Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher (24 August 1888 – 8 March 1957) was an Indian politician who served as the prime minister of Bombay (1937 - 1939, 1946 - 1947) and the first chief minister (then called Premier) of Bombay State (1947 - 1952). He was awarded the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

in 1954. A lawyer, solicitor and social worker by choice and politician by necessity, Kher was often described as "Sajjan", good and gentle. Kher was a scholar, an accomplished orator, and a man with no pretensions.

Early life

Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher was born on 24 August 1888 at Ratnagiri in a middle class

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

-speaking

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. He spent some years of his boyhood at Kundgol in the then Jamkhandi State. Later, he migrated at the instance of

Gopal Krishna Gokhale Gopal Krishna Gokhale ( �ɡoːpaːl ˈkrɪʂɳə ˈɡoːkʰleː9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915) was an Indian 'moderate' political leader and a social reformer during the Indian independence movement. Gokhale was a senior leader of the India ...

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to study at the New English School. Later he obtained the degree of B.A. in 1908 from the Wilson College, with high distinction and received the Bhau Daji Lad prize for standing first in Sanskrit. Mr. B.G. Kher along with Mr. Manilal Nanavati started a law firm called Manilal Kher & Co. The firm commenced practice on 7 June 1918. The firm was the only firm in Mumbai to have its inauguration ceremony being presided over by the renowned Judge, Mr. Justice Sir Frank C.O. Beaman. The firm's name was then changed to Manilal Kher Ambalal & Co.

Political career

B. G. Kher's political career began in 1922. He was appointed as the Secretary of the

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

branch of the Swaraj Party. During the

Civil disobedience movement 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 ...

, he was arrested and sentenced to eight months' rigorous imprisonment and fine in 1930. He was again arrested in 1932 and sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment and fine. He became the second Prime Minister of the

Bombay Province The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

succeeding Dhanjishah Cooper in 1937 and continued in office until November 1939. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1940. During the Quit India struggle, he was arrested again and imprisoned in August 1942. He was released from prison on 14 July 1944. He again became the Prime Minister of the Bombay province on 30 March 1946. He was instrumental in the establishment of Poona University (Now called the " Savitribai Phule Pune University"). A building in the university campus is named after him as "Kher Bhavan." Little Gibbs Road in Malabar Hill area of Mumbai was designated as B.G. Kher Marg in 1976. Kher was in office until 21 April 1952. Kher was recuperating from an

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

attack at a private nursing home in

before he died on 8 March 1957.

Reception

Kher allotted plots of land in Bandra East to people belonging to the Hindu-Khatik (Scheduled caste) community in 1950–51. That area is known as Kherwadi in his memory. Kher established schools and a hospital, and provided electricity and water supply for people staying in Kherwadi. The Hindu-Khatik community celebrates his birthday at his statue at the Nanda Deep Garden, Kala Nagar, Bandra East. Declassified MI5 documents were appreciative of Kher and described him as preferable to other political candidates, due to his honesty, sincerity and a preference for the "Anglo" way of administration.

Early life

Political career

Reception

References

Further reading