Govind Ballabh Pant

In 1960, Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant suffered a heart attack. As the then Home Minister of India, he received the best treatment available but his health deteriorated further. After suffering a cerebral stroke he passed away on 7 March 1961, at the age of 74.

His son, Krishna Chandra Pant was also a noted politician. His other children were Lakshmi Pant and Pushpa Pant.

Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was born on 10 September 1887, in a village called Khoont near Almora. He was born in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family that had migrated long back. His mother’s name was Govindi Bai and his father was Manorath Pant.

His father was a government officer and had to move from one place to another frequently. Hence young Govind was brought up by his maternal grandfather, Badri Dutt Joshi, who also shaped his personality and political views.

Right from childhood, he was an excellent student. He passed Middle School and Matriculation examination from the Samay College, Almora. He then joined the Muir College, Allahabad on scholarship and graduated with Mathematics, English and Politics.

In 1907, a speech by Gokhale deeply influenced his patriotic feelings. He also read the writings of Bankim Chandra, Dadabhai Naoroji, Dickens, Thackeray, Voltaire et all. He decided to study Law and in two years, he topped his batch and won the Lumsden gold medal.

In the initial years as a lawyer in Kashipur, Pandit Pant actively campaigned against the British Raj. In 1914, he helped a village council to effectively challenge a law that required locals, known as ‘coolie beggars’, to carry the luggage of travelling British officers for free.

Having gained popularity as a lawyer, in 1921, he entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.

Together with Pandit Badri Durr Pande, he started a weekly paper called ‘Shakti’, highlighting the problems and campaigning for the cause of the Kumaon region.

In 1930, he was imprisoned for several weeks for arranging a Salt March inspired by Mahatama Gandhi. In 1933, he was arrested again for attending a session of the then outlawed provincial Congress.

In 1935, the ban was withdrawn and he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly. He won the respect of the leaders of the Congress with his political skills. Soon, he became deputy leader of the Congress party in the Assembly.

As a young lawyer, Pandit Pant successfully campaigned against the British Raj in 1914, by challenging a law that required locals, known as ‘coolie beggars’ to carry the luggage of British officers for free.

He played a significant role in the Indian freedom movement He was an active participant in both the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement.

After India’s independence, as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he was successful in stabilizing the economic condition of the state. He abolished the zamindari system, made monogamy compulsory for Hindu men and conferred Hindu women the rights to divorce and inherit ancestral property.

As Home Minister, he was successful in re-organising the States along linguistic lines. He also established Hindi as an official language of the central government and a few states.