Shantaram Budna Siddi is an Indian politician who is a nominated member of the Karnataka Legislative Council from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
[1] Born into a family with poor economic and social background,[2] Shantaram belongs to the Siddi tribal community which traces its origin to the Bantu peoples of East Africa.
[4] Shantaram's interactions with social workers Prakash Kamath and Nirmala Gaonkar changed his viewpoint towards life.
"[2] This motivated Shantaram to work for tribal welfare and he joined the RSS-affiliated Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram as a volunteer in 1989 where he served as a hostel warden and is currently the secretary of its Karnataka state unit.
"[7] Akhila Karnataka Siddhi Vikas Sangh president Saver Louis Birji Siddi said, "We are thrilled that after so many years of being part of India, having given our sweat and blood to the country, our community has finally been recognised.