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Thakkar Bapa
ठक्कर बापा
The father of the tribal people — Gandhi's servant of the adivasis
Years
1869 – 1951
Known as
Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar — 'Thakkar Bapa'
Birthplace
Bhavnagar, Gujarat
Field
Social Reformers
“The adivasi is my brother — and the hills and forests of the land are my home.”
— Thakkar Bapa
The Story
Born in 1869 in Bhavnagar, Amritlal Thakkar was an engineer who left his career to serve the people. He came under Gandhi's influence and devoted his life to the cause of the adivasis — the tribal peoples whom the nation had forgotten — and he was given the name Thakkar Bapa, the father, by the people he served.
He worked among the tribal communities of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Central India for half a century, living their life, learning their languages, and serving their needs — in health, education, and land rights. He founded the Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangh, the society for the service of the tribal peoples, and his work made him their greatest champion.
He died in 1951, honoured as the father of the tribal people. His life — the complete gift of a servant to the forgotten of the land — remains the model of service, and his name is remembered with love wherever the adivasis live.
Core Ideas
The Father of the Tribals
The title the adivasis gave him.
The Adimjati Sevak Sangh
The society he founded for their service.
The Fifty Years
Half a century of living among the tribal people.
The Rights
He fought for their land and their dignity.
The Gandhi's Servant
His work carried Gandhi's spirit to the hills.
Why it matters today
Thakkar Bapa is honoured as the father of the tribal people of Bhārat — the servant whose life was given wholly to the adivasis of the hills and forests. His name is remembered with love wherever the tribal people live, and his life remains the model of service to the forgotten of the land.