604. Jatindranat Banerjee (1877-1930)

Niralamba Swami
Niralamba Swami
Born	Jatindra Nath Banerjee 19 November 1877 Channa, Bengal, British India
Died	5 September 1930 (aged 52) Channa, Bengal, British India
Guru	Soham Swami
Philosophy	Advaita Vedanta

Jatindra Nath Banerjee (Niralamba Swami) was one of two great Indian nationalists and freedom fighters - along with Aurobindo Ghosh(Sri Aurobindo) - who dramatically rose to prominence between 1871 and 1910. But the metamorphosis of both these persons from great active freedom fighters to great yogi and guru was no less dramatic. Aurobindo Ghosh became Sri Aurobindo and Jatindra Nath Banerjee became Niralamba Swami(Bengali: নিরালম্ব স্বামী )(Hindi:निरालम्ब स्वामी ) (November 19, 1877 – September 5, 1930).

Early life

Niralamba Swami was born as Jatindra Nath Banerjee on November 19, 1877 at Channa village in Burdwan district. His father, Kalicharan Banerjee, worked as a government official at Bangaon of Jessore district (now North Twenty Four Parganas) of Bengal.His early education was completed at the village school. Then he passed FA (First Arts) fromBurdwan Raj College, which was then affiliated with the University of Calcutta  with high marks. He was admitted B.A. class in the college.

Freedom struggle

While at college, Jatindra Nath (Jatindra Nath Banerjee) began developing interest in political activities of India.He was drawn towards radical and revolutionary methods of attaining independence.

He felt that revolutionary methods were necessary to attain independence and he became the first to preach the adoption of revolutionary methods for attaining Independence.

For using revolutionary methods, a large army was needed and so martial training of countrymen was essential. So Jatindra Nath left his studies halfway in search of martial training. He tried to get himself enlisted in the British army but did not succeed.

Baroda

Having failed to enlist himself in the British army, Jatindra Nath began wandering in search of a job. He reached Baroda.At Baroda he met Aurobindo Ghose Sri Aurobindo. Aurobindo was highly impressed by his robust health and helped him in finding a job in the Baroda army. In the year 1897, Jatindra Nath joined the Baroda army as a bodyguard of the king of Baroda. He also became an associate of Aurobindo.

Aurobindo began devoting energy towards national activities. When Anushilan Samity was formed at Kolkata, Aurobindo sent a request to Jatindra Nath to join the organisation. So Jatindra Nath left his job in Baroda to join Anushilan Samity.He became one of its prominent members.

Jatindra Nath's father did not like the fact that his son had left his studies and that he had involved himself in anti-British activities. To divert his son's attention towards family matters, he married him off. But still Jatindra Nath became more deeply involved in the freedom movement of the country.

The Alipore bomb case and repression of all revolutionary activities in Bengal forced Jatindra Nath lose interest in the nationalist activities. He went back to his native village. (Channa village)Soon he was married off by his parents to Hiranmoyee.

Spiritual transformation

Early indication

During his childhood Jatinindra Nath Banerjee was very naughty. But with the advent of teenage he became thoughtful. He began to frequently visit the temple of goddess Bishalakshi (Bishalaxmi.Another name of goddess Durga).He would sit there for hours in deep contemplation.

Sannyasa

After the suppression of revolutionary activities in Bengal, Jatin (Jatinindra Nath Banerjee) went back to his native village. His mind became engrossed in spiritual thoughts. He would frequently visit the temple of Bishalaakshi ('Large-eyed Goddess') and would remain there for hours. He would pray for spiritual strength self-purification and spiritual knowledge. He began to feel the need for a guru.Meanwhile his parents died and a daughter was born to him. He felt a deep need to get rid of worldly ties. Consequently one night he became a wandering monk (i.e. he took Sannyasa).

Jatin felt that for gaining spiritual knowledge he needed the help of a guru and hence he began to search for a guru. He wandered many places in search of a guru but could not find a genuine guru.

