B. P. Wadia

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.

In 1903 he joined the Theosophical Society in Mumbai and moved to Madras in 1908 to be part of Theosophical Society Adyar. He worked for the journal The Theosophist. He become part of United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT).

On 13 April 1918, along with V. Kalyanasundaram Mudaliar, Wadia founded the Madras Labour Union, one of India's first organised labour unions. He became president of the ''Madras Textile Workers' Union'' and engaged himself for workers' 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 did not 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. Other lodges of the ULT were founded in the States, Europe and India. In 1930 he began publishing the journal ''The Aryan Path''.

In 1928 he married Sophia Camacho (1901-1986).

In 1945 he founded The Indian Institute of World Culture (IIWC) in Bangalore.

A street in Bangalore, ''B.P. Wadia Road'', is named after him. Provided by Wikipedia