Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi (; 30 December 1887 – 8 February 1971), popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, was an

Indian independence movement 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 ...

activist, politician, writer from

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to author and politician. He is a well-known name in

Gujarati literature The history of Gujarat, Gujarati literature () may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, other than its composers. Gujarat Vidhya S ...

. He founded

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is an Indian educational trust. It was founded on 7 November 1938 by K.M Munshi, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi. The trust programmes through its 119 centres in India, 7 centres abroad and 367 constituent institut ...

, an educational trust, in 1938. Munshi wrote his works in three languages namely Gujarati, English and Hindi. Before independence of India, Munshi was part of

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 ...

and after independence, he joined

Swatantra Party The Swatantra Party was an Indian classical liberal political party that existed from 1959 to 1974. It was founded by C. Rajagopalachari in reaction to what he felt was the Jawaharlal Nehru-dominated Indian National Congress's increasingly so ...

. Munshi held several important posts like member of

Constituent Assembly of India Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated body to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the Provincial assemblies of British India following the Provincial Assembly elections held in 1946 and nominated ...

, minister of agriculture and food of India, and governor of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. In his later life, he was one of the founding members of

Vishva Hindu Parishad Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) () is an Indian Right-wing politics, right-wing Hindu organisation based on Hindutva, Hindu nationalism. The VHP was founded in 1964 by M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Chinmayananda Saraswati, ...

Early life

Munshi was born on 30 December 1887 at

Bharuch Bharuch () is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since times of antiquity. It was a shi ...

, a town in Gujarat State of

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 ...

in a Bhargav Brahmin family. Munshi took admission at Baroda College in 1902 and scored first class with 'Ambalal Sakarlal Paritoshik'. In 1907, by scoring maximum marks in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

, he received 'Elite prize' along with degree of

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

. Later, he was given

honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

from same university. He received degree of LLB in Mumbai in 1910 and registered as

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

in the

Bombay High Court The High Court of Bombay is the High courts of India, high court of the States and union territories of India, states of Maharashtra and Goa in India, and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is seated primarily ...

. One of his professor at Baroda College was Aurobindo Ghosh (later

Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yogi, maharishi, and Indian nationalist. He also edited the newspaper Bande Mataram (publication), ''Bande Mataram''. Aurobindo st ...

) who had a profound impression on him. Munshi was also influenced by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda,

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

Sardar Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ''Vallabhbhāī Jhāverbhāī Paṭel''; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was an Indian independence activist and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime ...

and Bhulabhai Desai.

Political career

Indian independence movement

Due to influence of Sri Aurobindo, Munshi leaned towards revolutionary group and get himself involved into the process of bomb-making. But after settling in the Mumbai, he joined

Indian Home Rule movement The Indian Home Rule movement was a movement in British India on the lines of the Irish Home Rule movement and other home rule movements. The movement lasted around two years between 1916–1918 and is believed to have set the stage for the In ...

and became secretary in 1915. In 1917, he became secretary of Bombay presidency association. In 1920, he attended annual congress session at

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

and was influenced by its president Surendranath Banerjee. In 1927, he was elected to the

Bombay legislative assembly Bombay Legislative Assembly came into existence in 1937, as the legislature of Bombay Presidency, a Provinces of India, province of India. It functioned until 1960, when separate states of Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed. History The first se ...

but after Bardoli satyagraha, he resigned under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. He participated in the

civil disobedience movement Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". ...

in 1930 and was arrested for six months initially. After taking part in the second part of same movement, he was arrested again and spent two years in the jail in 1932. In 1934, he became secretary of Congress parliamentary board. Munshi was elected again in the

1937 Bombay presidency election The elections to the two houses of legislatures of the Bombay Presidency were held in 1937, as part of the nationwide provincial elections in British India. The Indian National Congress was the single largest party by winning 86 of 175 seats ...

and became Home Minister of the Bombay Presidency. During his tenure of home minister, he suppressed the communal riots in Bombay. Munshi was again arrested after he took part in Individual satyagraha in 1940. As the demand for

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

gathered momentum, he gave up non-violence and supported the idea of a civil war to compel the Muslims to give up their demand. He believed that the future of Hindus and Muslims lay in unity in an " Akhand Hindustan". He left Congress in 1941 due to dissents with Congress, but was invited back in 1946 by Mahatma Gandhi.

Offices held

* Member of Bombay Legislative Assembly * Member of Working committee of Indian National Congress (1930), Member of

All India Congress Committee The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is the presidium or the central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress. It is composed of members elected from States and union territories of India, state-level Pradesh Congress Commit ...

(1930-36,1947) * Secretary of Congress Parliamentary Board (1934) * Home Minister of Government of Bombay (1937–40)

Post-independence India

He was a part of several committees including Drafting Committee, Advisory Committee, Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights. Munshi presented his draft on Fundamental Rights to the Drafting and it sought for progressive rights to be made a part of Fundamental Rights. After 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 ...

