Just 19 years old, this college student has already published a volume of poetry, released a music album and founded an NGO. And by taking up the issue of the recent college teachers’ strike in Maharashtra with the Higher Education Minister and the Governor on behalf of his fellow students, he seems to have made his first foray into politics. It’s all been possible because of his name: Aditya Uddhav Thackeray.

The youngest member of the Thackeray clan to enter public life is being groomed for politics by the Shiv Sena. Aditya would be the fourth generation of Thackerays in public life after Prabodhankar alias Keshav, Bal and Uddhav.

The teenager first made news after the publication of his book of poems, My Thoughts in Black and White, and then later in 2008, when his music album, Ummeed, was released amidst much fanfare by his grandfather and Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and film star Amitabh Bachchan.

Now, after dealing with problems related to the youth and students, Aditya, the elder son of Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, plans to focus on issues related to the education system. Aditya, who met Governor S C Jamir earlier this month seeking his intervention in the teachers’ strike, said he would work on issues related to education, and if the Sena formed the government he would try to “revamp the education system”.

A second-year Arts student at St Xavier’s College, Aditya stressed the need for the education system to be “modernised and liberalised”, and more “practical and employment-oriented”. He had also met Higher and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Tope, seeking to end the impasse caused due to the teachers’ strike.

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