Keshav Sitaram Thackeray

Keshav Sitaram Thackeray (17 September 1885 – 20 November 1973; born Keshav Sitaram Panvelkar, also known as Keshav Sitaram Thakre and Keshav Sitaram Dhodapkar, but commonly known by his pen name Prabodhankar Thackeray), was an Indian social reformer. He campaigned against superstitions, untouchability, child marriage and dowry. He was also a prolific author. He was one of the key leaders of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti which successfully campaigned for the linguistic state of Maharashtra. He was the father of Bal Thackeray, who founded the Shiv Sena, a pro-Marathi Hindu nationalist party leader. He is also the grandfather of former Shiv Sena chief and Chief minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. There is a school in Pune named after him. Early life Keshav Thackeray (born Keshav Panvelkar) was born on 17 September 1885 in Panvel in a Marathi Hindu Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu family. According to his autobiography Mazhi Jeevangatha, one of his ancestors was a Killedar of the Dhodap fort during the Maratha rule. His great-grandfather Krushnaji Madhav Dhodapkar ("Appasaheb") resided in Pali, Raigad, while his grandfather Ramchandra "Bhikoba" Dhodapkar settled in Panvel. Keshav's father Sitaram was born Sitaram Ramchandra Dhodapkar but he adopted the surname "Panvelkar" after growing up, as per the tradition, but while admitting his son in the school, he gave him the surname "Thakre", which was apparently their original traditional family name before "Dhodapkar". An admirer of the India-born British writer William Makepeace Thackeray, Keshav later anglicized the spelling of his surname to "Thackeray".