List of Marathi Buddhists explained

This is a list of notable persons of the Marathi Buddhist community worldwide. Marathi Buddhists are mainly Ambedkarite Buddhists, who are followers of B. R. Ambedkar. Marathi Buddhists constitute more than 77% of the total Buddhist population in India.^[1]

Academics

• Narendra Jadhav, economist, educationist and author
• Shankarrao Kharat, Vice Chancellor of BAMU Aurangabad
• Bhalchandra Mungekar, economist and author
• Sharmila Rege, sociologist, feminist scholar and author of Writing Caste, Gender
• Anand Teltumbde, scholar, writer and civil rights activist
• Sukhadeo Thorat, economist and author

Businesspeople

• Milind Kamble, national president of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry^[2]
• Kalpana Saroj (born 1961), entrepreneur and a Tedx speaker^{[3] [4]}

Entertainers

• Sambhaji Bhagat, singer, shahir
• Nagraj Manjule, director, filmmaker
• Poonam Joshi, actress^[5]
• Kushal Badrike, actor and comedian
• Siddharth Jadhav, actor
• Usha Jadhav, actress
• Bhalchandra Kadam, actor, comedian^[6]
• Pandharinath Kamble, actor and comedian
• Abhijeet Kosambi, singer
• Vaishali Mhade, singer
• Surekha Punekar, Indian folk artist
• Adarsh Shinde, singer and musician^[7]
• Prahlad Shinde, singer
• Smita Tambe, actress
• Vitthal Umap, singer^[8]
• Somnath Waghmare, documentary filmmaker and researcher

Lawyers

• B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956), jurist, barrister, and first Law and Justice Minister of India
• R. D. Bhandare (born 1916), governor of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh
• Bhushan Gavai (born 1960), justice in the Supreme Court of India^[9]
• B. C. Kamble (born 1919), jurist and lawyer

Politicians

• Anandraj Ambedkar, political activist
• Prakash Ambedkar, MP
• Yashwant Ambedkar, MLC
• Ramdas Athawale, MP and state minister of India
• Rajkumar Badole, MLA and Social Justice and Assistance Minister, Maharashtra
• Sanjay Bansode, state minister of Maharashtra
• Sharad Bansode, Member of Parliament
• Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, Governor of Odisha
• R. D. Bhandare, Governor of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh^[10]
• Bhaurao Gaikwad, Member of Parliament
• Eknath Gaikwad, MP and state minister
• Sunil Gaikwad, Member of Parliament
• Varsha Gaikwad, Member of Parliament (Former School Education Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra)
• Prakash Gajbhiye, Member of MLC
• R. S. Gavai, Governor of Bihar And Kerala, Member of the parliament, Former Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council
• Rajendra Gavai, political activist
• Chandrakant Handore, state minister of Maharashtra^{[11] [12]}
• Ramratan Janorkar, Mayor of Nagpur
• N. M. Kamble, Indian politician
• Jogendra Kawade, cabinet minister, and Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
• B. D. Khobragade, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
• Sulekha Kumbhare, minister
• Avinash Mahatekar, State Minister of Maharashtra^{[13] [14]}
• Laxman Mane, political activist
• Waman Meshram, President Of Bahujan Kranti Morcha
• Nitin Raut, cabinet minister and MLA^[15]
• Dadasaheb Rupwate, politician^{[16] [17] [18]}
• Tukaram Shrangare, Union Minister For State For Communications
• Sudhakar Tukaram Shrangare, Member of Parliament
• Nashikrao Tirpude, 1st Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
• Balkrishna Ramchandra Wasnik, Member of Parliament for Bhandara and Buldhana
• Mukul Wasnik, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment

