Narendra Dabholkar Biography 
Dr. Narendra Achyut Dabholkar, popularly known as Narendra Dabholkar was a writer and rationalist from Maharashtra. He was the founder-president of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti. This organization set up in the year 1989 stood against superstitions. Unfortunately he was murdered on 20 August 2013.
Dabholkar was born on 1 November 1945 as the youngest of 10 siblings to Achyut and Tarabai. His eldest brother, Devdatta Dabholkar was an educationalist, Gandhian and socialist. Narendra Achyut Dabholkar did his schooling at New English School Satara and later joined Willingdon College, Sangli. Later he took MBBS degree from the Government Medical College, Miraj. He was the captain of Shivaji University Kabaddi team and has represented India against Bangladesh. He has won the Maharashtra government's Shiv Chhatrapati Yuva Award for Kabaddi. He practised as a doctor for 12 years and later dedicated his full life for social service.
Dabholkar was an atheist and didn’t believe in vastu shastra. He also criticized extravagance of marriages and conducted his children’s marriages in a simple way. He started focusing on eradication of superstition and founded MANS ("Maharashtra Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith") in 1989. He criticised the country's "godmen” and miracles done by them. Between 1990 and 2010 Dabholkar was active in movements for the equality of Dalits, against India's caste system and caste-related violence. He wrote books relating to this subject as well.
In March 2013, he protested against Asaram Bapu and his followers for using drinking water from tankers brought from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation for celebrating the festival. He made many attempts to imply an anti-superstition law in Maharashtra Government, though not fruitful. Under his supervision, MANS drafted the Anti-Jaadu Tona Bill (Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Ordinance). But it received protests from politicians and many other groups. Political parties included in those protests were Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena. Dabholkar was an atheist. He protested the superstitions existed in the society.
Dabholkar had faced several threats and assaults since 1983. He was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen near Omkareshwar temple, Pune on 20 August 2013. A day after Dabholkar's murder, the Maharashtra Cabinet cleared the Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Ordinance. Yet parliament would still need to support the bill for it to become law.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 15, 2018
