Bezwada Wilson Biography 
Bezwada Wilson is an Indian activist and social worker. He is one of the founding members of Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), an Indian human rights organization. He also serves as the National Convenor of this organization which takes steps to eradicate manual scavenging, which is regarded illegal since 1993. Ashoka Foundation nominated him a Senior Fellow for his efforts towards this field, and he was honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2016 too. Bezwada Wilson liberated lakhs of manual scavengers in India, and his efforts are worth for applause.
Bezwada was born in 1966 in the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) in Karnataka. He was born into a manual scavenging community. His father began working for the township in 1935 as a safai karamchari, in regional terms. His eldest brother also worked as a manual scavenger in the Indian railways and later in the urban areas of his hometown. While he studied in primary school, he stayed in the hostel for Scheduled Castes. He graduated in Political Science from Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad. When he found that many children drop their school studies to take the job of scavenging, he thought of creating awareness among kids so that they can continue with their education, instead of following the same old tradition, linked to their caste.
His fight to end manual scavenging began in 1986. By that time, manual scavenging became illegal in India, as per government laws. It took many years for him to convince his parents. He started writing letters to politicians as a part of his campaigns. In 1994, Bezwada helped found Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) along with S. R. Sankaran and Paul Diwakar. In 2009, Bezwada was elected an Ashoka Senior Fellow for human rights.
Published: October 16, 2018
Updated: October 16, 2018
