Ichalkaranji

Shrivardhan Bio–Tech, known throughout India for the quality of their cut flowers, operates a computer controlled floriculture unit. Shrivardhan Bio-tech is the first project in the country, and perhaps in the world, using environment friendly, hand-made baked clay containers, made by artisans in rural India, providing much-needed employment. These containers help keep the root zone cool during summer, stimulating the growth of white roots, by evaporating water cool in earthen pot. Coco Peat (Cocus nucifera) is used as a growing medium, which is an organic matter with excellent aeration and eco-friendly thus helping an infertile, rocky land to be put under productive use. With a view to control, monitor, and correct the quality of nutrition in terms of volume, frequency, pH, and EC, Shrivardhan Bio-tech has installed a computer controlled nutrition system. Ghodawat Agro Pvt Ltd produces floriculture Gerbera, Chrysanthemum, Carnation Lilium, Gypsophila and Roses like Grand Gala, Royal Class, Passion, Marie Claire, Ice Burge, Poison, African Dawn, Tube Rose etc. production capacity of over 100,000 exotic flowers per day. Has been acquired the most coveted Global Gap, SEDEX & ISO 9001:2000 accreditation.

Ichalkaranji today is one of the fastest growing industrial areas in Maharashtra and has even been termed the “Manchester of Maharashtra”.Having mixed community from all parts of India this is a cosmopolitan town by true means. The city’s economy is driven predominantly by the textile industry.The textile industry is mainly dominated by local manufactureres & marwari(Rajsthani) traders. Engineering is the second largest industry of the city. There is much progressive agriculture in the area surrounding the city. Almost all banks in India have a branch in the city. Textile goods manufactured in city are sold all over India as well as exported to various parts of the world. Traders use Centralized Online Real-time Exchange Core Banking facility for financial transactions. Indian Settlement Systems such as Real time gross settlement RTGS and National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) System is also available in almost all branches of banks in the city. Despite of all these Bankers clearing house in the city processes approximately 8000 Cheques on each working day. Clearing house is managed by the State Bank of India. Most of the Insurance and companies in India have offices in the city.

Shrimant Narayanrao Babasaheb was the eighth successor. He ascended the seat in the year 1892. His rule has been marked with progressive measures in all departments of the administration. He himself, as a young man, had a very well-rounded and advanced education, making it a point to select those subjects which would be of special benefit in the administrative affairs. In addition, he had travelled far and wide, visiting Java, Malay Peninsula, Ceylon( Sri Lanka) and Burma. He had also visited England and the Continent three times. He had taken a keen interest in the cultural as well as material and social welfare of his people. He patronised the study of art and Indian classical music, from basic to the advanced stages, also offering prizes in the art exhibitions at Pune and Mumbai. He had established a good number of scholarships in several arts colleges of Maharashtra and for students going abroad for their professional education. Shrimant Narayanrao Babasaheb was a preceding patron of true culture and an enlighted ruler. Ref – “John L Goheen in Glimpses of Ichalkaranji”;Publisher=J L Goheen|pages=41}.

Activities of Seva Bharati are Dr.Hedgewar Mobile clinic visiting nearby 12 villages, twice a week, treating @ 25000 patients every year. Pathological lab, established in 1993, serving for @ 5000 beneficiaries annually at nominal rates. OPD registering @ 6000 patients per year. Polyclinic having 8 specialist doctors on its panel, each one offering service of check up & advice once in a week for needy patients. Day care indoor unit 24 hour ambulance service at subsidized rates. Blood donation camps. Free health camps. Nutritious food for the malnourished children in Lalnagar slum of Ichalkaranji city. Free Child health checkup camps. Rescue & relief work for the victims of earthquakes in Killari (Dist. Latur) in September 1993 & Kutch in 2001. Relief & rehabilitation work in 2005 & 2006 for the flood affected people and medical treatment at the time of epidemics in Kolhapur district. Participation in periodic health campaigns like pulse polio, special health checkup camps for women and general checkup camps.