, Munshi, Sardar Patel and N. V. Gadgil visited the

Junagadh State The State of Junagadh or Junagarh was a princely state located in Gujarat, It was ruled by the Muslim Babi dynasty since 1654 by first Nawab of Junagarh, Nawab of Junagadh even within the Maratha Confederacy and later British India. which, aft ...

to stabilise the state with help of the Indian Army. In Junagadh, Patel declared the reconstruction of the historically important Somnath temple. Patel died before the reconstruction was completed. Munshi became the main driving force behind the renovation of the

Somnath Prabhas Patan, historically named Dev Patan, is a locality in Veraval, Gujarat. As the site of the Somnath temple and its associated Jyotirlinga (an aniconic representation of the god Shiva), it is an important place of Hindu pilgrimage. Pl ...

temple even after

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

's opposition. Munshi was appointed diplomatic envoy and trade agent (Agent-General) to the princely state of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, where he served until its accession to India in 1948. Munshi was on the ad hoc Flag Committee that selected the

Flag of India The national flag of India, Colloquialism, colloquially called Tiraṅgā (the tricolour), is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag, the colours being of India Saffron (color)#Political & religious uses, saffron, white and Variations of gree ...

in August 1947, and on the committee which drafted the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India, legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures ...

under the chairmanship of

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

. Besides being a politician and educator, Munshi was also an environmentalist. He initiated the

Van Mahotsav Van Mahothsav, is an annual one-week tree-planting festival in India which is celebrated in the first week of July. It is a great traditional Indian festival that reflects Indian culture and heritage to honor and love mother earth by planting trees ...

in 1950, when he was Union Minister of Food and Agriculture, to increase area under forest cover. Since then Van Mahotsav a week-long festival of tree plantation is organised every year in the month of July all across the country and lakhs of trees are planted. Munshi served as the

Governor of Uttar Pradesh The governor of Uttar Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Uttara Pradēśa kē Rājyapāla'') is the constitutional head of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The governor is appointed by the president of India. The post is preceded by the governor of U ...

from 1952 to 1957. In 1959, Munshi separated from the Nehru-dominated (socialist) Congress Party and started the Akhand Hindustan movement. He believed in a strong opposition, so along with

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian independence ...

, he founded the Swatantra Party, which was right-wing in its politics, pro-business, pro-free market economy and private property rights. The party enjoyed considerable success and eventually died out. In August 1964, he chaired the meeting for the founding of the

Hindu nationalist Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of political thought, based on the native social and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" is a simplistic translation of . It is better descri ...

organisation

at Sandipini ashram.

Posts held

* Member of constituent assembly of India and its drafting committee (1947–52) * Union minister of food and agriculture (1950–52) * Agent general to the Government of India, Hyderabad (1948)

Academic career

Munshi was thinking of giving an institutional foundations to his ideas and ideals since 1923. On 7 November 1938, he established

with Harshidbhai Divatia and his wife Lilavati Munshi at

Andheri Andheri (Help:IPA/Marathi, �n̪d̪ʱeɾiː is a suburb situated in Western Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Government and politics For administrative purposes, Andheri is bifurcated into Andheri (west) and Andheri (east). Andheri (west) comes ...

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

. Later, he established Mumbadevi Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya to teach

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and ancient Hindu texts according to traditional methods. Apart from founding

, Munshi was instrumental in the establishment of Bhavan's College, Hansraj Morarji Public School, Rajhans Vidyalaya, Rajhans Balvatika and Panchgani Hindu School (1922). He was elected Fellow of the

University of Bombay University of Mumbai is a public university, public List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, state university in Mumbai. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest univ ...

, where he was responsible for giving adequate representation to regional languages. He was also instrumental in starting the department of Chemical Technology. He served as Chairman of Institute of Agriculture, Anand (1951–71), trustee of the Birla Education Trust (1948–71), executive chairman of

Indian Law Institute The Indian Law Institute (ILI) is a deemed university and socio-legal research institute, founded in 1956. Established in New Delhi, primarily with the objective of promoting and conducting legal research, education and training. The objective ...

(1957–60) and chairman of Sanskrit Vishwa Parishad (1951–1961).

Global policy

He was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a world constitution. As a result, for the first time in human history, a World Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.

Literary career and works

Munshi, with pen name ''Ghanshyam Vyas'', was a prolific writer in Gujarati and English, earning a reputation as one of Gujarat's greatest literary figures. Being a writer and a conscientious journalist, Munshi started a Gujarati monthly called Bhargava. He was joint-editor of Young India and in 1954, started the Bhavan's Journal which is published by the

to this day. Munshi was President of the

Gujarati Sahitya Parishad Gujarati Sahitya Parishad () is a literary organisation for the promotion of Gujarati literature located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It was founded by Ranjitram Mehta with the aim of creating literature appealing to all classes of society and ...

and the . Munshi was also a litterateur with a wide range of interests. He is well known for his historical novels in Gujarati, especially his