Wanderings

During his wanderings he reached Varanasi.There he met a monk who suggested him to go to Nainital where he (Jatin) would find his destined guru

Nainital

When Jatindra Nath reached Nainital from Varanasi he became very tired and exhausted. Yet he managed to find Soham Swami, his destined guru. Soham Swami had established an ashram near the bank of a river. He welcomed Jatindra Nath with open arms and made him his disciple on the same day.

Soham Swami was one of the most eminent disciples of Tibbetibaba, the legendary yogi of India. He was the author of books like ‘Soham Gita’, ‘Soham Samhita’, ‘Truth’ (this book was the only book written by him in English poetry. It was published in Calcutta, now Kolkata, in 1913) and ‘Common Sense.’

In his famous autobiographical work – ‘Why I Am An Atheist’, Bhagat Singh, the legendary freedom fighter of India has wrongly referred to Niralamba Swami as the author of the book- ‘Common Sense.’ The fact is that only the Introduction to the book was written by Niralamba Swami.

Haridwar

Soham Swami asked Jatindra Nath Banerjee to go to Haridwar, where he had established an ashram. At this place Jatindra Nath began scaling great spiritual heights and finally attained knowledge of Brahman or God in His form without any attributes.

Soham Swami was very pleased with the spiritual success of Jatindra Nath Banerjee and so he was rechristened with the name of Srimat Niralamba Swami. But he became popular with the name of Niralamba Swami.

Niralamba Swami now had many admirers and devotees from Punjab, Haryana, and regions around Delhi. His fame for spiritual knowledge and wisdom spread far and wide. After staying in Haridwar for some years he developed a desire to establish an ashram at Channa village. He conveyed his request to his guru and was granted the permission to establish anashram at his native village.

Channa village

After staying in the northern India for many years, Niralamba Swami reached Channa village, his native place. Many people of his village and other nearby villages had gathered to have a glimpse of their famous man. He first visited his home to meet his wife. Through her he came to know that his only child (his daughter) had expired. He managed to convince his wife to spend the rest of her life with him as the Mother of the soon to be constructed ashram at the village. She was re-christened as 'Chinmoyee Devi'.

Soon an ashram was constructed by the side of the village river bank and Niralamba Swami began staying at the ashram with his wife and some devotees and disciples.

Niralamba Swami’s fame as a great Guru and a yogi spread even more in India. His life at the ashram was spent both as a ‘bhogi’ (enjoyer) and a yogi. He would daily consume the best quality betel leaves and tobacco available at the time.

It did not remain unknown that the former freedom fighter had become a famous yogi of India. So many former comrades of Niralamba Swami (formerly Jatindra Nath Banerjee) and many freedom fighters began visiting him for spiritual guidance and inspiration.

Among the notable freedom fighters to have visited Niralamba Swami was the legendary Bhagat Singh. He had met Niralamba Swami at Channa ashram at Channa village in the beginning of 1929^[(1927- 1928 according to some).

Another famous person associated with Niralamba Swami was Prajnanapada (1891–1974).He was popular with the name of Swami Prajnanapada. He became Niralamba Swami’s disciple in 1924-25 at Channa ashram. He also became a monk (took to Sannyasa). Prajnanapada was a follower of Advaita Vedanta philosophy and taught realisation of Self-knowledge using Jñāna Yoga method (the path of self-realisation using knowledge).

Many distinguished persons had also visited Niralamba Swami at his Channa ashram at Channa village. Among them was Tibbetibaba. Niralamba Swami had hailed Tibbetibaba as one of the greatest exponent of Advaita Vedanta after Adi Shankara.

He died on September 5, 1930.

602. Jatindranath Ghosal (1878-1968), 603.Jatindranath Das (1904-1929)

Jatindranath Ghosal was born in 24-Parganas. He was a famous physician and revolutionary.He came in contact with Jadu Gopal Mukhopadhyay and extended the revolutionary work in the area of Basirhat. During WWI Arms were coming from Java, He along with his company were waiting with light signal for seven days. Lastly, to escape from the eyes Nepal Sarkar took a service and went there.  

