Body Builders’ Association of Maharashtra where he was the Chairman. The Bombay District Carrom Association has honoured him by nominating him their Patron. Election as President of the prestigious Shivaji Park Gymkhana was another feather in his cap. The Gymkhana has a glorious history. It is the cricket nursery of the city which produced top international cricketers for over six decades.

Honours and appointments have kept coming his way. The prominent being the Trusteeship of the Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Prabhadevi which enabled him to help the needy. In the years 2013-2016, he worked as the Vice-Chairman on the Central Advisory Board for Child Labour. He succeeded in eradicating the inhuman practice of employing minors as labourers in hotels, especially roadside dhabas and small scale workshops and factories. As the Chairman of the Lokseva Education and Medical Foundation he has been organising Ganesh Darshan Spardha in Mumbai for 25 years. Hundreds of mandals participate in this competition which has lakhs of Rupees on offer as prizes and awards. Lions Club International, the world’s largest organization dedicated to social service befittingly bestowed upon him The Lion Millennium Award. In 2009-2010 he was chose by them as the Eminent Personality of the year.