Considering the 150 billion sale of the textile products and nominal 20% net profit and 257,572 Population of the city, per capita income of Ichalkaranji is 116,472, amongst the cities having highest per capita income in the country. Ichalkaranji also ranks among city’s with high ownership of consumer products such as home appliances and fast-moving consumer goods. Hypermarket such as Big Bazaar & D mart, Apnaa Bazaar has a store in city. Famous brands such as The Raymond Shop, a premium retail store offering complete wardrobe solutions for men, Peter England, Raymond, John Hill,Samsung, Fujifilm Kodak have authorized showrooms in the city of Ichalkaranji.’Big Bazar’ shopping mall is also opened in year 2010 in Ichalkaranji.Also by the end of year 2011 many new brands like Mufti, Allen Solly, H&A, Fastrack, Reliance footprint, Titan have their showrooms in the city and many new showrooms are being opened in the city along with it Baskin Robins, Naturals, Ice n Spice, Carnival pizza, CCD are now in this city.

The city of Ichalkaranji assumes a place amongst the cities having highest per capita income in the country. Ichalkaranji was a Maratha Princely state situated on the banks of Panchganga River . It was ruled by the Ghorpade dynasty for the last two centuries. The chief of state, His Highness Shrimant Narayanrao Babasaheb Ghorpade, who was responsible for developing the Ichalkaranji village Into an Important Industrial town and who contributed liberal donations to educational Institutions throughout the country. He was the main source of inspiration for the development of both the decentralized textile industry as well as the co-operative movement. He encouraged Mr. Vitthalrao Datar, a young entrepreneur of the town, to install a power loom in 1904. Perhaps this was the first power loom started in the decentralized textile industry of the country. Thus, Ichalkaranji has given a new concepts and dimensions to the textile field of India.

The civic administration of the city is managed by the Ichalkaranji Municipal Council, which was established as a municipality in 1904. The municipality oversees the engineering works, health, sanitation, water supply, administration and taxation in the city. It is headed by a Municipal President who is assisted by municipal chief officer and council members. The city is divided into 65 wards and the council members (also known as councilors) are elected by the citizens of Ichalkaranji every five years. The council members in turn elect the Municipal President. The growth and expansion of the city is managed by the Ichalkaranji Municipal Council which is headed by a municipal chief officer. Its activities include developing new layouts and roads, town planning and land acquisition. The electrical supply to the city is managed by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MAHADISCOM).

Medical Association of Ichalkaranji is a local Medico-Social service organisation of qualified & duly registered medical practitioners of all systems of medicines practising in Ichalkaranji & outskirts of Ichalkaranji. The main aim of this association is to make available medical treatment either free or at minimum cost by establishing charitable institutes like T.B. Clinic, T.B. Sanitorium, General Hospital, Adhar Kendra and to organise & develop all socio-medical activities & face local problems unitedly. So the Medical Association of Ichalkaranji came into existence in 1975. Activities of association includes, Free Counselling for underprivileged s, Elisa Testing for HIV in concessional rate, Symptomatic Treatment for opportunistic infections, Free Ante-natal ARV treatment to HIV+ve mothers & child, Free T.B. treatment to HIV+ve patients, Free Nirodh (condoms) supply and Social Awareness.

The dynasty of Maratha rulers of Ichalkaranji, having its origin in the middle of the seventeenth century, has had a long and honorable record. A Brahmin widow, by the surname of Joshi, failing to eke out a living in the village of Mhapan, near Vengurla, in the Sindhudurg district, decided to try her luck up over the ghats. So, taking her only son, Naro Mahadeo, a lad of about seven, she came to the village of Kapshi, where the brave Santaji Ghorpade, one of the faithful generals of Chattrapati Shivaji, lived. Naro Mahadeo early took a keen interest in the cavalry horses of the general, and one day persuaded a syce to allow him to ride a fiery war horse to the river to drink water. This stolen ride was observed by the alert Santaji, who roundly scolded the syce, but also began to take a deep interest in the prodigal boy, who rode so well without any formal a training.

The citizens of Ichalkaranji elect one representative, currently Mr.Suresh Halvankar, to the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha through the constituency of Ichalkaranji. The 21 letterboxes have been installed in the city by Mr.Halvankar on 18 July 2010 to communicate with the people of his constituency and address their grievances. He have been receiving numerous complaints and suggestions . Ichalkaranji city, being a part of the larger Ichalkaranji Lok Sabha constituency, also elects one member, currently Mr. Raju Shetti, to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. Politics in the city are dominated by three political parties: the Indian National Congress (INC), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Nationalist Congress Party.City is on the brink of public health and environmental emergency, requiring immediate remedial action.

