Govind Ballabh Pant

Bharat Ratna Govind Ballabh Pant (September 10, 1887 - March 7, 1961) was a statesman of India, an and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand (then in United Provinces) and of the movement to establish Hindi as the national language of India.

Early life

As a lawyer in Kashipur born into a poor but cultured Marathi Karhade Brahmin family, Pant began his active work against the British Raj in 1914, when he helped a local "parishad", or village council, in their successful challenge of a law requiring locals to provide free transportation of the luggage of travelling British officials. In 1921, he entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.

In the freedom struggle

In 1930, he was arrested and imprisoned for several weeks for organizing a Salt March inspired by Gandhi's earlier actions. In 1933, he was arrested and imprisoned for seven months for attending a session of the then-banned provincial Congress. In 1935, the ban was rescinded, and Pant joined the new Legislative Council. During the Second World War, Pant acted as the tiebreaker between Gandhi's faction, which advocated supporting the British Crown in their war effort, and Subash Chandra Bose's faction, which advocated taking advantage of the situation to expel the British Raj by any means necessary.

In 1940, Pant was arrested and imprisoned for helping organize the Satyagraha movement. In 1942 he was arrested again, this time for signing the Quit India resolution, and imprisoned until March of 1945, at which point Jawaharlal Nehru had to plead for Pant's release, on grounds of failing health.

Post-independence

After independence in 1947, Pant became Chief Minister of the United Provinces, which he renamed Uttar Pradesh. Among his achievements in that position was the abolition of the zamindari system. He was called on to succeed Kailash Nath Katju as Home Minister in 1955; in that position, his chief achievement was the establishment of Hindi as an official language of the central government and a few states. In 1957, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.

ee also

*Birla Vidya Mandir

External links

* [http://www.gbpuat.ac.in Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, named in his honor]
* [http://www.gbpssi.nic.in/index.htm Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Social Sciences, named in his honor]
* [http://www.gbpec.net Govind Ballabh Pant Engineering College, named in his honor]
* Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Kosi - Katarmal (ALMORA)