Jatindra Nath Das
Born	Jatindra Nath Das October 27, 1904 Calcutta, British India
Died	September 13, 1929 (aged 24) Lahore, British India
Nationality	Indian
Known for	Indian freedom fighter

Jatindra Nath Das (27 October 1904 – 13 September 1929), also known as Jatin Das, was an Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary. He died in Lahore jail after a continuous hunger strike for 63 days and it shocked the whole of India.

Early life

Jatindra Das was born in a Bengali family in 1904 at Calcutta. He had joined the Anushilan Samiti, a revolutionary outfit in Bengal, at a young age. He also participated in Gandhi's Non-Cooperation movement in 1921.

In November 1925, while studying for a B.A. at Vidyasagar College in Calcutta, Jatindra Nath was arrested for his political activities and was imprisoned at the Mymensingh Central Jail. While being interned there, he went on a hunger strike to protest the ill-treatment meted out to the political prisoners. After fasting for twenty days, the Jail Superintendent apologised and he gave up the fast. He was contacted by revolutionaries in other parts of India and agreed to participate in bomb-making for Bhagat Singh and comrades.

On 14 June 1929 he was arrested for revolutionary activities and was imprisoned in Lahore jail to be tried under the supplementary Lahore Conspiracy Case.

The hunger strike

In the Lahore jail, Jatin Das started a hunger strike along with other revolutionary fighters, demanding equality for Indian prisoners and undertrials. The conditions of Indian inhabitants of the jails was deplorable. The uniforms that Indian prisoners were required to wear in jail with were not washed for several days, and rats and cockroaches roamed the kitchen area making the food unsafe to eat. Indian prisoners were not provided with any reading material such as newspapers, nor paper to write on. In contrast, the condition of the British prisoners in the same jail was strikingly different.

The memorable hunger strike started on 15 June 1929 and lasted 63 days. The jail authority took many measures to forcibly feed Jatin Das and the other freedom fighters, beat them and did not even provide them with drinking water. However, Jatindra did not eat. The jail committee recommended his unconditional release, but the government rejected the suggestion and offered to release him on bail. Meanwhile Bhagat singh continued his hunger strike for long, and when he suspended his hunger strike, it was 116th day since 15 June 1929.

Jatin died on September 13, 1929, after his unbroken hunger strike for 63 days. Durga Bhabhi led the funeral procession of Jatin Das from Lahore to Kolkata. As his body was carried from Lahore to Kolkata by train, thousands of people rushed to every station to pay their homage to the martyr. A two-mile long procession in Kolkata carried the coffin to the cremation ground. The hunger strike of Jatin Das in prison was one crucial moment in the resistance against illegal detentions. After his death, the Viceroy informed London.:

Mr Das of the Conspiracy Case, who was on hunger strike, died this afternoon at 1 p.m. Last night, five of the hunger strikers gave up their hunger strike. So there are only Bhagat Singh and Dutt who are on strike ...

The highest tributes were paid by almost every leader in the country. Mohammad Alam and Gopi Chand Bhargava resigned from the Punjab Legislative Council in protest. Motilal Nehruproposed the adjournment of the Central Assembly as a censure against the inhumanity of the Lahore prisoners. The censure motion was carried by 55 votes against 47.

Remembrance

"Another name has been added to the long and splendid roll of Indian martyrs. Let us bow our heads and pray for strength to act to carry on the struggle, however long it may be and whatever consequences , till the victory is ours ". This is what Jawahar Lal Nehru said while commenting on death of Jatin Das.

In popular culture

In the 2002 film The Legend of Bhagat Singh, the character of Jatin Das was played by Amitabh Bhattacharjee.

600. Mohini Roy, 601. Mohinisankar Roy (1285-1349)

Mohini Roy participated in civil disobedience movement at the age of 16/17. He kept hoisted Natoinal flag in his village in-spite of severe duress by the police and he died due to the inhuman torture by the police.


