->ElliAWB at 18:21, 2 October 2021

2021-10-02T18:21:24Z

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{{Use Indian English|date=May 2016}}
{{Expand German|Bahman Pestonji Wadia|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2014}}
'''Bahman Pestonji Wadia''' or '''Bomanji Pestonji Wadia''' (''BP Wadia'', ''B.P. Wadia'' or ''BPW'') (* 8 October 1881 in [[Mumbai]], [[India]]; † 20 August 1958 in [[Bangalore]], India) was an Indian theosophist and labour activist. He was first a member of the [[Theosophical Society Adyar|TS Adyar]], later of
the [[United Lodge of Theosophists]].<ref name="ts">Olav Hammer, Mikael Rothstein.
''Handbook of the Theosophical Current''. Brill Publishing, 2013
{{ISBN|9004235965}} (pp. 83).</ref> On 13 April 1918, along with [[V. Kalyanasundaram Mudaliar]], Wadia founded the Madras Labour Union, one of India's first organised labour unions.

In 1903 he joined the TS in [[Mumbai]] and moved to [[Adyar (Chennai)|Adyar]] in 1908. He worked for the journal [[The Theosophist]]. He became president of the ''Madras Textile Workers' Union'' and engaged himself for worker's rights.

In 1919 he visited the ULT in [[Los Angeles]] and was very impressed. When he returned to Adyar in 1919, he tried to work for a change of direction in the TS Adyar, based on the ideals of the ULT, but didn't succeed. He became disappointed and left the TS Adyar to work for the ULT in Los Angeles.

In 1923 he founded several lodges on the east coast of the States. In 1925 he founded a lodge in the UK. In 1928 a lodge was founded in [[France]], in 1929 in Mumbai, and in 1930 he began publishing the journal ''[[The Aryan Path]]''.<ref name="ts" />
In 1928 he married [[Sophia Wadia|Sophia Camacho]] (1901-1986).<ref name="Blavatsky Theosophy Group">{{cite web | url=http://blavatskytheosophy.com/theosophy-and-the-brotherhood-of-religions/ | title=Blavatsky Theosophy Group | publisher=Blavatsky Theosophy Group | date=2015 | accessdate=27 April 2015}}</ref> In 1945 he founded ''[http://www.iiwcindia.org/ The Indian Institute of World Culture (IIWC)]'' in [[Bangalore]]. Other lodges of the ULT were founded in the States, Europe and India.

A street in [[Bangalore]], ''B.P. Wadia Road'', is named after him.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Works==
* ''Growth through service''. The Theosophical association of New York, New York 1922
* ''Problems of national and international politics''. Theosophical association of New York, New York 1922
* ''Studies in "The secret doctrine“''. Theosophy Co. (India), Bombay 1963
* ''The building of the home''. Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore 1959
* ''The inner ruler''. Theosophical association of New York, New York 1922
* ''Theosophy and new thought''. The Cosmopolitan press, Bombay 1907
* ''Thus have I heard, leading articles from "The Aryan path“''. Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore 1959

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=B. P. Wadia}}
* [http://www.teosofiskakompaniet.net/BPWadiaBiografi.htm Biography and texts]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060109133139/http://www.theosophy.com/theos-talk/199802/tt00356.html Biography in seven parts]
* [http://www.ultindia.org/ United Lodge of Theosophists India]
* [http://www.bangalorenotes.com/bpwadia.htm Biography on 50th death anniversary]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wadia, B. P.}}
[[Category:Indian Theosophists|Wadia, Bahman Pestonji]]
[[Category:Parsi people from Mumbai|Wadia, Bahman Pestonji]]
[[Category:Trade unionists from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:1881 births]]
[[Category:1958 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Mumbai]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Wadia family]]

B. P. Wadia - Revision history

->ElliAWB at 18:21, 2 October 2021