Dattopant Thengadi

Dattopant Bapurao Thengadi, (Marathi: दत्तोपंत ठेंगडी, 1920–2004) was an Indian Hindu Ideologue, trade union leader and founder of the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. He was born in the Arvi town of Wardha district in Maharashtra.

Thengadi was a full-time Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak until his death on 14 October 2004. He has been one of the foremost advocates of the hallmark qualities of his lifestyle: simple living, in-depth study, deep thinking, clarity of thought. He was awarded with Padma Bhushan but refused to accept it.

Early history
Dattopant Thengadi (Dattatreya Bapurao Thengadi) was born in Arvi (Wardha, Maharashtra) on Deepawali, 10 November 1920. He studied law at Law College in Nagpur. He finished his post-graduation from Morris College and LLB from Law College in Nagpur. He was a lawyer as well as a philosopher, and displayed an early talent for administration. At the age of 15, he served as president of the ‘Vanar Sena’ as well as the Municipal High School student union at Arvi. He actively took part in India's Freedom Movement and was a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) from 1936-38. He became a full-time Pracharak in 1942. He worked as organizing secretary of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) from 1950–51, and was also associated with the Postal & Railway Workers Union (Communist Party). He was organising secretary of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh for Madhya Pradesh (1952-53) and South India (1956-57).

He was profoundly influenced by Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar, popularly known as Guruji. Some of the other towering figures of the time who influenced his persona are Babasaheb Ambedkar and Deendayal Upadhyaya. He always kept pace with time by establishing various organizations in different spheres, and maintained the core philosophy of Hindu Dharma

Founder of organisations
Thengadi founded, some of the well-known organizations: Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (1955), Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (1979), Swadeshi Jagran Manch (1991), Samajik Samarasata Manch, Sarva- panth Samadar Manch and Paryavaran Manch; also a founder member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat and Bharatiya Vichara Kendra.

In Parliament
He was the member of the Rajya Sabha from Bharatiya Jana Sangh for two terms during 1964-76, also served as its vice-chairman in 1968-70. Thengadi showed his leadership capabilities by organizing protests during the anti-Emergency movement in 1975.

Travel
A widely traveled man, within India. He also visited places abroad, which includes- Soviet Union and Hungary as member of a parliamentary delegation (1969), Geneva, Switzerland to attend Second International Anti-Apartheid Conference at Geneva (1979). He was invited in USA, Canada, Britain and Yugoslavia in 1979 to study the impact of liberalization on trade union movement. He has also travelled to, China, Jakarta, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, on various occasions.

Disenchanted with both the western models of development, namely, Capitalism and Socialism, he propounded a ‘Third Way’ of socio-economic development based on the ideology of ‘Sanatan Dharma’. He authored many books.

Death and condolence
Dattopant Thengadi died on 14 October 2004 due to Brain Hemorrhage.