Tata Nano small car is very similar to Meera, a small car developed in 1970 by Shankarrao Kulkarni of Ichalkaranji. The city is also known for Fundamental Measuring instrument manufacturing industry. These testing machines are used in engineering and other manufacturing industry’s, engineering institutes and research institutes for analysis. These measuring instruments are marketed in India as well as some other countries. Measuring instrument manufactured in city by varies companies include compression testing Machines, Torsion Testing Machines, Horizontal Chain & Rope Testing Machines, Spring Testing Machine, Impact Testing Machine, Erichsen Testing Machines, Universal Testing Machines, Rockwell scale Hardness Tester, Brinell scale Hardness Tester, and Computerised Vickers hardness test.

Venkatrao, the son of Naro Mahadeo, was married to Anubai, the youngest daughter of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat, who very soon became the Prime Minister, or Peshwa, of the Satara branch of the Shivaji’s family, under the rule of Chattrapati Shahu Maharaj. It was not long after this that Pune became the political center of Maharashtra. It was but natural that every year Venkatrao and his wife, Anubai, spent some of their time in Pune. Because of this alliance with the Peshwas, the rulers of Ichalkaranji came into more and more prominence. Venkatrao becoming a Sardar of Shahu Maharaj, and receiving additional Inams and grants from time to time because of his prowess and great ability as a general, fighting against the forces of Kolhapur and Portuguese from Goa.

Nearest Railway Junction : Miraj Miraj railway junction is a very busy junction and entry point to Ichalkaranji . Miraj lies on Mumbai Bangalore main line and has daily connectivity to important cities. Miraj junction has 4 broad gauge branches connecting it. Long distance trains like Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express, Goa express, Chalukya Express, Poorna express, Swarna Jayanti Express, Ajmer Bangalore Express, Jodhpur Bangalore express, Gandhidham Bangalore express, Hubli express and numerous other passenger trains are available from Miraj junction. Miraj railway station is about 28 km from Ichalkaranji . One can get down at Miraj and then take a bus or cab to Ichalkaranji. It takes 40–55 minutes from Miraj railway station to Ichalkaranji.

Sugarcane is the main Cash crop. The city is surrounded by five Sugar refinerys, Annually they processes Over 5000000 metric ton of Sugarcane, as of 2009 Sugarcane prices of 2600 per ton Sugarcane farmers itself bring in approximately Rs.13000000000 (13 billion) to the economy of the city’s Catchment area. Four out of five sugar mills have Co-generation plants. The oldest of these five sugar mills is Deshbhakta Ratnappa Kumbhar Panchaganga Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd, founded by Dr. Ratnappa Kumbhar, an Indian independence activist who signs the final draft of the Constitution of India. Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd, one of the leading sugar companies in India, has set up a Bagasse based 30 Megawatt Cogeneration power plant in Ichalkaranji.

Transportation is provided by MSRTC city buses and also there are many prominent private buses which servers to all major destinations in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra pradesh.City has excellent connectivity with a number of major cities. private buses is a more preferred mode of transport due to its wider network and speed. Buses run by private companies are generally considered more comfortable and reliable, with most offering sleeper and air conditioned coaches such as Mercedes-Benz and Volvo Buses. They are connected to nearby major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Belgaum, Sangli, Miraj and Kolhapur. MSRTC provides bus service from Ichalkaranji to Sangli and Kolhapur every 15 minutes.

Textile Development Cluster : To enhance and improve the infrastructure facilities of the city, Municipal Council along with Ichalkaranji Co-operative Industrial Estate, Laxmi Co-operative Industrial Estate, Parvati Industrial Estate and DKTE Textile and Engineering Institute have jointly come together and formed a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company viz. “Ichalkaranji Textile Development Cluster Limited (ITDC).The individual members will contribute to the extent of about 50% of the project cost and the balance amount would come in from the grant in aid from Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy, Government of India,under the Industrial Infrastructure up-gradation Scheme (IIUS).

The foresighted ruler gave a royal patronage by extending financial assistance as well as free land to the desires weavers and other enterprising entrepreneurs.He deliberately invited lot of marwari ( Rajsthani ) businessman to Ichalakranji & start business. During his visit to Denmark and other western countries, the Chief had an access to the co-operative sector of these countries and he was very much impressed with the success of the Co-operative sector of these countries and on his return to India, he vowed to exercise this movement for the benefit of his only subject, that is reformation of the microeconomics of the town for Prosperity, growth and Self-sustainability of the society.

