Date with history: How a Bengaluru road was named after a free-thinking theosophist

Before it became MN Krishna Rao Park, the lung space in Basavanagudi was called Public Square owing to its shape.The North Public Square Road adjacent to it housed a pale, two-storied structure that seemed unassuming in the residential locality but was at the centre of the philosophical movement in Bengaluru.Called the Indian Institute of World Culture (IIWC), its library was stocked with literary treasures ranging from poetry to philosophy. It is also a popular venue for cultural events, art classes and seminars.All this was made possible by a businessman-turned-theosophist after whom the road on which IIWC stands would later be named.

Bahman Pestonji Wadia was born into a family of shipbuilders on October 8, 1881. The lad, who grew up in Bombay and initially worked in a textile firm, successfully ran his family business after his father's untimely death. In 1904, he joined the Theosophical Society and spent hours meditating over the works of the Society's founder HP Blavatsky . He moved to Adayar in 1908 and was actively involved in the Home Rule Movement along with Annie Besant.

Dallas W TenBroeck, a theosophy student who has written a short biography of BP Wadia, mentioned that during his time in Adayar, Wadia also worked to pull mill workers out of their inhumane working conditions. "He was involved in launching India's first organised labour union called Madras Textile Workers Union in 1918 and became its first president," TenBroeck wrote. "In 1928, he married Sophia Camacho (later Sophia Wadia), an associate of Colombian origin, in London."

Before that, he moved from the Theosophical Society to the United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT) in 1922 and was instrumental in launching their centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru.Thimmaraja Setty , secretary, IIWC, said that the institute was formed on August 11, 1945. "It was initially called the Indian Institute of Culture. Former dewan of Mysore, Ramaswamy Mudaliar, once expressed happiness that Wadia's intention was to create an institute not only about Indian culture but world culture. To set matters beyond the shadow of doubt, it was renamed to IIWC in 1957," he said. "That year was also important to us because we registered IIWC as an independent voluntary organisation."

Dr LS Doraiswamy was its first secretary . Setty said that today, the IIWC has a collection of one lakh books, an exclusive children's library , conducts yoga, French classes, art, music, dance and western philosophy classes.

Initially located at No. 1, North Public Square Road, it shifted to its current location to No. 6 on the same road. Over the years, the IIWC has played host to distinguished visitors like Martin Luther King Jr, Dr S Radhakrishnan, Sir CV Raman, Dr Homi Bhabha, Salman Rushdie and PM Narendra Modi.

BP Wadia passed away on August 20, 1958, and was cremated in Chamarajpet. In 1959, the city corporation renamed North Public Square Road as BP Wadia Road as a tribute to his contributions.