Nanabhai Bhatt (born ''Nrusinhprasad Kalidas Bhatt''; 11 November 1882 – 31 December 1961) was an Indian educator, writer, thinker and Indian independence activist. Bhatt was a contemporary of educators

Gijubhai Badheka Gijubhai Badheka (15 November 1885 – 23 June 1939) was an educator who helped to introduce Montessori education methods to India. He is referred to as "Moochhali Maa" ("mother with whiskers"). Badheka was a high court lawyer, however, follow ...

and Harbhai Trivedi. The three worked to advance rural education. Bhatt died on 31 December 1961. He has written a number of books on Indian Cultural Heritage which include ''Ramayana na Patro, Mahabharat Na Patro, Mahabharat Ni Akhyaikayo 1-2, Bhagawat kathao. Ghadatar and Chanatar'' is his autobiography.

Early life

Bhatt was born on 11 November 1882, in

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city and the headquarters of Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was founded in 1723 by Bhavsinhji Gohil. It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a princely state before it was merged into the Dominion ...

. He attended Samaldas Arts College there, where he completed his M.A.

Career

He started his career as a principal at a high school in

Mahuva, Bhavnagar Mahuva is a town and taluka of Bhavnagar District, Gujarat, India. Located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, Mahuva has mild weather and surroundings that include many coconut plantations. The town is a part of the Saurashtra region and is kn ...

, Gujarat, and became a professor at Shamaldas College. From 1908 to 1915, the concept and fulfilment of Dakshinamurti Vidhyarthi Bhavan, a residential educational institute, was gradually accomplished. The institute was formally established in 1910. Bhatt was a thinker and reformer. He became Vice Chancellor at

Gujarat Vidyapith Gujarat Vidyapith is a deemed university in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. This institute was founded in 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi, India's " Father of the Nation" and the leader of the Indian independence movement. It has been deemed university s ...

, and during 1925-28 as Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith. In 1938, he established Gram Dakshinamurti, an Institute of Basic Education at Ambala,

Sihor Sihor (Gujarati language, Gujarati: સિહોર ) is a town, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. Placed along the river Gautami, this erstwhile capital of the Gahlot, Gohil ...

Taluka, targeting education in rural areas.

Lokbharti

He became Minister of Education in

Saurashtra Saurashtra, Sourashtra, or variants may refer to: ** Kathiawar, also called Saurashtra Peninsula, a peninsula in western India ** Saurashtra (state), alias United State of Kathiawar, a former Indian state, merged into Bombay State and since its d ...

state in 1948. In 1953, he founded Lokbharti, a university for rural villagers who otherwise lacked access to higher education, in

Sanosara Sanosara is a village located in India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (U ...

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 ...

. Lokbharti is based on the vision and message of

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 ...

of a strong and self-sufficient rural India. Bhatt founded other educational institutions such as Dakshinamurti Vidyarthi Bhavan / Dakshinamurti Vinay Mandir - Bhavnagar, Gram Dakshinamurti - Ambala.

Philanthropy and other works

Bhatt devoted his life to the welfare of rural communities and education. He wrote and published books and publications from 1920 to 1959, focusing on education, religion, humanity, social science, history, self help and character development. He remained an active 'Satyagrahi' and a freedom fighter for the

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 ...

. He was arrested multiple times for this activity. According to the famous Gujarati writer

Manubhai Pancholi Manubhai Pancholi also known by his pen name Darshak, was a Gujarati language novelist, author, educationist and politician from Gujarat, India. He participated in the Indian independence movement and held several offices after independence. B ...

, Bhatt had a good knowledge of

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 ...

classical texts such as the

Upanishads The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

. A member of

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

from 1954 to 1957, Bhatt was awarded

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

in 1960 for "Social Work".

References

External links

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Lokbharti, Sanosara
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatt, Nanabhai 1882 births 1961 deaths Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work Indian independence activists from Gujarat 20th-century Indian educational theorists Prisoners and detainees of British India Founders of Indian schools and colleges State cabinet ministers of Gujarat Saurashtra (state) People from Bhavnagar Social workers from Gujarat