Patriots > Early Nationalist and Moderates > Madan mohan Malaviya

He participated in the debates on important resolutions, e.g., those relating to free and compulsory primary education, the prohibition of recruitment of Indian indentured labour to the British colonies, nationalisation of railways, etc. The emigration of indentured labour was finally abolished at his instance, probably in 1917. He opposed the Press Act and the seditious meetings Act. He suggested (Budget Speech, 1912) the establishment of village panchayats and the training of Indian Boys as scouts.

He took a keen interest in the industrial development of the country and was therefore appointed a member of the Indian Industrial Commission in 1916. In his minute of dissent he made some important suggestions, one of which was that an ‘Imperial Polytechnic Institute’ should be established for giving the highest instruction on science and technology. He strongly opposed the Criminal law Emergency Bill, which was based on the report of the Sedition Committee, popularly known as the Rowlatt Committee, and the ‘Indemnity Bill’ in 1919 to exonerate Government officers from excesses committed by regime. His speeches made a great impression on the public.

In view of the non-cooperation movement started by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920, he did not seek election to the Indian legislative Assembly in 1921. But he was a member of the Assembly from 1924 to 2 April 1930. He resigned shortly after the salt satyagraha started by Mahatma Gandhi and took part in it. During this period he was as active a legislator as he was before. He opposed the grant of concessions to the I.C.S. recommended by the Lee Commission in 1924. He supported the demand for the grant of full Dominion Status to India put forward by Pandit Motilal Nehru the same year.

Because of his dissatisfaction with the existing constitutional position he voted every year against the Finance Bill. In 1928 he supported the demand that the Assembly should not co-operate with the Indian Statutory Commission (Simon commission). He was invited to the Round Table Conference in 1931, but he inevitably returned dissatisfied with the attitude of the British Government.

The Benares Hindu University which was perhaps Malaviya’s greatest achievement, will remind future generations of the keen interest that he took in the education of the mind and the spirit. It was his deep love for Hindu culture and the spiritual ideas embodied in Hindu religious books that gave birth to the idea of establishing the Hindu University. The importance that he attached to the economic development of the country made him combine the teaching of science and technology with that of religion.

The Colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, Mining, Metallurgy and Geology, the Ayurvedic College and an Allopathic Hospital, which was named after Pandit Sunder Lal, the first Vice-Chancellor of the University, were started soon after the establishment of the University. This made the Hindu University pre-eminent among the then existing Indian Universities.

The scheme drawn up by Malaviyaji was the result of discussion with his friends and the valuable co-operation of Mrs. Annie Besant, the Maharajadhiraj of Darbhanga and the Maharaja of Benares. The Benares Hindu University Act was passed on 1 October 1915, and the foundation stone of the University was laid by the Victory, Lord Hardinge, on 4 February 1916. The University building were declared open by the Prince of Wales (later Duke of Windsor) on 13 December 1921.

But Malaviyaji had issued an appeal for a crore of rupees in July 1911 and begun touring the country for the collection of Funds towards the end of 1911. He had collected Rs. 35 lakhs by the time the foundation stone of the University was laid. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University from 1919 to 1938 when he resigned on account of ill-health. He was succeeded by Dr. Radhakrishnan. Malaviya was the Rector of the University from 1939 till his death.

There were several well-known writers of Hindi during the latter part of the 19th century; for instance, Bharatendu Harish Chandra, Raja Shiva Prasad and Balmukund Gupta. Because of this there was some cultural awakening among the Hindus at the time. Malaviya also wrote poems and articles in Hindi when he was young and valued Hindi as a means of educating the masses. In those days the language of the courts in the U. P. (then called N.W.P.) was Urdu.

Malaviya advocated the use of the Devanagari script along with that of the Persian script in the courts. He submitted a well-reasoned memorial about it, after three years of research, in 1898 to the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Anthony MacDonnell, who accepted the memorialists’ request. This led unfortunately to no little agitation by the Muslims against the Lt.-Governor’s order on the use of Hindi in the district courts.

