Thakkar Bapa

Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar, popularly known as Thakkar Bapa (29 November 1869 – 20 January 1951) was an Indian social worker who worked for upliftment of tribal people in Gujarat state in India. He became a member of the Servants of India Society in 1914 founded by Gopal Krishna Gokhale in 1905. In 1922, he founded the ''Bhil Seva Mandal''. Later, he became the general secretary of the ''Harijan Sevak Sangh'' founded by ahatma Gandhinowiki/>in 1932 . The ''Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangh'' was founded on 24 October 1948 on his initiative. When Indian constitution was in process, Kenvi visited remotest and most difficult parts of India and conducted probe into the situation of tribal and Harijan people. He was appointed the chairman of "Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Other than Assam), a sub committee of the constituent assembly. Mahatma Gandhi would call him 'bapa'. In one of his appeals in 1939 Mahatma Gandhi called him "Father of Harijans".

Thakkarbapa visited forests in Assam, rural Bengal, drought affected areas of Orissa, Bhil belts in Gujarat and Harijan areas of Saurashtra, Mahar areas of Maharashtra, untouchables in Madras, hilly areas of Chhota Nagpur, desert of Tharparkar, foothills of Himalaya, coastal areas of Travancore to undertake his mission of empowering Harijans. Thakkar Bapa dedicated 35 years of his life to the empowerment of Harijans.

Early life

Thakkar Bappa was born on 29 November 1869 in a middle-class family of Bhavnagar in Saurashtra region of Gujarat State India. In 1886 he matriculated from Bhavnagar high school and secured Sir Jaswant Singh ji Scholarship. His father Vithal Das Thakkar named the child Amrit Lal. He received his first schooling for benevolence and service to humanity from his father. He got his L.C.E. (Licenciate in Civil Engineering) from Poona Engineering College in 1890. He worked as an engineer creditably in Porbander and later went out of India to serve in laying the First Railway Track in Uganda (East Africa). He served also as chief engineer in Sangli State for some time and then was employed in Bombay municipality as an engineer. It was here he saw, for the first time, the miserable conditions of those scavengers who had to dispose of the refuse of the whole town of Bombay. He was shocked to see the filthy colonies where the Sweepers had to live and made a firm resolve to devote the rest of his life to alleviate the lot of these people. He later served in Uganda (Country) railways in East Africa. In 1914, he resigned and took up social work. He became a member of Servants of India Society and advocated the rights of untouchables and tribals. He coined the word ''adivasi'' to refer to the tribal people, the inhabitants of forest in 1930s.

Honors

The Government of India issued a stamp in his honour in 1969. A well known locality, Bappa Colony in Mumbai is named after him. The Madhya Pradesh state government has instituted an award named in his honour for dedicated services to poor, victimised and totally backward tribal community. Maharashtra government has set the scheme to improve aadivasi villages and colonies named Thakkar Bappa aadivasi vasti sudharana in the year 2007

Popular culture

In Tamil Nadu, Thakkar was fondly known as "Appa Thakkar", the Tamil version of "Thakkar Bapa". Due to the fact that he was very knowledgeable, often instantly answering questions thrown at him, the Madras Bashai term "appatakkar", meaning a know-all, developed. This term gained popularity through its usage in the 2010 Tamil film ''Boss Engira Bhaskaran''.

Karmveer Bhaurao Patil, founder of Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, at Satara in Maharashtra had been working in the field of education by establishing voluntary schools in rural Maharashtra. One of the first five secondary education schools he establushed was located on an imposing hill called " Dambarkhadi " surrounded by villages on the Southern bank of river Koyna in Patan tehsil of Satara District. During late 1944, kiKarmveer Bhaurao Patil welcomed Shri Amritlal Thakkar aka "Thakkar Bappa" in a procession of 101 bullock carts organised by villagers. The school built by villagers in less than a week was named " Thakkar Bappa Vidyalaya Gandhi Tekadi". An isolated Dambarkhadi, feared for presence of ghosts, was renamed " Gandhi Tekadi ". Karmveer Bhaurao Patil entrusted the development of the school to a government school teacher Shri Lalsaheb Patankar, who had been working under the guidance of Kamaveer in establishing voluntary schools in remote areas of Patan tehsil since 1935. Lalasaheb Patankar quit government job and devoted himself for 23 years to the mission assigned by the Karmveer
He lived with family on the isolated hill with the singular aim of service to the downtrodden. Today "Thakarbappa Vidyalaya and Junior College" with English Medium School on the premises is a hub of quality education being imparted to thousands of students.
The name " Thakkar Bappa " has been great inspiration to all for over 75 years. May the movement of social reform inspired by the great soul continue to inspire many more generations to come.
Jai Hind.

Colonel Jayawantrao Patankar.

References

Further reading

* Hari, Viyogi. ''Thakkar Bapa'' (in Gujarati), New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bapa, Thakkar
Social workers
1869 births
1951 deaths
Social workers from Gujarat
Members of the Constituent Assembly of India
Gujarati people
People from Bhavnagar
19th-century Indian educators
20th-century Indian educators
Indian civil engineers