[1] Sawarkar was famous during our schooldays and our generation was enthused by his message of love and devotion to Mother India, says Shobhana Ranade, Bhave used to call me Shobhaniya.

Her social career took a turn, in 1955, when she went to North Lakhimpur, Assam, joining a padyatra (walkathon) with Vinobha Bhave and helped setting up the Maitreyee Ashram and a Shishu Niketan,[5] the first child welfare centre in the region.

She also started the campaign, Adim Jaati Seva Sangh, a program for imparting training to Naga women on charkha weaving.

[2][4] In 1979, she returned to Pune and helped founding the Gandhi National Memorial Society and an institute for women for training, based at Aga Khan Palace.

[2][4][6] In 1998, Ranade, under the aegis of the Gandhi National Memorial Society, established the Kasturba Mahila Khadi Gramodyog Vidyalaya, an institute for destitute women, for training them in 20 village trades and skills.