Established in 1990 the organization works as a project based Non Government Organisations (NGO). In the year 1989, the birth centenary year of late Hon’ble K. B. Hedgewar, the founder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the idea transpired that some work, related to the service of the under privileged people should be initiated in city of Ichalkaranji. This is the inspiration of Seva Bharati, Ichalkaranji and from 1990 Organisation is working in the field of health, education and related dimensions for the last 20years. Seva Bharati has been able to spread its SEVA initiatives (service) in Ichalkaranji city itself and surrounding 12 villages, two of which are from Karnataka state.

Schools in Ichalkaranji are either “municipal schools” (run by the IMC) or private schools (run by trusts or individuals), which in some cases receive financial aid from the government. The schools are affiliated either with the Maharashtra State Board (MSBSHSE), The all-India Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) boards. Marathi or English is the usual language of instruction. The government run public schools lack many facilities, but are the only option for poorer residents who cannot afford the more expensive private schools.

After his training in Gwalior, Balkrishnabua came to Mumbai and the Miraj. As the climate of Miraj seemed to suit him he desired to settle down there. Balkrishnabua’s fame began to draw disciples from surrounding places. His disciples included Gundubua, Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Mirashi buwa, Anant Manohar Joshi of Aundh, Nilkanthabua Jangam, Vamanbua Chaphekar, his son Annabua Ichalkaranjikar, etc.His style of singing was pure Gwalior of Haddu Hassu Khan vintage. His contribution is remarkable in bringing the Gwalior gharana gayaki to Maharashtra and for popularising it. Pandit Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar died in 1926 at the age of 77 years.

‘Rajsthani festivals ‘ About more than 15% population being migrated from Rajsthan, all the major festivals of Rajsthan like Gan Gour, Teej, Holi are celebrated here with great joy. The Diwali of Ichalakranji sees a cash turnover ( by sales of clothes & gift articles & pooja material )more than Rs.200 million within last five to six days of Diwali. Other festivals like ‘ Ramdev Baba ki Dooj ‘, Ramnavami, Mahesh Navami are celebrated with large participation of all the communities. Almost from each & every village or town or city from Rajsthan at least one person is residing at Ichalakranji so this place is also called as mini Rajsthan.

The presence of a qualified workforce and the level of technical know-how and easy accessibility to finest weavers of Ichalkaranji for outsoaring and over all good social ambiance were among the factors that influenced Italian textile major Tessitura Monti, Turkish textile maker ‘Soktas’, Bombay Rayon Fashions Ltd (BRFL), Raymond Zambaiti Ltd (A joint venture of Raymond’s Ltd and internationally renowned Cotonificio Honegger S.P.A, part of Gruppo Zambaiti), world famous German Men’s wear brands Liebe, Boys R Bad and Looty etc.. while planning investment near Ichalkaranji city.

Kishore Musale Charitable Trust (KMCT). The trust provides educational help and utilities to 25,000 students and 350 schools, in the areas of Vasai, Manor-Palghar and Thane. It has begun an ideal high school and junior college named Tatyasaheb Musale Vidyalaya at Ichalkaranji, equipped with facilities such as computer and science laboratories and a modern sports ground. This trust has also provided computers,classrooms, bore wells, etc. to mentally retarded and handicapped students in Kolhapur, Ichalkaranji and Thane.

The city’s economy is also driven by the engineering goods manufacturing industry (which has been around since the fifty’s). Several automotive component manufacturers have plant’s in or around the city, who are venders for companies such as: Maruti Udyog Ltd, Honda Motorcycle, Bajaj Auto, TVS Suzuki, Kehin Fie, Tata Motors, Kirloskar Brothers Limited, Mahindra & Mahindra, MICO. Emmel Vheelers has a manufacturing unit of hybrid three-wheeler, e-motorcycle, high-power scooters, and electric scooters in Ichalkaranji.

The FIE Foundation, a charity trust established in 1970, belongs to the ‘Fie Group of Industries’ in Ichalkaranji. The Chairman of the Fie Group, Shri P. D. Kulkarni, established the ‘Fie Foundation’ trust to recognize and reward eminent personalities and budding talents in a variety of fields. The awards are generally selected from the following fields: Engineering, Science & Technology, Humanities, Education, Agriculture, Music & Arts, Sports, Literature, Child Artist, and local talents.