Mohinisankar Roy was an important worker of Sadhana Samaj, a revolutionary organisation in Memensingh and was one of the colleague of Hemendra Kishore Roychoudhury in his revolutionary work. He participated in anti-partition of Bengal of 1905 and all sorts of patriotic movement. He remained underground for a long period during WWI. He was imprisoned for participating in non-cooperation movement in 1921.  

598.Mohini Devi (1863-1955), 599. Mohini Mohan Roy

Mohini Devi was born in Dhaka. She took her lesson from Ramtanu Lahiri, Sivnath Shastri etc. She was arrested in 1921-22 for participating in non-cooperation movement and also in 1930-31 for participating in Civil Disobedience movement. She was praised eloquently for delivering a lecture as a president of the conference of All India Womens' Federation. At the time of riot between Hindu and Muslim, she stayed in her own house congested with Muslim Population and propagated the message of unity between the two communities. She was regarded by all. Dr. Pravabati Dasgupta who was a famous trade union leader  


Mohini  Roy was born in coomillah. She participated in Salt Satyagraha in Bagu of north 24-Parganas. The police had mecilessly assaulted him and brought him to Barasat jail where he was declared dead. She was the vice-Chairperson of Nari Satyagraha Samity.

597. Mohit Kumar Maitra (1898-1966)

Mohit Kumar Maitra was born in Natore, Rajshahi. He was a famous journalist and revolutionary. He came in contact with the revolutionaries like Satish Pakrashi in his student life in school. He was driven out from the hostel for organizing protest rally of the students on the occasion  of Jallianwallabag  massacre in 1919.He was arrested for joining Non-Cooperation movement in 1921. He joined the magazine "Forward" after release established by Deshbandhu Chittaranjan. He conducted movement under the leadership of "Sangbadik Sangha" for long time against the notorious press act of 1930. He published reports and picture, with risk of his life,   the misrule of the Princely States like Dhenkanal, Talche etc of Orissa in 1937 and sent all those papers to Governor Dinabandhu Andrews and Lord Linlithgo. He worked in these movements along with Harekrishna Mahatab and Nabakrihna Choudhury. He became leader of the association "The Nation" established by Sarat Chandra Basu in 1949. He came to Calcutta and remained underground when arrest warrant was issued in his name for Dacca Conspiracy Case in 1910.He was arrested in 1915 under DI rule  from the area Telaff of Chittagong. He was released in 1920 and he joined the special session of Congress  of Calcutta in 1920. He moved forward under the advice of Gandhiji. He became editor for a small period  in Andndabazar Patrika. He courted arrest for conducting rally against the proposal of Round Table Conference in 1930 defying order of Police Commissioner and was imprisoned for 6 months.He showed unique example of revolutionary journalism by writing in "Bharat" magazine against the Quit India movement in 1942. He was arrested and remained intern for some time upto 1945. He was founder of Sonarang National School of Dhaka. According to Sedition Committee report this schoolhad strong influence over the students and organised many Political Dacoities.  

CHAPTER XXII: A Wave of Mass Agitations

Posted on April 1, 2009 | 3 Comments

There was a massive upswing in the democratic movements in West Bengal after the first general elections. The Communist Party’s proposed programme on democratic unity adopted in November 1956 said, “Such a need to organize all the democratic forces together has never been seen in any earlier elections. This is a major step ahead in the fight against the ruling class and its improper policies.” The booklet, which contained this programme, detailed some significant peoples’ movements launched by the party between 1952–1956 in West Bengal. The first such movement began right after the first general elections on the issue of the prisoners held without trial and how the government was forced to release these detenus under the leadership of Left parties and progressive-minded people like Dr Meghnad Saha. After this, during 1953–54, the food movement was also a major step. Not to forget the agitation against the tram fare rise; this particular struggle was not only restricted to the Left parties but percolated to the people at large, cutting across party lines. The people were slowly rising against the policies of Congress. The reach of this struggle was evident in the way volunteers were sent and general strikes were observed during the Goa liberation war. Again, during the agitation against the proposed merger of states, it could be noticed that we were slowly assuming major national influence.

