Dada Dharmadhikari

thumbnail Shankar Trimbak Dharmadhikari (June 18, 1899 – December 1, 1985), better known throughout the world as Acharya Dada Dharmadhikari was an Indian freedom fighter, and a leader of social reform movements in India. He was one of the strongest adherents of Mahatma Gandhi's principles.

Early life

Born on June 18, 1899 at Multai, district Baitul, Madhya Pradesh, Dada's family was known for its learning and scholarship as also for the study of Vedanta. His father Shri T. D. Dharmadhikari was a district and sessions judge, highly regarded for his integrity and professional acumen.

Dada studied at the Indore Christian College and later at Morris College in Nagpur. But left his studies half way to join the freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi. He however spent a year in studying Vedantic works of Adi Shankaracharya.

He married his wife, Damayantibai, early in life and she was his companion in the Quit India movement and in jail too. She was his partner in his work, and shared his beliefs and lifestyle.

Dada's lifelong passions were human relationship, enlightenment of youth, women and total transformation of society. He lectured every section of society in Gandhian concepts of truth, love, nonviolence, trusteeship. Jaya Prakash Narayan saw him as the most outstanding commentator, crusader of his vision of revolution.

In the Freedom struggle and social work

He took part in every moment launched by Gandhi and the Congress. He was imprisoned in 1930, 1932 and 1942. A thinker, philosopher and very good orator and writer. He was well-versed in Hindi, Marathi, English, Gujarati and Bengali. He was awarded Gandhi Award of the Rashtra Bhasha Prachar Samiti for his valuable contribution to Hindi Literature. He refused to accept honorary directorate.

A staunch Gandhian, dedicated to the cause of humanity and Indian nationalism, Dada Dharmaadhikari had engaged himself in studying, thinking and propagating the Gandhian thoughts with the relevance to the existing universal problems. From early days in his public life, he had close relations with Vinoba Bhave. Dada participated in Vinoba Bhave's Sarvodaya movement. He was closely associated with Jaya Prakash Narayan, a revolutionary, versatile writer and a powerful orator. He was universally acknowledged as one of the best interpreters of Gandhian philosophy.

Philosophy

Dada always reiterated that the great visionaries who influenced him in life included Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, Kishorilalbhai Mashruwala, Jamnalal Bajaj and J. Krishnamurti. Dada imbibed the vision, thinking, principles, conduct from all these personalities. He had a razor sharp intellect, discretion, with bhakti of Gandhian wisdom, insights and revolutionary spirit.

Dada was a highly respected social philosopher and free thinker and was active in public life. Dada sent a message to the young pioneer of freedom movement Guru Radha Kishan when he came to know about the courage shown by him during an independence rally in Indore. He was a visionary who could foresee and encourage the talent in an individual and inspiring each one to think independently and rationally.dada believed in the skills each one of us possesses and was of the opinion that skill development should be given proper emphasis..to be able to earn a living from one of our skills should b a priority.degrees without skills was not what he valued. He also had a rare ability to communicate his patently unorthodox ideas in an easy and simple style laced with a subtle sense of humor.

His thoughts on status of women were revolutionary. He was particularly pained to see they do not enjoy equal status and regarded not only as second class citizens but also as second class human beings. He wanted women and young men to participate in total revolution, so as to bring about a revolution in all walks of life. He believed that youth has a revolutionary mind and the future of this country and the world depends on their active participation.his book on 'stree purush sahjeevan'defines the equal role of women in the lifecycle of individuals.

Passing

He died in Sevagram, Wardha on December 1, 1985, one of the most prominent Gandhians and freedom fighters of the generation. Dada's son Chandrashekhar Shankar Dharmadhikari served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, a prominent jurist and educationalist.

See also