Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi
Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi[2] (pronounced [kə.nəi.ya.lal ma.ɳek.lal mun.ʃi]; 30 December 1887 – 8 February 1971), popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to author and politician. He is a well-known name in Gujarati literature. He founded Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, an educational trust, in 1938.[3]
K. M. Munshi
30 December 1887
Bharuch, Bombay Presidency, British India
8 February 1971 (aged 83)
Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Jagadish Munshi, Sarla Sheth, Usha Raghupathi, Lata Munshi, Girish Munshi
Freedom fighter, politician, lawyer, writer
Founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (1938)
Home Minister of Bombay State (1937–40)
Agent-General of India in Hyderabad State (1948)
Member of the Constituent Assembly of India
Member of Parliament
Minister for Agriculture & Food (1952–53)
Ghanshyam Vyas
Gujarati, Hindi and English
Colonial India
Mythology, Historical Fiction
Krishna, Indian history
1915-1970
Munshi wrote his works in three languages namely Gujarati, English and Hindi. Before independence of India, Munshi was part of Indian National Congress and after independence, he joined Swatantra Party. Munshi held several important posts like member of Constituent Assembly of India, minister of agriculture and food of India, and governor of Uttar Pradesh. In his later life, he was one of the founding members of Vishva Hindu Parishad.
Early life[edit]
Munshi was born on 30 December 1887 at Bharuch, a town in Gujarat State of British India.[4] 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, he received 'Elite prize' along with degree of Bachelor of Arts.[5] Later, he was given honoris causa from same university.[6] He received degree of LLB in Mumbai in 1910 and registered as lawyer in the Bombay High Court.[5]
One of his professor at Baroda College was Aurobindo Ghosh (later Sri Aurobindo) who had a profound impression on him. Munshi was also influenced by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Bhulabhai Desai.[7]
Political career[edit]
Indian independence movement[edit]
Due to influence of 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 and became secretary in 1915.[5] In 1917, he became secretary of Bombay presidency association.[5] In 1920, he attended annual congress session at Ahmedabad and was influenced by its president Surendranath Banerjee.[5]
In 1927, he was elected to the Bombay legislative assembly but after Bardoli satyagraha, he resigned under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi.[5] He participated in the civil disobedience movement 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.[5] In 1934, he became secretary of Congress parliamentary board.[8]
Munshi was elected again in the 1937 Bombay presidency election and became Home Minister of the Bombay Presidency.[5] During his tenure of home minister, he suppressed the communal riots in Bombay.[5] Munshi was again arrested after he took part in Individual satyagraha in 1940.[5]
As the demand for Pakistan 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".[9] He left Congress in 1941 due to dissents with Congress, but was invited back in 1946 by Mahatma Gandhi.[7][5]
Academic career[edit]
Munshi was thinking of giving an institutional foundations to his ideas and ideals since 1923. On 7 November 1938, he established Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan with Harshidbhai Divatia and his wife Lilavati Munshi at Andheri, Bombay.[17] Later, he established Mumbadevi Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya to teach Sanskrit and ancient Hindu texts according to traditional methods.[18]
Apart from founding Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 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, 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 (1957-60) and chairman of Sanskrit Vishwa Parishad (1951-1961).[8]
Global policy[edit]
He was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a world constitution.[19][20] 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.[21]
Personal life[edit]
In 1900, he married Atilakshmi Pathak, who died in 1924. In 1926, he married Lilavati Munshi (née Sheth).[4][5]