Gangadhar Moreshwar Adhikari was born on 8 December 1898 in Panvel, Colaba district, near Mumbai in a Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu family.

His grandfather was a small landlord in Ratnagiri, but losing property, became a clerk in district collector's office.

[citation needed] In this typical urbanized Maharashtrian family, Gangadhar passed his formative years.

Gangadhar Adhikari joined IISc (Indian Institute of Science), Bangalore as a research scholar.

[citation needed] Among those whom Adhikari tutored was Dr. Hussain Zaheer, the future Director General of CSIR.

Adhikari attended political lectures of Max Beer and others at India House, read John Reed, RPD, etc.

He regularly visited bookshop in central office of Communist Party of Germany for Marxist literature.

His membership application was signed by Virendranath and Willi Münzenberg, leader of youth section of CPG and general secretary of League Against Imperialism.

Adhikari also met M. N. Roy and Clemens Dutt, elder brother of RPD in the League.

He regularly attended mass meetings of Ernst Thaelmann, general secretary of CPG, who became famous after contesting presidential elections, receiving 12.6 percent of votes.

Adhikari went to his factory every day with a copy of party paper Rote Fahne (Red Flag) and discussed with workers.

Wanting to return, he met Meghnad Saha, Satyen Bose, and Sir C. V. Raman for future prospects.

Adhikari returned to Bombay in December 1928, secretly carrying Theses of 6th Comintern congress on colonial question.

Top CID officers searched his belongings from morning till afternoon at the port but only got hold of Marxist literature.

Dr Adhikari was arrested on 20 March 1929 along with 31 others and lodged in Meerut Jail in most inhuman conditions.

In February 1937, he made a dramatic escape from Bijapur helped by Ajoy Ghosh, reaching Calcutta.

There he drafted a Manifesto of CPI, titled Gathering Storm, circulated in Faizpur session of Congress.

Adhikari lectured at Mantenavaripalam Summer School of Politics (AP), where C. Rajeswara Rao first met him.

Adhikari was elected to Bombay Provincial Congress Committee in 1939, defeating Shantabai Vengarkar.

Their son Vijay died while swimming at Juhu Beach in 1963, affecting both of them deeply, particularly Vimal, who got mentally upset.

Patiently conducting a three-day GB of Punjab party members, he guided formation of new leadership.

Being actively involved in Royal Indian Navy mutiny of February 1946, he persuaded RIN ratings not to blow up the ammunition dump at Castle Barracks, which would have endangered people’s lives.

Adhikari attended a conference of CPs of British colonies in London in February-March 1947, representing CPI.

[5] He wrote extensively during ideological-political discussions in 1960s, including an important work Communist Party and India's Path to National Regeneration in 1964.