12th August 2020

 Musings.......

Freedom Fighters - Part 12 

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya 

Born in 1861, in Prayagraj ( Allahabad ) in a Brahmin family, Madan Mohan Malaviya completed his degree from the Calcutta University. He studied with a scholarship as his family was facing financial hardships. In 1884 he took up a teaching job in Allahabad. 

In 1886 he gave a speech on the issue of representation in councils, at the 2nd Indian National Congress session in Calcutta.  The speech impressed Dadabhai Naoroji. 

He was entrusted with the job of Editor of a nationalist weekly “Hindustan” in 1887 by a Congressman and he left his teaching job. 

After obtaining a law degree he practiced in Allahabad High court by 1893. 

Malaviya rose in rank within the Congress and was a moderate leader opposed to seperate electorates for Muslims under the Lucknow pact of 1916. He was the President of the Indian National Congress for 4 times- in 1909( Lahore), 1918 (Delhi), 1930(Delhi) and in 1932 ( Calcutta). 

Malaviya served on the Imperial Legislative Council from 1909 to 1920. 

In 1930 he on Mahatma Gandhi’s call participated in the Salt Satyagraha and Civil Disobedience Movement and was arrested. 

As a lawyer he got 156 freedom fighters acquitted out of the 177 arrested for the Chauri Chaura incident.  

Malaviya is known for his role in ending the Indian  Indentured labour system especially in the Caribbean. 

- [ ] Indentured labour was a system of bonded labour that was instituted following the abolition of slavery in 1833. 

- [ ] Indentured labour were recruited to work on sugar, cotton and tea plantations and rail construction projects in British colonies in West Indies, Africa and South Africa. 

He popularised the term “ Satyameva Jayate” which appears in the Mundaka Upanishad at the Delhi Session of Indian National Congress in 1918, which he presided. The term is now the National motto of India. 

Devanagri was introduced in the British- Indian courts because of Malviya’s efforts with the British government. This is considered as one of his major achievements.  

Malaviya was the founder of Benaras Hindu University ( BHU ) in Varanasi and was it’s Vice Chancellor from its inception in 1916 till 1939. 

In his work in setting up a Hindu University he worked hand in hand with Annie Beasant. The Central Hindu College established by her in 1898 was to be part of BHU. 

Malaviya started his Hindi weekly “Abhyudaya” in 1907 and with the help of Motilal Nehru started the English daily, the “ Leader” in 1909. In 1910 he started the Hindi daily “ Maryada”. In 1924 Malaviya, Lala Lajpat Rai and MR Jayakar with the help of Industrialist Ghanshyam Das Birla acquired the newspaper “Hindustan Times” and saved it from an untimely demise. 

Malaviya was the founder of the Hindu Mahasabha in 1906 which brought diverse Hindu nationalist movements together. 

Madam Mohan Malaviya was expelled from the Brahmin community for expressing his views on caste discrimination and Brahmanical patriarchy.

Unlike now widely believed, Madan Mohan Malaviya worked immensely for Hindu-Muslim unity. In 1922 he gave a famous speech on Hindu Muslim goodwill in Lahore and in 1931 in Kanpur. 

He was given the title of “ Mahamana” by Rabindranath Tagore. 

S. Radhakrishnan 2nd President of India gave him the title “ Karmayogi”. 

Malaviya was perhaps the only freedom fighter who was involved in politics of Indian National Congress from its beginning in 1886 and remained active till his death in 1946. 

He started the Ganga Mahasabha to oppose the construction of Dams across river Ganga. 

Malaviya was a social reformer who opposed untouchability. He worked for temple entry of Dalits at the Kalaram Temple at Nashik, Maharashtra. 

In 1932, after Mahatma Gandhi declared fast unto death in Yerwada Jail, Poona -  the Poona pact was signed between BR Ambedkar and Madan Mohan Malaviya representing the depressed classes and rest of the Hindus respectively. This gave reserved seats for depressed classes in Legislatures instead of creating seperate electorates. 

The Communal Award (1932) of British PM Ramsay McDonald was modified accordingly. 

Malaviya’s legacy in recent times have been usurped by the Right wing politicians. However, the fact remains that Malaviya was a staunch Congressman for 50 years even though he founded the Hindu Mahasabha. His stand  for Hindu- Muslim unity is well established. 

On an ideological level he was a Moderate and a Nationalist. He will be remembered as a great freedom fighter and a social reformer. 

Food for Thought.......

RC