The Anti-Merger Agitation

I will discuss at length the plot by the then chief ministers of West Bengal and Bihar, Dr B. C. Roy and Shree Krishna Sinha, respectively to usurp the identity of Bengal and how the people of West Bengal rose against t against the merger plan. Dr Meghnad Saha, lawyer Atul Gupta and many other nationalists were with us.

An anti-merger committee was set up with Mohit Maitra as its convenor. The two chief ministers issued a joint statement on January 23, 1956, proposing the merger and attested the documents. We were told that they even named the proposed state as “Purba Pradesh”. Prime Minister Nehru also supported this and said that the two chief ministers had set an example for the country!.

On January 24, the Politburo issued a statement saying that such indiscriminate merger proposals would only accentuate differences and create disunity. Our party unit in West Bengal discussed the issue at length and unanimously decided to fight the proposal.

On June 26, I held a joint press conference with Jogindra Sharma, secretary of the Bihar unit of the party, where the merger proposal was described as “exremely reactionary, confusing and anti- democratic”. On the same day, I presided over a rally against the proposal at Wellington Square. Some of the speakers were Mohit Maitra, Jatin Chakraborty, Sunil Das and Satyapriya Banerjee. The then leader of Bolshevik Party, Barada Mukutmoni, also spoke.

On January 31, the Opposition stated a walkout in the Assembly and on February 2, over two lakhs students organised a successful strike against the merger proposal. On February 5, the Provincial Committee of the Bihar Communist Party issued a statement which said the national unity would be at stake. Before this, I had said that the Congress working committee’s proposal was totally opportunistic and did not have any fragment of natural justice.

It was only to negate West Bengal’s justified demands that the commission recommendation to ensure a division on the basis of language was ignored. The Congress government had only increased the sense of deprivation of Bengalis by keeping out large Bengali speaking areas of Purulia from outside Bengal. I called on the people to launch a sustained attack on such policies.

The joint statement issued by Sharma and myself detailed our anti-merger stand. It said that this merger would not only harm national unity but divide the Biharis and Bengalis everywhere. It was also important to realise that Bihar, which was less developed than Bengal, would become an easy hunting ground for big businessmen of Calcutta. At the same time ,reactionary forces of Bihar would try and destroy the already established Left labour forces in Bengal. There would be a tremendous rivalry between the Bengalis and Biharis and the tenet of natural justice would be given the go-by. While the rest of the country was moving towards the setting up of states on the basis of language, this merger would be a step backward. It would be a throwback on the state of affairs during the Raj regime.

The economic reasons cited against the merger said that Congress leaders of these two states were always against any development. Our statement also said that the British imperialists had made out an almost similar case while trying to divide the people. I have spelt out the almost the entire statement because of its enormous significance; while the Congress was trying to spread the seeds of communalism nationwide, it was significant that the Communists of two states tried their best to maintain national unity and integrity.

On January 14, the committee set up to go into the re-organisation of states with Mohit Kumar Moitra as its secretary and members like myself, Makhan Pal (RSP), Sunil Das (PSP), Barada Mukutmoni (Bolshevik Party), Nihar Mukherjee (SUC), Hemanta Bose (Forward Bloc), Satyapriya Banerjee (Forward Bloc-Marxist), Baren Daw (Councillor, Calcutta Corporation), Pramode Sinha Roy (CL) and Jyotish Jowardar (SP) issued a statement at the end of a special meeting which said, “This is a case of total injustice and treachery by the Congress. This is emerging as a major challenge in front of the people of West Bengal. The people will give a befitting reply.” We called upon the people to take part in a protest programme on January 21, 1956.

On February 14, while taking part in the debate on the Governor’s address in the Assembly, I said that there had been no primary and major changesin the country during the First Five Year Plan period. Farmers, labourers and middleclass salaried people continued to suffer. Since the merger issue was not mentioned in the Governor’s address, I said, “Is the Governor trying to ignore this critical life and death question of Bengal or is he against the merger..? I also said_and there are Assembly records to crosscheck _ that it was West Bengal’s good fortune and Dr Roy’s bad luck that the people of the people of the state were still alive with a sense of trust and courage. The Congress had given the go-by to the aspirations of the people nurtured for the last 50 years. The anti-merger agitation spread like wildfire not only in West Bengal but some other states too. It was certainly taking the shape of a national movement.

