Skip to main content

Purushottam Das Tandon

As was only to be hoped that being a British colony India was slowly gearing to the adoption of English as the national language during the pre-Independent era. Even after the attainment of freedom by India in 1947, Hindi has having a tough time in achieving its due place in the country. Against this backdrop, Purushottam Das Tandon, also known as Rajarshi, is remembered for his yeomen’s service in the achievement by Hindi its due place as the National Language.

Sometimes his enthusiasm for Hindi was resented by some who accused him being communal and chauvinistic. It was by his efforts that Hindi began to be written in Devanagari script.   

One of the foremost leaders during India’s struggle for independence, Purushottam Das Tandon was also a journalist, orator and social worker. He was born on 2nd August, 1882, at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. After receiving his primary education in the local City Anglo Vernacular School, he got a degree in law and started practising in the Allhabad High court. 
(Source: The Times Of India Group)

During his student days he joined Indian National congress in 1899. After being expelled from Mayor Central College of the Allahabad University for his revolutionary activities, he completed his studies in 1903 from a different college in Allahabad. He was one of the members of Congress Party Committee formed to look into the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Responding to the call of Mahatma Gandhi, he joined the freedom struggle by giving up his law practice in 1921. 

In 1946, Purushottam Das Tandon was elected to the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Indian constitution. He served as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh and remained in the post for thirteen years.

Though Tandon contested unsuccessfully against Pattabhi Sitaramayya for the position of the President of Congress in 1948 but was able to defeat Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani popularly known as Acharya Kriplani, in 1950 to be the president of Nagpur session. Jawaharlal Nehru was opposed to the candidacy of Tandon and he even threatened to resign. During his tenure there was a lack of co-ordination between the party and the government. Since then it has been the norm in the Congress party to have the same person as the president and head of the government or at least a pliable candidate for the post of either of the two. Purushottam Das Tandon won the Lok Sabha poll in 1952 and went to the Rajya Sabha in 1956.

On 23rd April, 1961, Purushottam Das Tandon was awarded Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. He breathed his last on 1st July 1962.

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 8, 2013 at 9:47 PM

    hi;;
    just writing to say thank you;;;
    I am preparing for civil services and your site is very helpful;;;
    you should state the reference of your post in every post;;
    it will be much better for each of us..

    jitendra
    jitendra-gupta.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. DeepakJune 9, 2013 at 11:30 PM

    Thanks Jitendra. Henceforth I will try to include the references.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Muhammad Shah Rangila

Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal emperor, died in 1707. Muhammad Shah became Mughal emperor in 1719. During the interregnum, Bahadur Shah I , Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi-ud-Darajat and Rafi-ud-Daula ascended the Mughal throne. Jahandar Shah was murdered on the orders of Farrukhsiyar who had the support of the two powerful Mughal nobles Sayyid Abdullah and his brother Sayyid Husain Ali at that time. They are famous in history as Sayyid brothers, the King-makers. In 1719, Farrukhsiyar were murdered in utter disregard of a Mughal emperor by Sayyid brothers. Rafi-ud-Darajat died of consumption in a few months. Rafi-ud-Daula was addicted to opium and died in 4 months. Sayyid brothers now chose Raushan Akhtar, a son of Jahan Shah (the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I), to be the emperor. Raushan Akhtar ascended the throne under the title of Muhamamd Shah in September 1719. In the beginning Muhammad Shah was a puppet in the hands of Sayyid brothers who soon began to lose their gri...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sanskrit Books and Authors in Ancient India

  Books Authors Abhigyan Shakuntalam (Recognition of Shakuntala) Kalidasa Aihole Prasasti Ravikirti Amarakosha   Amarasimha   Arthashastra Kautilya Ashtadhyayi   Panini Bhattikavya Bhatti Brihat Samhita   Varahamihira Buddhacharita   Asvaghosa   Charaka Samhita ( Compendium of Charaka ) Charaka Devichandraguptam   Vishakhadatta Gita Govinda  ( Song of the Cowherd) Jayadeva Gatha Saptashati Hala Lilavati   Bhaskara II   Hammira Mahakavya   Nayachandra Suri Janakiharana   ( Janaki's abduction) Kumaradasa   Kama Sutra Vatsyayana ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Turkan-i-Chahalgani, the Group of Forty

Amir-i-Chahalgani, known variously as Turkan-i-Chahalgani and Chalisa (The Forty), was a group of 40 faithful slaves which came into existence with the task of protecting Shamsuddin Iltutmish , the third Slave Sultan of Delhi Sultanate. The idea to form the group was taken by him when he came to realize that Turkish nobles cannot be trusted and could be a threat to his rule. With the passage of time the group went on to become very influential and powerful. Though Iltutmish succeeded in keeping the group under control, after his rule they became notorious and intrigued against nearly all his successors.  The Forty acquired domination on the affairs of the state so much so that no ruler could defy them. Without their support it was utterly out of questions for the rulers to win the battle for succession. The members of this Turkish nobility used to appropriate all the offices of the state to themselves. Some of the rulers of the Slave dynasty after Iltutmish were murdered by these s...
Post a Comment
Read more