Thakkar Bapa

Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar (29 November 1869 – 20 January 1951), popularly known as Thakkar Bapa, was an Indian social worker who was involved in welfare initiatives for tribal and Dalit communities. 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 Mahatma Gandhi in 1932. The Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangh was founded on 24 October 1948 on his initiative. 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".

When Indian constitution was being framed, Kenvi visited various remote regions of India to study the situation of tribal and Harijan people. He 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 devoted 35 years of his life to empowering the Harijan community.