Sportspeople

• Mona Meshram, Cricketer
• Avinash Sable, Athlete
• Pravin Tambe, Cricketer

Writers and activists

• Savita Ambedkar (1909–2003), social activist and writer
• Baburao Bagul, writer and poet
• Datta Bhagat, author
• Suresh Bhat (1932–2003), poet
• Raja Dhale (1940–2019), social activist and writer
• Namdeo Dhasal (1949 2014), social activist and writer
• Laxman Gaikwad, novelist
• Arun Kamble, writer and social activist
• Namdeo Kamble, writer, social worker, journalist and teacher
• Uttam Kamble, journalist and author
• Vaman Kardak, poet and playwright
• Shankarrao Kharat, writer and member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council
• Sharankumar Limbale, author
• Yashwant Manohar, poet and writer
• Keshav Meshram, poet
• Bhau Panchbhai, Poet, Writer and Activist
• Gangadhar Pantawane, Writer, Reviewer and Ambedkarite thinker
• Dagdu Maruti Pawar, Writer and Poet
• Pradnya Daya Pawar, Poet and Fiction Writer
• Urmila Pawar, Writer and Activist
• Uttam Kamble, Journalist and Author

See also

• List of Buddhists
• Marathi Buddhists
• List of converts to Buddhism
• List of converts to Buddhism from Hinduism
• List of American Buddhists

Notes and References

1. Web site: Population by religion community – 2011. Census of India, 2011. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. https://web.archive.org/web/20150825155850/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS. 25 August 2015.
2. Web site: Ajay . Lakshmi . The Buddhism broadcast . Mumbai Mirror . June 24, 2018.
3. News: Caste No Bar. Pronoti. Datta. 29 May 2010. The Crest Mumbai. 12 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116140050/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Layout/Includes/CREST/ArtWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=CREST&BaseHref=TCRM%2F2010%2F05%2F29&ViewMode=HTML&PageLabel=5&EntityId=Ar00400&DataChunk=Ar00501&AppName=1. 16 January 2018. dead.
4. Web site: Kalpana – Symbol of true grit. The Hans India. 31 August 2013. en. 2018-01-16.
5. News: Budding Buddhism in the city. DNA India. 21 November 2013.
6. News: In the shadow of caste. DNA India. 23 September 2017.
7. Web site: PHOTOS: परिणय सूत्र में बंधे मराठी सिंगर आदर्श शिंदे, शादी में जम कर हुआ धमाल. May 29, 2015. Dainik Bhaskar.
8. Web site: आंबेडकर चळवळीची कव्वालीयात्रा. December 4, 2016. Divya Marathi.
9. Book: Living with Religious Diversity. Sikka. Sonia. Puri. Bindu. Beaman. Lori G.. Lori G. Beaman. 2015-08-11. Routledge. 9781317370987. en.
10. Web site: Sattā ke sūtradhara: Ājādī ke bāda Bhārata. Jhā. Vikāsa Kumāra. 1994.
11. News: Bombay High Court's 'Dalit' ruling has come in handy for the politics of Hindutva. Anand. Teltumbde. Scroll.in.
12. Web site: Cabinet off-limits for sons & daughters – Indian Express. archive.indianexpress.com.
13. Web site: रिपाइचा फलटण मतदारसंघावर दावा : अविनाश महातेकर. 9 September 2019 .
14. Web site: समाजकल्याण राज्यमंत्री अविनाश महातेकर यांची दीक्षाभूमीला भेट. 19 July 2019.
15. Web site: उद्धव ठाकरे सरकारच्या ४३ सदस्यीय मंत्रिमंडळात २३ मंत्री मराठा समाजाचे. December 31, 2019. Divya Marathi.
16. Web site: कालकथित दादासाहेब रुपवते स्मृतिदिनानिमित्त विशेष कार्यक्रमाचे आयोजन. www.saamana.com.
17. Web site: ज्येष्ठ आंबेडकरी कार्यकर्ते प्रेमानंद रुपवते यांचे निधन. Maharashtra Times.
18. Web site: How India's Dalits had to cope when the backlash began after Ambedkar's death. J. V.. Pawar. Scroll.in. 14 April 2018 .