Last updated on July 25th, 2023 at 05:04 pm
Madan Mohan Malaviya was an Indian scholar, educational reformer, and politician who played an important role in the Indian independence movement. He was the founder of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and president of the Indian National Congress four times. He was addressed as Pandit, a title of respect, and also as Mahamana, which means great soul.
Malaviya strove to promote modern education among Indians. In 1916, he co-founded Banaras Hindu University (BHU) at Varanasi, which was created under the 1915 BHU Act. It is one of the largest residential universities in the world, with over 40,000 students across arts, commerce, sciences, engineering, linguistics, ritual, medicine, agriculture, performing arts, law, management, and technology disciplines from all over the world. From 1919 to 1938, he was the vice chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University.
The Bharat Scouts and Guides were founded by Malaviya and others. He founded a highly influential English newspaper, The Leader, in 1919, published from Allahabad, and was also the Chairman of Hindustan Times from 1924 to 1946. The launch of its Hindi edition named Hindustan Dainik in 1936 was the result of his efforts. On 24 December 2014, a day before what would have been his 153rd birthday, Malaviya was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian distinction.
Some Fascinating Facts About Madan Mohan Malaviya:-
Malaviya was born on 25 December 1861 in Prayagraj, India to Pandit Brijnath and Moona Devi. He was born into a Hindu brahmin family.
Malaviya’s education started when he was five years old at Mahajani Pathsala. He later joined Hardeva’s Dharma Gyanopadesh Pathshala, completed his primary education, and joined a school run by Vidha Vardini Sabha. He then joined Allahabad District School, where he started writing poems under the pen name Makarand. His poems were published in journals and magazines.
Malaviya wanted to get an M.A. in philosophy. na manyate pitaram kartum evaM vidyaM cha tasya lakShaNam bhagavatam evaM vishaalam iti Madan Mohan Malaviya began his professional career in July 1884 as an assistant master at the Government High School in Allahabad.
Malaviya’s political career started in 1886 when he gave an address at the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta. Malaviya became one of the most powerful political leaders of his time, being elected Congress president on four occasions.
Malaviya attended the second Indian National Congress session in Calcutta in December 1886, where he spoke on the issue of representation in Councils, under the chairmanship of Dadabhai Naoroji.
Malaviya became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1909 and held the position until 1918. Under the Lucknow Pact of 1916, he was a moderate leader and opposed separate electorates for Muslims. Gandhi conferred the “Mahamana” title on him.
He joined Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawaharlal Nehru, and many others in protesting against the Simon Commission in 1928, which had been set up by the British to consider India’s future.
Malaviya and Madhav Shrihari Aney left Congress and started the Congress Nationalist Party in protest against the Communal Award to provide separate electorates for minorities. 12 seats were won by the party in the 1934 elections to the central legislature.
In 1887, Malaviya started his journalistic career as Editor of the Hindi daily Hindostan. Singh of Kalakankar was impressed by the speech and personality of Malaviya during the second Congress Session in Calcutta held in 1886 and requested him to assume this position.
In 1933, Malaviya started Sanatana Dharma, a magazine dedicated to religious, dharmic interests, from BHU.
In Vrindavan, he created a non-governmental organization named Shri Mathura Vrindavan Hasanand Gochar Bhoomi for the welfare of cows.
Madan Mohan Malaviya was honored with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, on 24 December 2014.