During the middle of all this, there was shocking news from Delhi that Dr Meghnad Saha had died of a heart attack. Dr Saha had been elected the Calcutta North-West Lok Sabha constituency as an Independent candidate with the support of Left parties. He was fiercely against the merger and played an active role in the agitation.

I clearly made out a case along with the PSP’s legislator Sudhir Roy Chowdhury in the Assembly on March 17 that the chief minister was gambling dangerously with the fate of West Bengal. The next day around 50000 people assembled at a massive rally at the Maidan and pledged that the merger would be resisted at all costs. This rally was presided over by veteran revolutionary leader and legislator Jyotish Ghosh. It was made clear in the proposal moved by Mohit Maitra that the agitation was not aimed against the people of any state but the policies and plot of the government to divide the people of the two states. We also advocated the cause of reorganisation of states on the basis of language.

I said “It’s a happy day for us. Under pressure from the people, the chief minister has been forced to say in the floor of the Assembly that the merger issue will not be moved during the current session.”

I also announced that the chief minister had issued a challenge to us in the byelections which had been necessiated by DrSaha’s death. I added that we had accepted the challenge.

In the meantime, a decision was taken to stage dharnas outside various courts and collect signatures of 15 lakh people in favour of the movement by March 23. We issued an ultimatum that if the government did not relent, then there would be no stopping us, but Dr Roy remained stubborn. This, however, only served to fuel the agitation.

That the Congress and its government were slowly moving away from the people was evident from the result of another byelection. The Left supported PSP candidate Lal Bihari Das won by over 20,000 votes against the Congress nominee Bhikari Mondal from Midnapur’s Khejuri seat. The by election has been necessiated by the death of Congress member Kaustavkanti Karal. This meant that the Left had wrested a seat from the Congress with a huge margin.

On April 30, speakers at a rally held to felicitate the movement leaders at Wellington Square said that the Khejuri byelection result had calegorically proved that the merger proposal had been rejected by the people of West Bengal.

In the background of the Congress defeat in the byelection, the very next day, the chief minister had to withdraw the merger proposal. In a statement, he said, “An election is always the best indicator of the popular sentiment regarding an issue like the merger proposal. The Khejuri result may or may not be a true reflection of what the people of West Bengal think about the merger. But the overwhelming way in which the people of Calcutta have voted for Mohit Maitra, the secretary of the committee set up against the merger proposal, shows that the people of this city are not willing to accept the proposal. The people obviously have come to the conclusion that mere acres from some other state will not help solve the problems of Bengal. I thus withdraw my proposal”. It must be recalled here that Mohit Maitra _ till the day he died _ was an active party member and worked for our cause till his very end.The Left parties in a joint statement congratulated the people of Calcutta for defeating the Congress. ( Reminiscences of Jyoti Basu) 

595. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), 596.Mohan Mahato (1914-1931)

595. See Separate blog of the same author.


Mohan Mahato was born in Purulia. He participated in civil disobedience movement in 1930. He died by police bullet while he was going to break 144 in Satya Mela.

593. Maidu, Maulabi , 594. Morarji Desai (1896-1995)

Maidu Maulabi was born in Kojikore, Kerala. He was a Gandhian. He was imrisoned several times for participating in Congress movement. He died at the age of 108 on 8.6.1995.

