Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya’s name is notable among the brave sons who had a great contribution in freeing India from the chains of slavery. He was engaged in the service of the country throughout his life. Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya made pioneering contributions in all fields of education, religion, and politics. He is also called the priest of humanity.
Personal details
Madan Mohan Malaviya was born on 25 December 1861 in Prayag. His father’s name was Pandit Brajnath. He was a Sanskrit teacher. His mother’s name was Smt. Mona Devi. Madan Mohan was the fifth child of his parents. He was of sharp intellect since childhood. He was enrolled in a school run by Vidyavardhini Sabha. On the strength of his extraordinary talent, he soon made his mark in that school. A teacher named Devkinandan was greatly influenced by him. He taught Madan Mohan about Hinduism and Indian culture with full dedication.
During that time the British were committing various types of atrocities on the Indian people. The freedom struggle of 1857 had failed. When Madan Mohan saw the plight of India, his mind would be filled with hatred for the British. Therefore the effect of patriotism was felt in him in his student life itself. He could not bear the opposition of Hinduism and Indian culture. Then, he founded the ‘Vagvadhini Sabha’ with the help of some of his companions. In addition, he opposed the propaganda being done against Indian culture.
Malviya Ji passed the entrance examination from Kolkata University. Meanwhile, the financial condition of the house was not good, but still, his father got him enrolled in Cure Central College. At that time Cure Central College was in Darbhanga. There was the headmaster of Sanskrit, Pandit Aditya Ram Bhattacharya. In 1880, he founded the ‘Social Association of Hindu Society’. Madan Mohan also gave speeches in those meetings.
A freedom fighter
In 1881, Madan Mohan was married to Kundan Devi. After that in 1884, Madan Mohan passed the examination of BA. Madan Mohan was a staunch opponent of the British. In this direction, he wrote a skit named ‘Gentle Man’. In that skit, he has ridiculed the English civilization a lot. Due to his poor financial condition, he could not complete his further studies. Therefore, to earn a living, he worked as a teacher. Even during his teaching period, Madan Mohan maintained an equal interest in social and political work.
In 1886 the second session of the Congress was held in Kolkata. Accordingly, Madan Mohan Ji arrived with his guru Pandit Aditya Ram. There everyone was impressed by his speech. There was also Raja Rampal Singh who used to bring out the ‘Hindustan’ Patra. He was greatly influenced by Madan Mohan’s speech and made him the editor of ‘Hindustan‘ Patra. In 1887, Madan Mohan Ji resigned from the post of teacher and started doing editing work. Then, he edited Hindustan for two and a half years. Then came Prayag in 1889. There he did the work of editing in ‘Indian Opinion. For that reason, he was associated with editing for many years.
Initially, with the aim of taking his ideas to the people, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya started publishing the weekly paper ‘Abhyudaya’. In this letter, he used to write articles on the problems of the time. In other words, he used to make the public aware of the need for education and school, university.
Raise his voice through his books
Madan Mohan Ji did not consider any religion as small or big. The British used to convert the Hindu people by saying that their religion was superior. Seeing all this, Madan Mohan Ji was very sad. He was a liberal promoter of Hinduism. He decided that he would fight for the protection of ‘Hindutva’. In 1906, Madan Mohan Ji discussed the book ‘Sanatan Dharma Sangrah’ on the holy festival of Kumbh. As a result, the ‘Sanatan Dharma Mahasabha’ emerged. To bring the basic principles of Hinduism to the masses, he wrote a short book called ‘Hindu Dharmapadesh’. In this book, he expressed his experiences with the development of Hinduism. He believed that every person should bow to God because he is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer.
Establishment of Banaras Hindu University
He practiced law on the advice of his friends in the Prayag High Court. Gradually, his name started being taken among the top lawyers in the country. Madan Mohan’s biggest dream was to establish Banaras Hindu University. His father said that if he wants to fulfill this dream, then he will have to give up the law. Shortly after that, Madan Mohan Ji left the law. In 1907, in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Kashi King. His proposal to establish Banaras Hindu University was accepted. To build the university, Madan Mohan Ji roamed around the country and collected money. Pandit Sunderlal Ji accompanied him in this work. On 4 February 1916, the foundation stone of Banaras Hindu University was laid on the day of Vasant Panchami. Apart from Lord Hardinge, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. leaders also participated in that conference.
On 1 August 1930, a procession was taken out in Bombay on the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak. The police stopped the procession and many leaders were taken prisoner along with Madan Mohan Ji. He was sent to the Byculla prison. There someone got them free by giving them a fine of Rs. 200.
Love for humanity
The subject on which Madan Mohan Ji gave the most influential speech after education was the ‘conditional porter system’. Gopal Krishna Gokhale also raised his voice against this exploitation system in 1909. This effort of Madan Mohan Ji was successful. The Viceroy Lord Hardinge soon decided that this system should be abolished.
Humanity was full of code in Madan Mohan. He had immense affection for the country and the countrymen in his heart. Any of his resolutions was full of the spirit of public welfare. The soul of this priest of humanity was merged by the divine in November 1946. But the nation will always be indebted for the work done by him. The former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Sampoornanand had said about him that it would not be an exaggeration to call Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Ji a Mahamana. Mahamana can only be a person whose resolve is great and full of the spirit of public welfare.
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