Madan Mohan Malviya (December 25, 1861 – November 12, 1946) was born in Allahabad. He received his early education at Muir Central College, Allahabad, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Calcutta, and subsequently obtained a law degree from the University of Allahabad. Muir Central College was established by William Muir in 1872 and was later merged into the University of Allahabad in 1921. Malviya began his career in 1884 as an assistant teacher at the Government High School in Allahabad. He participated in the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta for the first time in 1886. His speech deeply impressed Raja Rampal Singh of the Kalakankar estate (near Allahabad), who offered him the position of editor for his newly launched Hindi newspaper, Hindustan. In 1887, Malviya left his teaching position to become the editor of Hindustan. Two and a half years later, he stepped down from this role to complete his legal studies at the University of Allahabad. Following this, he began his legal practice at the Allahabad District Court in 1891 and at the Allahabad High Court in 1893. In 1911, he retired from legal practice to dedicate himself to the national movement, education, and social service.
Madan Mohan Malviya made significant contributions to India’s national movement, journalism, and social service. Institutions and initiatives such as the Banaras Hindu University, the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, the Ganga Aarti, and the Bharat Scouts and Guides remain as part of his enduring legacy. In 2014, the Government of India posthumously conferred upon him the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
His contribution to national life can be understood under the following three headings:
A. Role in the National Movement
Although Madan Mohan Malviya began participating in Congress activities as early as 1886, his political engagement intensified significantly after he became the President of the Congress for the first time in 1909. Subsequently, he served as the Congress President a total of four times, including his tenures in 1918, 1932, and 1933. During the 1916 Lucknow session of the Congress, he opposed the provision of communal representation for Muslims; it was in recognition of this stance that Mahatma Gandhi bestowed upon him the title of ‘Mahamana’. In 1918, during his term as Congress President, he advocated for the adoption of ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (Truth Alone Triumphs) as a national motto. Today, ‘Satyameva Jayate’ is inscribed on India’s national emblem.
He was first elected as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council in 1912 and remained a member continuously until 1926. (Following 1919, the Imperial Legislative Council was renamed the Central Legislative Council.) When the ‘pro-changers’ broke away from the Congress in 1923 to form the Swaraj Party, Malaviya did not officially join them. Instead, he—along with Lala Lajpat Rai and N. C. Kelkar—formed a separate group, distinct from both the Congress and the Swaraj Party, known as the ‘Responsivists’. The Responsivists advocated for entering the legislative bodies to safeguard Hindu interests, a position opposed by the mainstream Congress party.
Malviya participated actively in the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920, the boycott of the Simon Commission in 1928, and the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930. In the 1922 Chauri Chaura incident, the Gorakhpur District Court sentenced 177 individuals to death. When an appeal was filed in the Allahabad High Court, Malviya represented them; as a result, 155 of these individuals were acquitted, while the death sentences of the others were commuted to life imprisonment. Malviya participated in the Second Round Table Conference in 1931, but he strongly opposed the Communal Award of 1932. Following the Poona Pact of 1932, the provision for separate electorates for the ‘Harijans’ (Dalits) was withdrawn; however, the system of separate electorates remained in place for Muslims and Sikhs. When the Congress failed to oppose this, Malviya parted ways with the party and, in 1934, co-founded the ‘Congress Nationalist Party’ alongside Shrihari Aney. In the 1934 elections, the Congress Nationalist Party secured 12 seats in the Central Legislature.
In 1933, when Gandhi ji established the ‘Harijan Sevak Sangh’—replacing the ‘All India Untouchability League’—Malviya served as its first president. On this occasion, he remarked that if one’s religion emphasizes the inner purity of the soul, then an individual cannot be rendered impure merely by the touch of another person.
B. Contribution as a Journalist
Madan Mohan Malviya began his career in journalism in 1887 as the editor of the newspaper Hindustan. In 1889, he edited another newspaper, Indian Opinion. Following the closure of that publication, he launched his own Hindi weekly, Abhyudaya, in 1907. Malviya opposed the laws that restricted press freedom—namely, the Newspaper Act of 1908 and the Indian Press Act of 1910—and, to facilitate broader opposition, he started the English-language daily The Leader in 1909. In 1910, he launched another Hindi newspaper, Maryada.
In 1924, in collaboration with Ghanshyam Das Birla, Lala Lajpat Rai, and M. R. Jayakar, Malviya acquired ownership of the newspaper Hindustan Times. He served as its editor from 1924 to 1926. Today, the newspaper continues to operate under the ownership of the Birla family.
Using the pseudonym ‘Makarand’, Malviya also published poems and articles in Harishchandra Chandrika (a magazine founded by Bharatendu Harishchandra) and Hindi Pradeep (a magazine by Balkrishna Bhatt). Thus, Malviya made a significant contribution to the fields of journalism and writing.
C. Contribution to Education and Social Service
In the realm of education, Malviya’s most notable achievement was the establishment of Banaras Hindu University in 1915. It was formed by incorporating the Central Hindu College, which had been founded by Annie Besant in 1898. Malviya also served as the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University from 1919 to 1939.
Furthermore, in 1915, during the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, he founded the All India Hindu Mahasabha. The All India Hindu Mahasabha is a political party that remains active to this day. He also initiated the Ganga Aarti in Haridwar, a tradition that continues to this day.
Another of Malviya’s contributions to the field of social service was the establishment of the ‘All India Seva Samiti’ in 1934, aimed at fostering scouting and social service among the youth—a necessity, as Indian youth were not granted the opportunity to join the British Boy Scouts. Later, on November 7, 1950, the All India Seva Samiti was merged into ‘The Bharat Scouts and Guides’. Even today, the code word ‘MAMOMA‘ used by The Bharat Scouts and Guides is derived from Malviya ji’s name.
What is the ‘Aviral Ganga’ agreement?
In 1905, Madan Mohan Malviya founded the ‘Ganga Mahasabha’ for the conservation of the Ganga River. He consistently pressured the British government to protect the river. Consequently, in 1916, an agreement—the ‘Aviral Ganga’ (Uninterrupted Ganga) Agreement—was signed between the Ganga Mahasabha and the British government, in which the latter pledged to maintain the uninterrupted flow of the Ganga. This is the reason why no dams were constructed on the Ganga River during the British colonial era—a testament to his far-sighted vision. Today, the government is working on the ‘Clean Ganga Mission’ to fulfill this very objective.
Image Courtesy: Wikipedia
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