It must, however, be said in fairness to Malaviya that he was never hostile to Urdu. In fact, he used to say that a man who knew Hindi should know Urdu and English also and he taught his son, Govind, Urdu while both of them were in jail. His

speeches could be equally well understood by those who knew either Hindi or Urdu.

Malaviya was a conservative in social matters. He believed in the ‘Varnashrama drama’ (caste system). He was, however, prepared to adjust himself to social changes in the country to a limited extent, but wanted to take the leaders of the Hindu community and the Benares pandits with him in matters of social reforms. He felt strongly the injustice done to the depressed classes in connection with temple entry and pleaded their cause before the pandits in 1936 and took out a procession in favour of temple entry which was joined by the well-known pandits of Benares and the members of the depressed classes.

In the twenties he persuaded the pandits of the reclamation of those members of the depressed classes who had been converted to other religions and began their ‘shuddhi’ (purification) himself by making them recite the mantras ‘Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram’ after a bath in the Ganges. He also favoured the raising of the position of Hindu women.

In her contribution to the ‘Mahamanya Malaviyaji Birth Century Commemoration Volume’, 1961, Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur has said “that while Malaviyaji never took food or drank water from the hands of anybody except of a Brahmin of his own caste - in other matters of social reform he was most progressive and I was specially drawn to him by his indignation at the many disabilities from which Indian women suffered.” He was in favour of inter-marriages between different groups of the Brahmin caste and one of his granddaughters was married during his lifetime to a Brahmin boy outside the Malaviya fold.

Malaviyaji’s education as a child and his home influences determined the development of his mind and character. He firmly believed in Hindu dharma and loved our ancient culture. He read the Bhagvat or the Bhagavad Gita every morning and had shaped his life in accordance with the dictates of Hindu dharma. Purity, truth, tolerance and regard for the interest of all irrespective of their religion characterised his early life. In his sacrifice for the cause of Indian freedom he could compare with Mahatma Gandhi himself.

His schemes always had a large element of idealism in them, but he never lost sight of the realities of the situation. Many leaders, including Gopal Krishna Gokhale, regarded him as highly unpractical when he said he wanted to appeal for a crore of rupees for the Hindu University, but he actually collected as much as 155 lakhs by 1939.

He occupied a very high position in Indian public life and his public activities were numerous. The freedom struggle, the economic development of the country, promotion of indigenous industries, education, religion, social service, the development of Hindi and other matters of national importance continued to occupy his attention as long as he lived.

He was the President of the All India Seva Samiti from 1914 till 1946. C. F. Andrews has rightly said, “No one, not even Mahatma Gandhi himself is dearer to the vast majority of the Hindu public. He has also a great record of devotion to the public national service which places him very high indeed among those Indians leaders who are still living in our own times.”

He was easily accessible and helpful even to the humblest Indian. Even when he could give no help he comforted the sufferers from injustice by listening patiently to their grievances and saying a few words of sympathy. The appeal of poor students, whether Hindu or Muslim, for financial help to complete their education always touched a responsive chord in his heart, and not unoften he went beyond the University regulations to help them. A Muslim student once complained to him of the unsatisfactory messing arrangements in his hostel. Malaviya was greatly pained to hear this and said, “My kitchen is always open to you.”

His personal life was very simple. He was always dressed in immaculate white and was appreciatively called ‘the spotless Pandit’ by Sir Guy Fleetwood Wilson, who was Finance Member of the Viceroy’s Execution Council, partly during the time of Lord Minto and partly during that of Lord Hardinge. He was known for his gentleness and humility but he did not yield where principles were concerned.

He had the courage to differ more than once from the Mahatma even at the risk of the becoming unpopular. He opposed, for example, the boycott of schools and colleges, the burning of foreign cloth and the boycott of the visit of the Prince of Wales in 1921. It will be true to say that he considered responsive co-operation a better policy than civil disobedience.

He was a great source of inspiration to millions of people. His precepts and practice awakened their national consciousness and their sense of duty to their country. Tagore indulged in no exaggeration when he said of him, “Your clarion call has awakened many parts of the country and devoted heroes are gathering round you. May your exhortations touch the heart of everybody and stir him to action.”

Author : H. N. Kunzru
Page 
1 2