Pandit Badri Datt Pandey (15 February 1882 – 13 January 1965) was an Indian historian,

freedom fighter A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion. Termi ...

, social reformer, and later a Member of Parliament from

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ') is a municipal corporation and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the ...

in independent India.

Early life

Badri Datt Pandey was born on 15 February 1882 in

Haridwar Haridwar (; ; formerly Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is s ...

to Vinayak Pandey, a Vaidya (traditional physician). After the death of his parents when he was seven years old, he moved to

, where he received his education.

Work

In 1903, Badri Datt Pandey worked as a teacher before joining a government job in

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

, which he later left for journalism. From 1903 to 1910, he worked for newspaper, ''Leader'' in Dehradun. In 1913, he founded Almora Akhbar, using it as a platform to support the independence movement. Along with Govind Ballabh Pant, he was one of the foremost political leaders from Kumaon, then a part of the United Provinces in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. He was popularly known as "Kumaon Kesari", a title he earned following the Coolie-Begar movement in 1921. Almora Akhbar, where he served as editor, was shut down by British authorities due to its anti-government stance. Subsequently, he raised funds to start a new newspaper, Shakti, which was launched on 15 October 1918, the day of Vijayadashami. During his time, Kumaoni society was affected by the practice of Nayak Pratha, in which Nayak families were allowed to sell their daughters into prostitution. Badri Datt Pandey actively campaigned against this practice, which eventually led to legislative action to abolish it. Badri Datt Pandey was imprisoned for one year in 1921, 18 months in 1930, one year in 1932, and three months in 1941. He was also jailed during the Quit India Movement in 1942. His book, ''Kumaon Ka Itihas'', is a comprehensive historical treatise on the Kumaon region.

References

1882 births 1965 deaths Indian independence activists from Uttarakhand Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh India MPs 1952–1957 Indian National Congress politicians from Uttar Pradesh Journalists from British India {{Uttarakhand-INC-politician-stub