Encyclopedia of Indian History: Educationist

Mahadevi Varma Indian Freedom Fighter Activist Educationist

MAHADEVI VARMA was born on 26^th March, 1907 and died on Death: 11^th September, 1987
Mahadevi Varma (26^th March, 1907 - 11^th September, 1987) best known as an outstanding Hindi poet, was a freedom fighter, woman’s activist and educationist from India. She is widely regarded as the “modern Meera” [citation needed]. She was a major poet of the Chhayavaad generation, a period of romanticism in Modern Hindi poetry ranging from 1914-1938. With passage of time, her limited but outstanding prose has been recognised as unique in Hindi Literature. She was a prominent poet in Hindi Kavi sammelans (Gatherings of poets).
She was the Principal, and then the Vice Chancellor of Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth, a woman’s residential college in Allahabad. She was awarded India’s highest literary award, for lifetime achievement, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1979, followed by the Jnanpith Award in 1982. She was the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, in 1988.
Mahadevi was born in Farrukhabad, United Provinces in a family of lawyers. She was educated at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She was the eldest child of Govinda Prasad and Hemrani and had two brothers and a sister, Shyama. She was married in 1914 with Dr. Swarup Narain Varma in Indore at a tender age of 7. She stayed with her parents while her husband studied in Lucknow to complete his education, during which time, she received her higher education at the Allahabad University and passed her B.A examination in 1929 and completed her M.A in Sanskrit in 1933. She later joined her husband in the princely state of Tamkoi around 1920 and later moved to Allahabad to pursue her interest in poetry with agreement from her husband, as she refused to accept her marriage with him in childhood. Mahadevi Varma and her husband mostly lived separately pursuing their respective interests and used to meet occasionally.
After the death of her husband in 1966, she moved permanently to Allahabad and lived there until her death. Mahadevi Varma was deeply affected by Buddhism and also contributed to the Indian freedom movement. She even tried to become a Buddhist bhikshuni.
Mahadevi was appointed as the first headmistress of Allahabad (Prayag) Mahila Vidyapeeth, which was started with a view to imparting cultural and literary education to girls through Hindi medium. Later, she became the chancellor of the institute.
She died on 11^th September, 1987 at 9:27 pm. Her bunglow still stands at Ashok Nagar colony in Allahabad. It is under possession of descendants of her deceased secretary, Pt. Ganga Prasad Pandey. One her birth centenary year (2007), they have recreated a room dedicated to her memory. Mahadevi Verma (1907-87), was educated in Allahabad, where she founded the ‘Prayag Mahila Vidyapitha’, promoting education for girls. An active freedom fighter, Mahadevi Verma is regarded as one of the four pillars of the great Romantic movement in modern Hindi poetry, Chayavada, the remaining three being Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, Jaishankar Prasad and Sumitranandan Pant. She is renowned for her book of memoirs, Atit Ke Chalchitra (The Moving Frames of the Past) and Smriti Ki Rekhayen (The Lines of Memory). Her poetic canvas boasts Dipshikha (The Flame of an Earthen Lamp, 1942), a book comprising fifty one lyrics, all which carry maturity of expression and intense mystical quality. Some of her other famous publications are Nihar (1930), Rashmi (1932), Neerja (1934), and Sandhya Geet (1936). Of her four prose woks, Shrinkhala ki Kadiyan deals with the plight of Indian women. Her reflections on art and literature included in Sahityakaar ki Astha, evince a highly cultivated aesthetic sensibility, firmly rooted in the permanent values of life.
In 1935, she was appointed Honorary Editor of the famous Hindi monthly magazine Chand. She was honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the President of India. She died on 11^th September, 1987.
Works: Mahadevi is considered to be one of the four major poets of the Chhayavaadi school of the Hindi literature, others being Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, Jaishankar Prasad and Sumitranandan Pant. She was also a noted painter. She drew a number of illustrations for her poetic works like Deepshikha and Yama.
Poetry: Her poems have been published under a number of other titles as well, but they contain the poems from these collections only. They include: 1. Neehar (1930), 2. Agnirekah (1990, published after her death), 3. Pagal hai kya? (1971, published in 2005).
Awards and honours: Mahadevi Varma’s creative talents and sharp intellect soon earned her a prominent place in the Hindi Literary world. She is considered among the four pillars of the Chhayavaad movement. In 1934, she received Sekseriya Puraskar from the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan for her work, Niraja. Her poetry collection received the Jnanapith Award, one of the highest Indian literary awards.
She also Honored with “Proud Past Alumni” in the list of 42 members, from “Allahabad University Alumni Association”,

K M Munshi Indian Freedom Fighter Educationist

Date of birth: 30^th December, 1887 and Date of death: 1971
Dr. Kaniyalal Maneklal Munshi founded of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan along with his friends late in 1938. Born in Broach came under the influence of Aurobindho while studying at Baroda college. He enrolled himself initially as a pleader and later as an advocate in the Bombay Bar. He first joined Annie Besant’s All India Home rule League in 1916 and later in Indian National Congress. He married Lilavathi Sheth in 1926 after the death of his first wife, Atilakshmi Pathak, whom he married when he was just 13.
He was elected to the Bombay Legislative Council in 1927. He took part in the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 and was imprisoned for six months. In 1932, he was sentenced to two year’s rigours imprisonment. He elected to Bombay Legislative Assembly in 1937 and appointed as the Home minister in the first Congress Government. He served as India’s Agent- General in Hyderabad when Nizam was trying to keep his state independent of the Indian Union. He became member the Constituent Assembly in 1948. He was Food and Agriculture minister of the Government of India in 1950. He was Governor of Uttar Pradesh during 1952- 57. He resigned from the Congress and became the Vice President of the newly formed Swatantra Party standing for free enterprises. Till his death in 1971, he devoted all his energies to the building up of the Bhavan as the premier culture organisation of the country.