Madhav Shrihari Aney

Dr. Madhav Shrihari Aney (29 August 1880 – 26 January 1968)[1]; popularly referred to as Loknayak Bapuji Aney or Bapuji Aney, was an ardent educationist, freedom fighter, statesman, a modern Sanskrit poet and a politician. He was also conferred with the title of "Loknayak Bapuji", which means "The People's Leader and Respected Father".[2] He was one of the founder of the Congress Nationalist Party. He was first among the eminent disciples of Lokmanya Tilak such as N C Kelkar, Kakasaheb Khadilkar, Gangadhar Deshpande, Dr B S Munje, Abhyankar, T B Paranjpe and Vaman Malhar Joshi, who walked in the footsteps of Tilak.[3] Accepting the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi on the death of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Aney persuaded his colleagues to see the writing on the wall. At the same time he was not blind in his loyalty. He disapproved Congress throwing itself in Khilafat Movement and warned against excessive wooing of Muslims at the cost of national interests. He regarded unity at any price as elusive and dangerous. Since the best safeguard for the minority was the goodwill of the majority. He never permitted his critical faculties to be blurred by emotion. Mahatma Gandhi admiring his calm logic, confined in him and often sought his counsel. He was chosen to arbitrate the disputes between Subhash Chandra Bose and Jatindra Mohan Sengupta. He was never a breaker or a destroyer but was always a cementing factor believing in synthesis and not in segregation.[4]

Madhav Shrihari Aney
Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council
In office
1941–1943
MonarchGeorge VI of the United Kingdom
Governor-GeneralVictor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow
Governor of Bihar
In office
12 January 1948 – 14 June 1952
Preceded byJairamdas Daulatram
Succeeded byR. R. Diwakar
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
1962–1967
Preceded byAnasuyabai Kale
Succeeded byNarendra R. Deoghare
ConstituencyNagpur
Personal details
Born29 August 1880
Wani, Maharashtra, India
Died26 January 1968 (aged 87)
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)Yamuna Bai (1898 -1925) (died)
Alma materMorris College (B.A., 1902) Calcutta University (LL.B, 1907)
OccupationAuthor, politician, freedom fighter
Known forIndian Independence movement
AwardsPadma Vibhushan (1968)

Biography

Early life and background

Bapuji Aney was born on 20 August 1880 in a family of Sanskrit pandits at Wani in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha in Maharashtra. His father Srihari Aney was a learned pandit and mother Rakhma Bai Aney, a housewife. Bapuji Aney was second of their four son's.[5] He came from a Deshastha Brahmin family[6] It is said that his ancestors hailed from Telugu-speaking area with the surname "Annamraju" which was later transmuted into "Aney". He was initiated into vedic studies early in life and soon ripened into profound Sanskrit scholar. He completed his B.A. from Morris College in Nagpur in 1902 and was a teacher in private school for some time. After taking his law degree from Calcutta University in 1907, he joined the bar a built a lucrative practice. He used to attend courts for two weeks in a month and devout rest of the time to public word.[7]

Forest Satyagraha

The forest law was defied in Berar as in other parts of the country. Moreshwar Vasudeo Abhyankar and Wamanrao Joshi were arrested for their protests. On 10 July 1930, Bapuji Aney took over the leadership to inaugurate the "Forest Satyagraha". With the party of volunteers he cut grass from the reserved forests at Pusad at Yavatmal and was arrested. At the same time other leaders of the Berar such as Brijlal Biyani, Gole, Patwardhan and Soman were arrested. With this the Satyagraha started spreading in all the parts of the state. The Adivasis too participated in thousands in the Satyagraha.[8] He underwent six months imprisonment and thereafter he was known as "Loknayak Aney"

Positions held

During British Raj

In 1923, he was nominated to the Central Legislative Assembly as the representative of Berar Division. During 1941–1943, he was a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council responsible for Indians Overseas and Commonwealth Relations. He resigned in 1943, when the British Indian government refused to release Mahatma Gandhi, while he was on fast. He was the High Commissioner to Ceylon from 1943 to July 1947. He joined the Constituent Assembly in 1947.[9]

After Independence of India

After Indian independence, Dr. Aney was the Governor of Bihar from 12 January 1948 to 14 June 1952.[10] He was also a member of the 3rd Lok Sabha from 1962 to 1967, representing Nagpur constituency.

Death

He died on 26 January 1968 evening with a severe heart attack.[11]

Awards
  • On 26 January 1968, the day he died, he was honored with Padma Vibhushan.
  • In 1973, he was posthumously honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit for his Shritilakayashornava (1971), a Sanskrit biography of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Family

Bapuji Aney married to Yamuna Bai in 1898 and had one son. Yamuna Bai died in 1925.[5] His grandson Shrihari Aney was the former Advocate General of Maharashtra.[12]

Legacy

Aney Marg, the street on which the chief minister of Bihar's residence is located, is named after him.[13]

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References
  1. Sen S.N. (1997). History of the Freedom Movement in India (1857–1947) New Delhi: New Age. p. 354. ISBN 81-224-1049-9
  2. S. Shabbir (2005). History of Educational Development in Vidarbha, 1882-1923 A.D. Northern Book Centre. p. 287. ISBN 9788172111878.
  3. The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 95. Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. 1974. p. 31.
  4. Rao 1991, p. 88.
  5. Sinha 1996, p. 119.
  6. Cashman, Richard I. (1975). The Myth of the Lokamanya: Tilak and Mass Politics in Maharashtra. University of California Press. p. 190. ISBN 9780520024076.
  7. Rao 1991, p. 89.
  8. Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Yeotmal. Gazetteers Dept Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State. 1974. p. 162.
  9. Rajeswar Rao, P. (1991). The Great Indian Patriots. I. New Delhi: Mittal Publications. pp. 88–92. ISBN 81-7099-280-X.
  10. "Previous Governors". Government of Bihar website. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  11. Lokrajya, Volume 36. Directorate-General of Information and Public Relations. 1980. A Page From Shri K. S. Kelkar's Diary 26TH JANUARY 1968 oknayak Bapuji Aney was honoured with the insignia of Padma Vibhushan. our hearty congratulations, the same evening we were shocked to learn that he was dead, following a heart attack.
  12. "Ex-AG Shrihari Aney sends letter in blood to PM demanding Vidarbha state". Economic Times. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  13. Verma, Nalin (23 November 2010). "The Telegraph – Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | The Anne that never was". Telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 30 November 2013.

Bibliography
Government offices
Preceded by
Jairamdas Daulatram		 Governor of Bihar
12 January 1948 – 14 June 1952		 Succeeded by
R. R. Diwakar
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