Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya conferred Bharat Ratna award

 

Madan Mohan Malaviya   (1861”“1946) was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna on December 24, India’s highest civilian award along with former Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Malaviya was an Indian educationist and politician notable for his role in the  Indian independence movement  and his espousal of  Hindu nationalism. He was respectfully addressed as  Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and also addressed as ‘Mahamana’. He popularised the slogan ”˜Satyamev Jayate’ ”“ Truth alone will triumph.  He started the tradition of  Aarti  at  Har ki Pauri  Haridwar  to the sacred  Ganga river  which is performed till date, the  Malviya Dwipa, a small island across the ghat, named after him.  

Malaviya played an important part in the removal of untouchability and in giving direction to the  Harijan  movement. The Harijan Sevak Sangh was founded at a meeting in 1933 at which Pandit Malviya presided.  

Malaviya asserted –  if you admit internal purity of human soul, you or your religion can never get impure or defiled in any way by touch or association with any man.   To solve the problem of untouchability, Malaviya followed a Hindu method, by giving MantradÄ«kshā to untouchables. He said that –  Mantras would be a certain means of their upliftment socially, politically and spiritually.

Malaviya is most remembered as the founder of  Banaras Hindu University  (BHU) at Varanasi in 1916, the largest residential university in Asia and one of the largest in the world,  having over 12,000 students across arts, sciences, engineering and technology. Malaviya was  Vice Chancellor  of  Banaras Hindu University  from 1919”“1938^.  

Malaviya was the  President of the Indian National Congress  on four occasions (1909 & 1913,1919 and1932) he left congress in 1934 and also was one of the initial leaders of the  Hindu Mahasabha.

Malviya was one of the founders of  Scouting in India.  He also founded a highly influential, English-newspaper,  The Leader  published from  Allahabad  in 1909. He was also the Chairman of  Hindustan Times  from 1924 to 1946. His efforts resulted in the launch of its  Hindi  edition in 1936.

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