Captain B P Tiwari (15 June 1911 – 2008) was an Indian military officer, politician and statesman. He was

Zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

from

Panagar Panagar is a town with municipality in Jabalpur district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Geography Panagar is located at . It has an average elevation of 377 metres (1,236 feet). History The town of Panagar has history dating ...

Jabalpur Jabalpur, formerly Jubbulpore, is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the 3rd-largest urban agglomeration of the state and the 38th-largest of the country. Jabalpur is the administrative h ...

district in the

Central Provinces The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Nagpur was the primary ...

of India.Changing political leadership in an Indian province: the Central Provinces and Berar, 1919–1939, David E. U. Baker, Oxford University Press, 1979 p. 130 During his service in the

British India Army The Indian Army was the force of British India, until national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and the princely states, which could also have ...

, Tiwari served as both a lieutenant and later as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and in 1947 leading to

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic movement t ...

, he left the army to join the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

.London Gazette 29 August 1930, Issue: 33639 Page:5361 In 1956, for the first time since he had joined the Indian National Congress, he was appointed Chairman of the Jabalpur

District Development Council A District Development Council (abbreviated as DDC) is a form of elected local government in Jammu and Kashmir facilitated by the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 and created under Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rule, 1996 of the c ...

by the party. During the 1960s and 1970s Captain Tiwari served as a member of the

Hitkarini Sabha Hitkarini Sabha () is a historic, educational, non-profit organization located in the city of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is runs some of the oldest academic institutions in the region. It was founded in 1868 by Raj Balwant Rao Kher, ...

in Jabalpur, and contributed significantly to the growth of educational institutions in the city.

Early life and education

Tiwari was born and raised as a

Singaud Singaud, (also known as Singod) is a village located in Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, Pachayat Panagar which is situated in Jabalpur district, Jabalpur District, Madhya Pradesh, India. In total, the village of Singaud has ...

Jabalpur district Jabalpur district () is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Jabalpur is the administrative headquarters of the district. The area of the district is 5,198 km2 with population of 2,463,289 (2011 census). As of ...

. His formal education was completed at

Robertson College Jabalpur Robertson College, Jabalpur, (now divided into Government Science College, Jabalpur and Mahakoshal Arts & Commerce College) is considered to be the oldest such institution in Madhya Pradesh. History It was established in 1836 as Sagar Govt. Sch ...

, where he earned his Masters degree in Arts.

Career

Tiwari was commissioned a lieutenant for the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

in 1930. He spent a year attached to the

East Yorkshire Regiment The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...

based in India before being sent to the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

and posted to the

16th Light Cavalry The 16th Light Cavalry is a regiment of the Armoured Corps, a primary combat arm of the Indian Army. Prior to India gaining independence from the British in 1947, it was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1 ...

in 1932. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a captain, Tiwari served in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

in 1945 with the 16th Light Cavalry. After 1947, he left the army to join the

and served as Chairman of the

in 1956. During his tenure as chair of the Jabalpur

, he was responsible for the development of educational projects and beautification of the towns and countryside of

, and the city of Jabalpur. He was also responsible for the construction of the Ravi Shankar Shukla Stadium in

city and a sports facility to cater to local sports. Due to the death of

Ravishankar Shukla Ravishankar Shukla (2 August 1877 — 31 December 1956) was a leader of the Indian National Congress, Indian independence movement activist, the Premier of the Central Provinces and Berar from 27 April 1946 to 25 January 1950, first Chief Mini ...

in 1956, Captain B P Tiwari, Shukla's close aide, decided to name the stadium and adjacent sports facilities after him. The Ravishankar Shukla Stadium was established as a result of this. Tiwari was Chairman of the

District Planning Committee A district planning committee (DPC) is the committee created as per article 243ZD of the Constitution of India at the district level for planning at the district and below. The committee in each district should consolidate the plans prepared by th ...

in 1965. A member of the Indian National Congress committee in the 1960s, Tiwari is widely regarded as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during this time period. He also served as a member of

District Rural Development Agency A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(DRDA).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiwari, B P 1911 births 2008 deaths Indian Army officers People from Jabalpur Indian National Congress politicians from Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh politicians Educators from Madhya Pradesh

Early life and education

Career

See also

References