Synopsis Ishvardatt Medharthi, 1900-1971, social reformer from Kanpur, India.

His belief in religious universalism was strong, he believed that all religions preached non-violence, brotherhood, equality and compassion…The most interesting time in Medharthi’s life was his engagement as Ambedkar’s  Pali teacher, but his biographer, Bhoj Dev Mudit, who was the favourite of Medhrthi’s five disciples, remembers very vividly how they used to go to Delhi over the weekends by train and visit Baba Sahib.

Time and again Medharthi does affirm his membership of the Arya Samaj and pays due respect to the founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati. However, in the matter of interpreting the Vedas concerning varnavyavastha, the author is relentless and does not hesitate to take the founder to task.