Deshbandhu Gupta
Deshbandhu Gupta | |
---|---|
Member of Punjab Provincial Assembly | |
In office 1937–1945 | |
Constituency | South-Eastern Towns |
Member of Constituent Assembly of India | |
In office 9 December 1946 – 24 January 1950 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Rati Ram Gupta 14 June 1901 Freedom fighter, politician, journalist |
Known for | Advocacy for freedom of the press, championing assembly status for National Capital Territory of Delhi, supporting the separation of Punjab and Haryana |
Deshbandhu Gupta (14 June 1901 – 21 November 1951), also known as Lala Deshbandhu Gupta, was an Indian freedom fighter, politician, and journalist. He served as a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly, having won the 1937 election representing the Indian National Congress. He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.[1][2][3]
He championed the cause of ensuring
Early life and education
He was born as Rati Ram Gupta on 14 June 1901 in the Badi Pahad area of Panipat. His father, Shadiram, was a petition writer and a Vedic scholar who also wrote Urdu prose and poetry.[1]
Gupta completed his elementary education at a madrasa in Panipat and later pursued his studies at St. Stephen's College, Delhi. At St. Stephen's, he was taught by Charles Indridge and Ghosh, while SK Rudra served as the principal. During his time at the college, Gupta briefly worked as an assistant for Jamnalal Bajaj, a cloth merchant at Chandni Chowk, for a period of 18 days.[6]
During this period, significant events such as the
Swami Shraddhanand and Mahatma Gandhi gave him the title "deshbandhu" (friend of the nation), which became his commonly used name.[4]
Independence movement
Deshbandhu Gupta actively participated in the
During the
Although Gupta later assumed a position in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, he chose to resign from his role in order to join Jugal Kishore Khanna in the struggle against British colonial rule. In 1942, he was detained under the Defense of India Rules for his active involvement in the Quit India Movement.[10][6]
Political career
Gupta faced political incarceration on multiple occasions due to his active involvement in the freedom struggle. After being released from jail in 1927, Gupta campaigned for the separation of Haryana and Punjab,[4] receiving support from individuals such as Ranbir Singh Hooda.[6]
Within the freedom movement, Gupta had associations with prominent figures like Lala Lajpat Rai and Swami Shraddhanand. Lajpat Rai, his teacher at the Tilak School of Politics, became his confidante.[6]
Gupta once addressed a gathering in Delhi upon the request of the women's wing of the Indian National Congress (INC). However, the British government deemed the content of his speech objectionable and subsequently banned him from addressing any further gatherings in Delhi. As a result, Lajpat Rai assigned him the task of organizing Congress committees in Karnal, which was the tehsil encompassing his birthplace, Panipat.[1]
The
He served as the secretary of the Delhi Congress Committee in 1921 and later became the president of the Delhi Congress Committee in 1947. In 1925, Gupta was elected to the Delhi Municipal Committee and held the position of deputy leader of the Congress Party within the committee for nearly 20 years. In 1947, he became a member of the Chief Commissioner's Advisory Council and later served as its vice president. He also served as a member of various sub-committees in the Parliament.[11] He also held several important positions within the Indian National Congress during his political career.[6]
Apart from his political activities, Deshbandhu Gupta's services during the riots between Hindus and Muslims in 1923, 1926, and 1936 were well-regarded within the local community. He consistently appeared on the scene and played a vital role in promoting peace and harmony between the two communities.[1] Also, during the communal riots in Delhi at the time of Partition, he undertook visits to various parts of the city with the objective of addressing divisive influences and fostering a sense of communal harmony.[2]
Constituent Assembly
He was elected to the
On 30 July 1947, the Constituent Assembly convened to discuss the constitutional status of Centrally Administered Provinces, including Delhi, Ajmer, Coorg, Andaman and Nicobar, and others. These provinces presented challenges due to their small size, limited population, and scarce economic resources, making separate administrations impractical. To address this issue, a motion was proposed by Deshbandhu Gupta, leading to the formation of a seven-member committee headed by Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya. The committee was tasked with studying the matter comprehensively and submitting a report. Deshbandhu Gupta also served as a committee member of the Sitaramayya Committee. The committee swiftly conducted three productive meetings and submitted its report to President
Deshbandhu Gupta was involved in the matter of assembly status for Delhi. He advocated for the establishment of a responsible government in Delhi, which put him in opposition to
Contribution to journalism
Deshbandhu Gupta was a noted journalist, who served as an editor for Lala Lajpat Rai's newspaper Vande Mataram. Later, in collaboration with Swami Shraddhanand, an Arya Samaj missionary, he established the newspaper Daily Tej, which was published in Urdu as the Rozana Tej. After the death of Swami Shraddhanand on 23 December 1926, Desh Bandhu took over the management of the newspaper until his own passing.[1]