City’s population as shows above is excluding newly developed industrial and residential area, villages that are already merged in Ichalkaranji (known as part of the city) but having gram panchayet such as Kabnur, Shapur, Yadrao and Korochi etc. Considering this city’s metropolitan population is over 3 lak. The language most widely spoken is Marathi. Other languages used are Kannada, Hindi, Gujarati & Marwari.Bihari many and Panjabi few languages in Ichalkaranji.

Before 1980 Ichalkaranji was famous for cotton poplin, dhoti, and cotton saris. In mid-1980s, weavers of the city started producing denim, canvas, chiffon, and fabric for school uniforms (khaki drill). Fabrics such as seersucker, Oxford, herringbone, ripstop, chambray, tweed, and twill made in or around the Ichalkaranji city are used by many domestic and international fashion brands such as Raymond’s of India, Armani, Banana Republic, Hugo Boss, and Paul Smith.

Thus, Naro Mahadev,the lad was benefitted by the general’s personal attention.Naro in turn served Santaji loyally and both developed affection for each other. Naro performed heroically and gallantly. As Naro Mahadeo proved his ability, he was promoted and later on was rewarded with Inams. Out of gratitude to his benefactor, Naro went on to change his surname from Joshi to Ghorpade, which to this day is the surname of the dynasty of rulers of Ichalkaranji.

As of the 2001 India census, Ichalkaranji had a population of 257,572. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Ichalkaranji has an average Literacy Rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 91%, and female literacy is 66%. In Ichalkaranji, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. According to the 2011 census estimate the population of the city is 287,570, making it the 151st most populous city in India.

As described by Horace George Franks in the book ‘The Story of Ichalkaranji'(1929), it would be imprudent to say that there were no ups and downs. But it should be noted that the women of the House of Ichalkaranji rulers were always ready to defend and also advance the interests of Ichalkaranji with as much courage and shrewdness as the male members. An outstanding example of this is Anubai, the wife of Venkatrao.

Star Maajha, Zee Marathi, Doordarshan Sahyadri, ETV Marathi, and Me Marathi are popular television channels. English and Hindi entertainment and news channels are watched as well. Ichalkaranji has had FM Radio services running for the last few years. Though Radio Tomato (Pudhari Publications). 94.3 MHz, Radio Mirchi (98.3 MHz) tops the popularity rating along with All India Radio FM (102.7 MHz).

Drama Theater : Shrimant Narayanrao Babasaheb Ghorpade Natyagrah. It is the unique theater in western Maharashtra. Seating capacity for 1200 persons. Fully air conditioned theater. This is the only air conditioned theater in south-west Maharashtra. It can be compare it with “Kalidas Theatre” in Nashik. The plans where prepared by kisloskar consultants, Pune. The plot area is about 19129 sq m.

The highest award conferred is the Rashtrabhushan Award. The awards are given annually in a grand ceremony held in Ichalkaranji in January or February. A few of chief guests who have graced the occasion are honorable Ex. Prime minister of India Shri. Chandrashekhar, hon’ble Ex. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri. Manohar Joshi, cine actor Shri Dilip Kumar, and industrialist Shri Rahul Bajaj.

Mahasatta is the local newspaper of the City, while other Marathi language newspapers such as Sakaal, Pudhari, Loksatta, Lokmat, Kesari, Maharashtra Times, and Saamna are popular. Major English dailies in the city are The Times of India, The Indian Express Business Standard and The Economic Times. Major Hindi dailies in the city Navbharat Times and Vyapar of Janmabhoomi Group.

Ichalkaranji is popular among non vegetarians of this part country for its unique homemade Dinner of Goat mutton called Suke Mutton severed with Rassa ( a thin and spicy soup of goat), handmade Bhakri and onion salad. City has more than 100 such Gharguti khanaval (Small Hotels), famous names are Jambu Bugad, Jadhav, Savairam. City has a road known as Khanaval galli ( Hotel Road ).

