Govind Ballabh Pant (10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961) was an Indian freedom fighter and the first chief minister of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

. Alongside

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India du ...

and Vallabh Bhai Patel, Pant was a key figure in the movement for India's Independence and later a pivotal figure in the Indian Government. He was one of the foremost political leaders of

(then known as United Provinces) and a key player in the unsuccessful movement to establish

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

as the official language of Indian Union. Today, several Indian hospitals, educational institutions and foundations bear his name. Pant received India's highest civilian honour, the

Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna (; ''Jewel of India'') is the highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest orde ...

, in 1957.

Early life

Govind Ballabh Pant was born on 10 September 1887 in Chweencha village near Pauri Garhwal. He was born in a Marathi

Karhade Brahmin Karhaḍe Brahmins (also spelled as Karada Brahmins or Karad Brahmins) are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra, but are also distributed in states of Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Classification Along w ...

family that had migrated from the present day

northern Karnataka North Karnataka is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consists of 13 districts. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhi ...

to Kumaon region. His mother's name was Govindi Bai. His father Manorath Pant was a government official who was constantly on the move, and hence Govind was brought up by his maternal grandfather, Badri Dutt Joshi, an important government official locally, who played a significant part in moulding his personality and political views. Pant studied at

Allahabad University , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...

and subsequently worked as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

in Kashipur. Here, he began active work against the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

in 1914, when he helped a local ''parishad'', or village council, in their successful challenge of ''coolie begar'', 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 The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1921; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces (UP), by which the province had been ...

In the freedom struggle

Known as an extremely capable lawyer, Pant was appointed by the

Congress party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

to initially represent Ramprasad Bismill,

Ashfaqulla Khan Ashfaqulla Khan (22 October 1900 – 19 December 1927) was an Indian independence activist in the Indian independence movement and co-founder of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, Hindustan Republican Association. Early life Khan ...

and other revolutionaries involved in the Kakori case in the mid 1920s. He participated in the protests against Simon Commission in 1928.

, in his autobiography, mentions how Pant stood by him during the protests and his large figure made him an easy target for the police. In those protests he sustained severe injuries which prevented him from straightening his back for the rest of his life. In 1930, he was arrested and imprisoned for several weeks for organising a

Salt March The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

inspired by

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

's earlier actions. In 1933, he was arrested along with Harsh Dev Bahuguna (Gandhi of Choukot) 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Pant acted as the tiebreaker between Gandhi's faction, which advocated supporting the British Crown in their war effort, and

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperi ...

's faction, which advocated taking advantage of the situation to expel the British Raj by all means necessary. In 1934, the Congress ended its

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict so ...

of the legislatures and put up candidates, and Pant was elected to the

Central Legislative Assembly The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Imperial Legislative Council, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometim ...

. He became deputy leader of the Congress party in the Assembly.B. R. Nanda, ''Pant, Govind Ballabh (1887–1961), politician in India'' (2004) In 1940, Pant was arrested and imprisoned for helping organise the

Satyagraha Satyagraha ( sa, सत्याग्रह; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone wh ...

movement. In 1942 he was arrested again, this time for signing the

Quit India The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule ...

resolution, and spent three years in Ahmednagar Fort along with other members of the Congress working committee until March 1945, at which point

pleaded successfully for Pant's release, on grounds of failing health.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

Pant took over as the Chief Minister of the United Provinces from 1937 to 1939. In 1945, the British Labour government ordered new elections to the Provincial legislatures. The

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

won a majority in the 1946 elections in the United Provinces and Pant was again the Premier, continuing even after India's

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

in 1947 till 1954. His judicious reforms and stable governance in the

stabilised the economic condition of the most populous State of India.

Union Home Minister of India

Pant served as

Union Home Minister The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minis ...

from 1955 to 1961. Pant was appointed Minister of Home Affairs in the Union Cabinet on 10 January 1955 in New Delhi by

. As Home Minister, his chief achievement was the re-organisation of States along linguistic lines. He was also responsible for the establishment of

as an official language of the

central government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or del ...

and a few states. During his tenure as the Home Minister, Pant was awarded the

on 26 January 1957.

Death

In 1960, he suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. He was treated by top doctors in India, including his friend Dr

Bidhan Chandra Roy Bidhan Chandra Roy (1 July 1882 – 1 July 1962) was an Indian physician, educationist, and statesman who served as Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1948 until his death in 1962. Roy played a key role in the founding of several institutio ...

, the then

Chief Minister of West Bengal The Chief Minister of West Bengal is the representative of the Government of India in the state of West Bengal and the head of the executive branch of the Government of West Bengal. The chief minister is head of the Council of Ministers and ap ...

. His health started deteriorating and he died on 7 March 1961 at the age of 73, from a cerebral stroke. At that time he was still in office as the

Home Minister of India The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Mini ...

. Mourning him,

Dr Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...

, the then

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murm ...

was quoted as saying,"I had known Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant since 1922 and in this long period of association it had been my privilege to receive from him not only consideration but also affection. This is no time to assess his labour and his achievements. The grief is too intense for words. I can only pray for peace to his soul and strength to those who loved and admired him".

Institutions and monuments

Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute The Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute (GBPSSI) is a research institute located in Jhusi, Allahabad, in India. It is one of the total 14 institutes establishments in all India established by Indian Council of Social Science and Resea ...

Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administra ...

* Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar *

Govind Ballabh Pant Engineering College Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Engineering and Technology (GBPIET) (known as ''Govind Ballabh Pant Engineering College'' before August 2017) is an autonomous institution for higher technical education located in Ghurdauri of Pauri Garhwal di ...

, Pauri Garhwal,

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

* Govind Ballabh Pant Engineering College, Delhi *

Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Rihand Dam also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is the largest dam of India by volume. The reservoir of Rihand Dam is called Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar and is India's largest artificial lake. Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam located ...

is an

Artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

Sonebhadra Sonbhadra or ''Sonebhadra'' is the second largest district by area of Uttar Pradesh after Lakhimpur Kheri. It is the only district in India which borders four states, namely Madhya Pradesh to the west, Chhattishgarh to the south, Jharkhand in t ...

Govind Ballabh Pant 1965 stamp of India.jpg, Pant on a 1965 stamp of India Govind Ballabh Pant 1988 stamp of India.jpg, Pant on a 1988 stamp of India Statue of Govindballabh Pant, at Mall Road, Nainital.jpg, Statue of Pant at Mall Road,

Nainital Nainital ( Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters o ...

Govind Ballabh Pant dawn - IMG 2053.JPG, Statue of Pant near Sansad Bhavan, New Delhi

Family

Govind Ballabh Pant's son,

Krishna Chandra Pant Krishna Chandra Pant (10 August 1931 – 15 November 2012) was an Indian Member of Parliament for 26 years and was the prime minister's interlocutor on Kashmir. He was a cabinet minister in the Government of India and held several constitutio ...

, was also a politician.

References

External links

Read the complete biography of Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, why he married trice?

View Profile/Photos and Videos of Govind Ballabh PantGovind Ballabh Pant Memorial Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pant, Govind Ballabh 1887 births 1961 deaths Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh Prisoners and detainees of British India Recipients of the Bharat Ratna University of Allahabad alumni Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India People from Kashipur, Uttarakhand People from Almora district Members of the Constituent Assembly of India Ministers of Internal Affairs of India Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh Gandhians Indian National Congress politicians from Uttar Pradesh