Dr. Shankar Rao Tatwawadi, fondly known as Shankar ji, a veteran Pracharak, an eminent scholar, and the former Samyojak of Vishwa Vibhag, passed away on March 13, 2025, at the age of 92. Born on March 20, 1933, in Nagpur, he dedicated his entire life to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its global outreach.
A brilliant student from a young age, Dr. Tatwawadi completed his early education in Nagpur before earning an M.Sc. in Chemistry from Nagpur University. He then pursued his doctoral studies at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Furthering his academic excellence, he undertook post-doctoral research in the United States at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Kansas in the mid-1960s.
Dr. Tatwawadi joined BHU as a professor in the Department of Pharmacy, where he later became the Head of the Department. He took early retirement in 1992 to devote himself fully to the Sangh work. Even during his academic career, he remained deeply involved with RSS activities, holding responsibilities at the shakha level in Nagpur and at the prant level in Banaras. He also served as a Shikshak in Sangh Shiksha Vargas.
Dr. Tatwawadi played a pivotal role in expanding Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) activities in the USA and worked as a Vistarak there for some time. He frequently travelled to the UK and other countries while continuing his professorship. In 1989, he was officially assigned as Pracharak for the UK, where he worked tirelessly until 2011. He took charge as Vishwa Vibhag Samyojak in 1993, travelling across more than 60 countries, overseeing major programs like Vishwa Sangh Shiksha Varg, Vishwa Sangh Shibir, Hindu Sangam in Milton Keynes (UK), and the Hindu Marathon in the UK. Under his leadership, shakha activities outside Bharat expanded significantly across all continents.
After 2011, Dr. Tatwawadi associated himself with Vijnana Bharati as a Margadarshak, travelling across Bharat to mentor karyakartas and engage with prominent personalities in the scientific field.
A deeply affectionate and approachable person, Dr Tatwawadi maintained close ties with countless karyakartas and their families worldwide. His ability to remember the names and personal details of everyone he met was truly remarkable. He had a keen eye for detail—whether it was travel arrangements, Sanskrit words and their meanings, the tune of a geet, or the chronology of events. Fluent in Sanskrit and well-versed in Hindu scriptures, he was also known for his melodious singing.
Since 2011, he was based at Dr. Hedgewar Bhavan, Mahal Karyalay in Nagpur, where visiting karyakartas always looked forward to meeting him. In recent months, his health had declined, and he faced difficulty walking. On March 12, 2025, at 10:30 AM, he breathed his last at Mahal Karyalay. Fulfilling his wishes, his mortal remains were donated to AIIMS Nagpur on the same evening.
We offer our heartfelt shraddhanjali to the soul of Shri Shankar Rao ji and pray to Parmeshwar for his sadgati.
Om Shantih Shantih Shantih.
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