Rajaram Stadium : Work Started – 31 January 1987 – Work completed – 7 August 2002, Cost Rs.35,000,000 The cricket ground having radius of 70 metres. The plans are prepared by Pratap Achalkar, well known Architect and Ranaji Player. Ranaji Trophy matches are played on this ground. The total plot area is about 25436 sq m that with the capacity of Auditorium is 20,000

Research on non-laparoscopic abdominal hysterectomy has been done By Dr.Vijay Benadikar, MD of the city and he has developed a new modification of the abdominal hysterectomy called “modified mini-Pfannenstiel hysterectomy” (non-laparoscopic). He has done more than 600 such procedures in last 6–7 years. He have been invited and presented this lecture at:

Ichalkaranji is home to one of the oldest textile industries in India. Home to nearly 5,000 textile factories, it is also one of India’s largest centres of small scale industries. The town has as many as 120,000 power looms employing 30,000 power loom workers and 15,000 dependents and with a daily turnover of nearly 500 million (US$9.2 million).

International clubs such as Rotary club, Lions Club organizing the humanitarian service projects every year which are beneficial to community. Sri Ramakrishna Satsanga Mandal, Ichalkaranji a branch of Ramakrishna Math, Pune is doing humanitarian service projects such as dispensary and Tuition classes for school going boys from nearby slum area.

Olympic Size Swimming pool : Work Started – 16 August 1992 – Work Completed – 23 December 1998, Cost – Rs.16,164,017, To encourage the city’s swimmers Municipal Council has constructed an Olympic size swimming pool. State-level swimming Tournaments are held every year. Maintenance of this Swimming pool is done properly by municipal authority.

Broadband Internet access, provider in the city is DataOne by BSNL Fixed Line telecom services are offered alongside GSM and Code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile services. Cell phone coverage is extensive, and the main service providers are Vodafone Essar, Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Communications, Idea Cellular, Aircel and Tata Indicom.

In 1962 the Deccan Co-operative Spinning Mill Ltd. came into existence in Ichalkaranji, which was the first Co-operative Spinning Mill in Asia. As of 2010 over 20 modern spinning mills this region has become one of the major centre for spinning mills in India. Some of these spinning mills are 100% Export Oriented Units of Cotton Yarn.

Vegetarian Maharashtrian cuisine such as Misal Pav, Vada sambar, Vada pav, Pohay is accessible 24 hr/day as city’s textile mills work 24 hr/day and workers have it as a refreshment during 12 hr shift. City has plenty of dhabas Marwari Bhojnalaya serves vegetarian Rajasthani food. City has around 125 Beer Bar serve Punjabi cuisine.

Conference for literary discussions by Marathi writers was held in Ichalkaranji in 1974.The President of this Sahitya Sammelan was Mr.Purushottam Laxman Deshpande. Popularly known by his initials ??. ?. (“Pu. La.”) a legendary writer and film and stage actor, music composer, harmonium player, singer, and orator.

Ichalkaranji (Hatkanangale T.; 16° 40′ N; 74° 25′ E; p. 27,423; a 8.7 square miles), lies in the Panchganga valley about eighteen miles (29 km) east of Kolhapur and half a mile north of the river. It is six miles (10 km) southeast of Hatkanangale railway station. The town is formed of seven hamlets.

City has an arts school name after him ‘Gayanacharya Pandit Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar Sangeet Sadhana Mandal’, which is devoted to Indian Classical Music hosts cultural programmes throughout the year which help in spreading cultural awareness amongst Society.

Ichalkaranji Textile Development Cluster (ITDC), a company, incorporated under the companies Act, 1956, is a Special Purpose Vehicle promoted by Ichalkaranji to undertake infrastructure development project under the IIUS. The main objects of the SPV company are:

Born in 1849, Balkrishnabua received his training from Pandit Vasudeobua Joshi, who belonged to the school of Haddu-Hassu Khan. He also received his guidance from Ustad Mahmed Khan, the elder brother of the famous Rahimat Khan and eldest son of Haddu Khan.

Ichalkaranji is in western India about 425 kilometres (264 mi) from Mumbai. The City is rapidly growing and now merging with neighbouring Jaysingpur town to form a large satellite suburban township with Sangli city which is just 24 kilometres (15 mi) away.

Impressions of British life and character on the occasion of a European tour, 1913 -Meherban Narayanrao Babasaheb, chief of Ichalkaranji, Bombay presidency, with an introduction by the Right Hon. Lord George Hamilton, G. C. S. I.

Approximately 40% of new automobile sales in Kolhapur district is from Ichalkaranjis Catchment area. Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Hero Honda, Bajaj, and TVS Motor have authorized sales and services centers in Ichalkaranji.

To form a Textile Cluster, a local agglomeration of small, medium and large textile and ancillary enterprises, which are engaged in production, marketing range of related and complementary products and services