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

''Patan-ni-Prabhuta'' (The Glory of Patan), ''Gujarat-no-Nath'' (The Lord and Master of Gujarat) and ''Rajadhiraj'' (The King of Kings). His other works include ''Jay Somnath'' (on

temple), '' Krishnavatara'' (on Lord

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

), ''Bhagavan Parasurama'' (on Parshurama), and ''Tapasvini'' (The Lure of Power) a novel with a fictional parallel drawn from the Freedom Movement of India under

. Munshi also wrote several notable works in English. Munshi has written some fictional historical themes namely; ''Earlier Aryan settlements in India'' (What he calls Gaurang's – white skinned), ''Krishna's endeavors in Mahabharata times'', ''More recently in 10th century India around Gujarat, Malwa and Southern India.''. K.M. Munshi's novel ''

Prithivivallabh Prithvi Vallabh, Prithvivallabh or Prithvi-vallabh may refer to: * Prithvi-vallabha (title), ''Prithvi-vallabha'' (title) was a Sanskrit title adopted by several rulers of different dynasties of India. **Vakpati Munja (c. 972–990s), Parmara king ...

'' was made into a movie of the same name twice. The adaptation directed by Manilal Joshi in 1924 was very controversial in its day: the second version was by

Sohrab Modi Sohrab Merwanji Modi (2 November 1897 – 28 January 1984) was an Indian stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include ''Khoon Ka Khoon'' (1935), a version of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'', ''Sikandar (1941 film), Sikandar'', '' ...

in 1943. In 1948 he wrote a book about Mahatma Gandhi called ''Gandhi: The Master''.

"Pseudo-secularism"

According to the Indian lawyer, historian A. G. Noorani, "pseudo-secularism" was coined by K.M. Munshi.

Works in Gujarati and Hindi

His works are as following:Open Library – Books of Kanhiyalal Munshi
. Openlibrary.org. Retrieved on 7 December 2018. Novels * ''Mari Kamala'' (1912) * ''Verni Vasulat'' (1913) (under the pen name ''Ghanashyam'') * '' Patanni Prabhuta'' (1916) * '' Gujaratno Nath'' (1917) * '' Rajadhiraj'' (1918) * ''

'' (1921) * ''Svapnadishta'' (1924) * ''Lopamudra'' (1930) * ''Jay Somanth'' (1940) * ''Bhagavan Parashurama'' (1946) * ''Tapasvini'' (1957) * '' Krishnavatara'' (in eight volumes) (1970)last novel, still remained incomplete * ''Kono vank'' * ''Lomaharshini'' * ''Bhagvan Kautilya'' * ''Pratirodha'' (1900) * ''Atta ke svapana'' (1900) * ''Gaurava kā pratīka'' (1900) * ''Gujarat ke Gaurava'' (1900) * ''Sishu aura Sakhi'' (1961) * ''Avibhakta Atma'' Drama * ''Brahmacharyashram'' (1931) * ''Dr. Madhurika'' (1936) * ''Pauranik Natako'' Non-fiction * ''Ketlak Lekho'' (1926) * ''Adadhe Raste'' (1943)

Works in English

Source: * ''Gujarat and Its Literature'' * ''Imperial Gujaras'' * ''Bhagavad Gita and Modern Life'' * ''Creative Art of Life'' * ''To Badrinath'' * ''Saga of Indian Sculpture'' * ''The End of An Era'' * ''President under Indian Constitution'' * ''Warnings of History: Trends in Modern India'' * ''Somanatha, The shrine eternal''

Personal life

In 1900, he married Atilakshmi Pathak, who died in 1924. In 1926, he married Lilavati Munshi (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Sheth).

Popular culture

Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi 1988 stamp of India

Munshi was portrayed by K. K. Raina in the

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (14 December 1934 – 23 December 2024) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. H ...

's mini-series '' Samvidhaan''.

Memorials

* A school in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

is named after him as Bhavan's Kulapati K.M. Munshi Memorial Vidya Mandir Sapthat. * A postage stamp was issued in his honor in 1988. * The

has instituted an award in his honor – The Kulapati Munshi Award – awarded to recognize and honor a citizen of the Kendra who has done excellent and outstanding service to society in any special field. * A boys hostel named as K. M. Munshi Hall at Main campus, The

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a public university on April 30, 1949 and was renamed after ...

, Vadodara, Gujarat.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Munshi, Kanaiyalal Maneklal 1887 births 1971 deaths People from Vadodara Indian independence activists from Gujarat Scholars from Gujarat Governors of Uttar Pradesh Gujarati-language writers Founders of Indian schools and colleges University and college founders Members of the Constituent Assembly of India Novelists from Gujarat Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India English-language writers from India Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian lawyers Hindi-language writers Gandhians Indian male journalists Indian Hindus Prisoners and detainees of British India Swatantra Party politicians Indian environmentalists Indian National Congress politicians from Gujarat Hindu activists 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian educators Indian historical novelists 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male novelists Dramatists and playwrights from Gujarat Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda alumni World Constitutional Convention call signatories Presidents of the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad