Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao Pant Pratinidhi

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Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao Pant Pratinidhi
भवानराव श्रीनिवासराव पंत प्रतिनिधी
Shrimant Raja[1]
9th Raja of Aundh State[2]
Reign1909 – 1947
PredecessorGopalkrishnarao Parashuram "Nana Sahib"
SuccessorBhagwantrao Pant Pratinidhi "Bapu Sahib"
Born24 October 1868
Died13 April 1951
Issue
ReligionHinduism

Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao Pant Pratinidhi, CBE[3] (October 24, 1868 – April 13, 1951), popularly known as Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, or Bhawanrao Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, was the ruler of the princely state of Aundh during the British Raj, from 1909 until 1947.[2]

He was an advocate of

Surya Namaskar, known in the West as the "sun salutation", now incorporated into modern yoga as exercise
.

Life

Raja Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao in 1911

Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao was born to Shriniwasrao Parashuram "Anna Sahib" (7th Raja of Aundh) on 24 October 1868 in a Deshastha Brahmin family. He studied at Satara High School and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Deccan College of University of Bombay in Pune.[4] He ascended the throne as the Raja of Aundh State on 4 November 1909. Although Balasaheb was not a scholar, he was avid reader and his Sanskrit was tolerably good.[4] He worked as Chief Secretary to his father from 1895–1901 in order to learn the Administration of the State.[5]

Aundh Experiment

The Aundh Experiment was an early test of village-level

self-government initiated by Balasaheb. Unusual at that time, he relinquished most of his powers as a ruler of a princely state to his populace in 1938 on his seventieth birthday.[6] This declaration was followed up by the adoption of a Swaraj (self-rule) Constitution in January 1939, formulated in consultation with Mahatma Gandhi and Maurice Frydman. For Gandhi, Aundh’s small, rural base suggested the possibilities of testing his cherished idea of gram-rajya or village republics; broadly, this idea entailed treating the village as an autonomous and self-sufficient administrative and economic unit.[7]

Family

His second son Appa Sahib Pant (1912–1992) served as Indian ambassador in many countries. Appa was honored by Government of India in 1954, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his contributions to the society,[8] placing him among the first recipients of the award.

Patron of arts, literature, and physical culture

Bhawanrao, in addition to publishing Chitra Ramayana, also illustrated the pictures in the book.This image is of the Coronation of Rama

Bhawanrao was a man of letters, an accomplished painter, and an erudite musical kirtankar. He was a patron for many artists including the polymath,

Marathi Sahitya Sammelan held in Indore in 1935.[9] He also served as President of the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha.[10]

Shri Bhavani Museum

Bhawanrao was an avid collector, patron and commissioner of arts. He set up a museum on the

Yamai temple hill in Aundh to hold his art collection. The museum has the distinction of being one of the first art museums in India to be set up by an Indian as an Art Museum rather than as a museum of archeological artifacts
.

The museum collection includes paintings and sculptures of various well-known artists including

Bengal school. The collection includes casts and copies of many popular western classical sculptures and paintings.[14]
There is a small collection of Indian paintings from the pre-modern period especially of the Kangra or Pahadi style.

Physical culture

Balasaheb was avid bodybuilder and promoter of

downward dog poses, helping to shape yoga as exercise.[17][18][19][20] He published Surya Namaskars in 1928, a step-by-step guide to yoga exercises.[15] In 1938, British author Louise Morgan edited and updated Pant's book as the Ten Point Way to Health: Surya Namaskars which introduced Indian physical culture exercises to European women.[15]

Literary contributions

See also

References

  1. ^ A Review of the Administration of the Presidency. Government Central Press. 1930. p. 8.
  2. ^ a b Pant 1989, p. 11.
  3. ^ The London Gezette, Volume 1. H M Stationery office. p. 57.
  4. ^ a b Pant 1989, p. 8.
  5. ^ Pant 1989, p. 9.
  6. ^ Allen, pp. 314-5.
  7. ^ Alter, p. 92.
  8. ^ "Padma Shri" (PDF). Padma Shri. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  9. ^ Pant 1989, p. 29.
  10. ^ "'पुणे सार्वजनिक सभे'चे अध्यक्षपद प्रथमच महिलेकडे". 29 March 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  11. ^ Bhagwat., Nalini. "M. V. Dhurandhar". indiaart.com. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  12. ISBN 81-7017-310-8
    .
  13. ^ http://ngmaindia.gov.in/pdf/Press-release-of-M-V-dhurandhar-exhibition.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  14. ISBN 978-3-11-034136-2
    .
  15. ^
    ISBN 978-90-04-43343-4
  16. ISBN 978-1-315-68257-0
    . Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  17. ^ Doctor, Vikram (15 June 2018). "Bhawanrao Shrinivasrao Pant Pratinidhi: The man who promoted Surya Namaskar". The Economic Times (India).
  18. ^ Pant & Morgan 1938.
  19. ^ Goldberg 2016, pp. 180–207.
  20. ^ Mehta 1990, pp. 146–147.
  21. ^ Pant Pratinidhi, Balasaheb (1916). The Picture Ramayana. Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi (Bombay).
  22. ^ Pant Pratinidhi, Balasaheb (1938). Surya Namskara The Ten Way To Health Raja Of Aundh ( Yoga General) (5th ed.).
  23. ^ Pant Pratinidhi, Balasaheb (1928). Surya namaskaramulu. svk.
  24. ^ Pant Pratinidhi, Balasaheb (1932). Ajanta. D.b.tararevla Sons and Co., Bombay.
  25. ^ Pant Pratinidhi, Balasaheb (1939). Surya Namaskar.
  26. ^ Pant Pratinidhi, Balasaheb (1940). Surya Namaskars.
  27. ^ Pant Pratinidhi, Balasaheb. Surya Namaskar Naresh Bhavanrao Shriniwasrao Pant.

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi.
Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao Pant Pratinidhi
Royal family of Aundh
Born: c. 24 October 1868 Died: 13 April 1951
Regnal titles
Preceded by Raja of the Aundh State
1909 – 1947 		Succeeded by
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