He also served as a co-chair of the
Gupta served as the President of the All-India Newspaper Editors' Conference. Furthermore, in 1950, he assumed the role of President of the Indian and Eastern Newspaper Society.[19][20]
After Deshbandhu Gupta's death in 1951, his son Vishwabandhu Gupta took over the leadership of Daily Tej[21] and expanded its portfolio. It launched Deewana Tej, a popular bilingual satirical magazine that gained prominence in the 1960s.[22] They also introduced The Weekly Sun, India's first political and youth tabloid, which captivated the younger generation throughout the 1970s and 80s. Additionally, it published the Northeast Sun, an English magazine with a substantial readership in the North East region of India and neighboring countries. In 2023, Tej completed a century of its existence.[23]
Personal life
At the age of 19, Deshbandhu Gupta married Sona Devi, who was 17 years old. Their matrimonial alliance had been arranged since Gupta was five years old and she was three. Gupta and Sona Devi had four sons named Vishwabandhu Gupta, Prembandhu Gupta, Ramesh Gupta, and Satish Gupta, as well as five daughters named Vimla Gupta, Nirmala Gupta, Urmila Gupta, Sarla Gupta, and Manjula Gupta.[6]
Death
On 21 November 1951, Deshbandhu Gupta was scheduled to attend a convention in
His appointment as the first
Commemoration
In June 2010, the
In August 2008, the Government of Haryana, under the leadership of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, established a state-level award in honor of Lala Deshbandhu Gupta, with a monetary value of ₹1 lakh. The award is bestowed upon individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the field of writing about the freedom fighters in Haryana. This award is established under the auspices of Haryana Sahitya Akademi.[30][31]
A statue of Lala Deshbandhu was unveiled by the college administration of
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bhardwaj, Rakesh. "Desh Bandhu Gupta: Too illustrious a son to be forgotten in hometown", The Tribune. 16 July 2003
- ^ a b c d Norbu Wangchuk, Rinchen (10 January 2019). "Fought for Free Press, Doused the Flames of Partition Riots: The Untold Story of 'Deshbandhu'". The Better India.
He went to different parts of the city, taking on communally divisive forces. Witnessing the influx of refugees into Delhi during Partition, Deshbandhu had recommended greater representation for Delhi in Parliament.
- The Tribune (Chandigarh). 24 November 2008.
- ^ The Print.
- ^ a b "Deshbandhu Gupta". iStampGallery. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Upamanyu, Narendra Kumar. Sansmaran: Lala Shri Deshbandhu Gupta Ji. Yuva Netritva Jyoti Sansthan. 2008
- ^ a b "Unsung Heroes Detail". Amrit Mahotsav. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ "Former MP & Editor -in chief of The North East Sun, Vishwa Bandhu Gupta dies at 93". South Asia Views. 13 October 2020.
- ISBN 9788124110768.
- ^ "Unsung Heroes Detail". Amrit Mahotsav. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Personalities: A Comprehensive and Authentic Biographical Dictionary of Men who Matter in India [Northern India and Parliament]. Arunam & Sheel. 1951. pp. 55, 56.
- ^ "Deshbandhu Gupta". Constitution of India. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Constituent Assembly Debates On 1 September, 1949 Part I". Indiankanoon.org.
- ^ "CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA – VOLUME IX – Friday, the 9th September 1949". /parliamentofindia.nic.in
- ^ S.K. Sharma (1 February 2023). "Delhi in the Constituent Assembly: The inside story". Frontline, The Hindu.
- ^ Krishna, Vineeth (17 July 2018). "Framers of India's Constitution were divided on representative government for Delhi". The Caravan.
- ^ "Azadi Ka Safar with AIR News - profile of Deshbandhu Gupta". Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 21 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Desh magazine, Volume I, 1953" (PDF). Deshbandhu College. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ "How the First Amendment to the Indian Constitution Circumscribed Our Freedoms & How it was Passed". Indian History Collective.
- ^ "Former MP & Editor-in-chief of The North East Sun, Vishwa Bandhu Gupta dies at 93". South Asia Views. 13 October 2020.
- ^ Sharma, Kamayani (11 August 2022). "India's answer to 'MAD' magazine has been sadly forgotten". Scroll.in.
- ^ "तेज बंधु ग्रुप के हुए सौ वर्ष पूरे, संस्थापक लाला देशबंधु गुप्ता थें स्वतंत्र पत्रकारिता के ध्वजवाहक" (in Hindi). Dainik Bhaskar. 9 June 2023.
- ^ Yadav, JP (16 February 2020). "शपथ से कुछ दिन पहले हो गया था दिल्ली के इस चुने गए मुख्यमंत्री का निधन" (in Hindi). Dainik Jagran.
- ^ "लघु सचिवालय में लगेगी लाला जी की प्रतिमा : हुड्डा" (in Hindi). Dainik Tribune. 13 August 2010.
- ^ "Prospectus 2022-23" (PDF). Deshbandhu College. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Roychowdhury, Adrija (8 March 2022). "When Deshbandhu College was built for educating kids of Partition refugees". The Indian Express. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ "Khattar in his best spirits leading Haryana to a smart end". Hindustan Times. 29 June 2015.
- ^ D. M. C. Plan To Install more Statues. The Civic Affairs. June 1956. p. 62.
- ^ "Haryana sets up Deshbandhu Gupta award". The Hindu. 21 August 2008. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Hooda announces award on works on Lala Deshbandhu Gupta". Oneindia. 20 August 2008.
- ^ "Deshbandhu College Prospectus 2022-23" (PDF). Deshbandhu College. p. 4. Retrieved 12 June 2023.