Ganesh Dutt
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Sir Ganesh Dutta Singh (variously, Ganesh Dutt, Ganesh Dutt Singh; 13 January 1868 – 26 September 1943) was an Indian lawyer, educationist and administrator during the British Raj. He did much to improve education and health services in the state of
Bihar and Orissa Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India, which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of Odisha. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were governed by the then ...
before the
independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...
from Britain. Dutta made generous donations from his earnings and personal property for the development of educational institutions, Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital, Ayurvedic College and schools for the blind and deaf. A short film based on the life and works of Dutta was made by
Prakash Jha Prakash Jha (born 27 February 1952) is an Indian film producer, actor, director and screenwriter, mostly known for his political and socio-political films such as ''Hip Hip Hurray (film), Hip Hip Hurray'' (1984), ''Damul'' (1984), ''Mrityudand ...
. Dutta was Minister for Local Self Government of Bihar and Orissa under
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
rule, and one of the major public figures of the province of Bihar. Sir Ganesh Dutta donated his house Krishna Kunj to
Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern e ...
to start the Patna University Institute of Psychological Research and Service, one of the oldest psychological service centres in
Eastern India East India is a region consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The states of Bihar and West Bengal lie on the Indo-Gangetic plain. Jharkhan ...
in 1945 on the initiative of Sir
Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh Sir Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh (18 April 190129 November 1994) was an Indian freedom fighter, diplomat and administrator. Early life Singh was born in Parsagarh in Saran district of Bihar. He obtained an M.A. from Calcutta University, f ...
Sinha, the
Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...
of Patna University. Dutta saved nearly three-quarters of his salary each month for 14 years to give it to various charities to benefit orphans, widows, and schools in the state. He took keen interest in the development of Patna University. He donated some of his assets to the University and worked towards abolishing the practice of appointing former Judges as vice-chancellors; Sachchidanand Sinha became the first VC of Patna University who was not a judge.


Biography

Dutta was the Minister of Local Self Government in the British Raj cabinet from 1923 till 1937 when the Provincial Government was established. While he was the Minister of Local Self Government, Dutta was made
Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
by the British government for his contributions to the public good. State functions are organised by the
Government of Bihar Bihar Government is the State governments of India, state government of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Bihar and its nine Divisions of Bihar, divisions which consist of Districts of Bihar, districts. It consists of an execut ...
on the anniversary of Dutta's birth on 13 January every year. Dutta was a minister of Bihar and Orissa until 31 March 1936. After the separation of
Orissa Odisha (), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is a state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the thir ...
and
Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
he continued to hold the position. He became minister on 27 March 1923 and five years later in June 1928, he was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
by the King Emperor, in recognition of his ability as an administrator and his service to the country. He retired from ministership on the introduction of provincial autonomy in 1937 after having held office continuously for 14 years from 1923.


Philanthropy

During Dutta's period of office as minister, he set apart most of his salary for charitable and educational purposes. He gave Rs. 100,000 to Patna University on 30 November 1931, and a further Rs. 200,000 on 27 May 1933. With this endowment the Patna University Sir Ganesh Dutta Singh's Trust Fund was created, funding loan scholarships for higher studies in industry, agriculture, science, medicine, engineering, etc. Dutta required that all else being equal, preference was to be given to the untouchable
caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
s and backward castes over the
forward castes Forward caste (or General caste) is a term used in India to denote castes which are not listed in SC, ST or OBC reservation lists. They are on average considered ahead of other castes economically and educationally. They account for about 30.8% ...
. Patna University awarded him the degree of Doctor Honouris Causa in 1933.


Policy criticism

In 1928, there had been widespread agitation in Bihar due to an ill-advised step on the part of the ruling British Government in superseding the District Board at Gaya and removing Anugraha Narain Sinha, a prominent national leader, from its chairmanship. Sri Krishna Sinha (first
Chief Minister of Bihar The chief minister of Bihar serves as the head of the Government of Bihar, overseeing its administration and governance within the constitutional framework of India. While the Governor of Bihar holds the ceremonial role of the constitutional h ...
), leader of the Congress party, disapproved of the policy of Ganesh Dutta Singh as Minister of the Local-Self Government in superseding the Gaya district board, and came down heavily on the government in the Bihar and Orissa Legislative council.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutta, Ganesh 20th-century Indian educational theorists Indian philanthropists Patrons of schools People from Nalanda district 1943 deaths 1868 births Indian Knights Bachelor 19th-century Indian educational theorists Scholars from Bihar Lawyers from British India