Morarji Desai
4th Prime Minister of India
In office 24 March 1977 – 28 July 1979
President	Basappa Danappa Jatti (Acting) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Preceded by	Indira Gandhi
Succeeded by	Charan Singh
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 1 July 1978 – 28 July 1979
Preceded by	Charan Singh
Succeeded by	Yashwantrao Chavan
Deputy Prime Minister of India
In office 13 March 1967 – 16 July 1969
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Preceded by	Vallabhbhai Patel
Succeeded by	Charan Singh Jagjivan Ram
Minister of Finance
In office 13 March 1967 – 16 July 1969
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Preceded by	Sachindra Chaudhuri
Succeeded by	Indira Gandhi
In office 13 March 1958 – 29 August 1963
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	Jawaharlal Nehru
Succeeded by	Tiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachari
Personal details
Born	29 February 1896 Bhadeli, Bombay Presidency,British India
Died	10 April 1995 (aged 99) New Delhi, Delhi, India
Political party	Janata Dal (1988–1995)
Other political affiliations	Indian National Congress(Before 1969) Indian National Congress-Organisation (1969–1977) Janata Party (1977–1988)
Alma mater	Wilson College
Profession	civil servant Activist

Morarji Desai (29 Feb 1896 – 10 April 1995), was a notable Indian independence activist and the fifth Prime Minister of India from 1977 - 1979. He was also the first Prime Minister to head India's first non-Congress Government. He held many important posts in the Government of India such as: Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India. At foreign fronts, Desai holds international fame for his peace activism and made notable efforts to initiate peace between two-rival South Asian states,Pakistan and India. After India's first nuclear explosion in 1974, Desai helped restore friendly relations with China and Pakistan, and vowed to avoid armed conflict such as Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. Desai has the credible distinction of being the only Indian national to be conferred with Pakistan's highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Pakistan, which was conferred on him by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 in a colorful ceremony. Domestically, he played crucial role in Indian nuclear program after it was targeted by major nuclear powers after conducting a surprise test in 1974. Later, his policies promoted social, health and administrative reforms in the country.

Early life

Morarji Desai was born into an Anavil Brahmin family in Bhadeli, Valsad in Bombay Presidency (now in Gujarat). He underwent his primary schooling in Saurashtra The Kundla School, Savarkundla now called J.V. Modi school and later joined Bai Ava Bai High School, Valsad. After graduating from Wilson College, Mumbai, he joined the civil service in Gujarat. Desai resigned as deputy collector of Godhra in May 1930 after being found guilty of going soft on Hindus during the riots of 1927-28 there. Desai then joined the freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi and joined the civil disobedience movement against British rule in India. He spent many years in jail during the freedom struggle and owing to his sharp leadership skills and tough spirit, he became a favourite amongst freedom-fighters and an important leader of the Indian National Congress in Gujarat. When provincial elections were held in 1934 and 1937, Desai was elected and served as the Revenue Minister and Home Minister of the Bombay Presidency.

In government

Morarji Desai in 1937, as CongressHome Minister of Bombay Presidency

Before the independence of India, he became Bombay's Home Minister and later was elected as Chief Minister of Bombay State in 1952. The state was a bi-lingual state, home to Gujarati-speakingand Marathi-speaking people. Since the 1956, Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti led a movement for a Marathi-only speaking state of Maharashtra. A staunch nationalist himself, Morarji Desai was opposed to such movements including the Mahagujarat Movement led by Indulal Yagnik demanding a new state of Gujarat. He proposed that the metropolitan Mumbai (as coined by earlier Koliinhabitants), be made into a union territory or a separate development region to suit its cosmopolitan nature, due to its long-settled citizens from diverse settings across various linguistic, cultural, and religious backgrounds spanning several generations. In opposition to his alleged Gandhian thoughts, he ordered police to fire on a mob of demonstrators by the Mumbai-unit of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti at Flora Fountain when there was heavy damage caused to public property and commercial offices by the rampaging rioters in the vicinity of Bombay Stock Exchange, considered the primary trading hub and financial capital of the nation. Morarji ordered firing which killed 105 rioters during the entire incident. This escalated the issue and justice was done by creating two separate states based on language as formulated after independence. After the subsequent formation of the present State of Maharashtra, Mumbai became its state capital. Flora Fountain was renamed as "Hutatma Chowk" (Martyrs' Square) to commemorate the 105 men killed in the firing. Later Desai moved to Delhi as he got appointed in the cabinet.

As Home Minister, Desai outlawed any portrayals of indecency (which included "kissing" scenes) in films and theatrical productions. Being a staunch Gandhian, Desai was socially conservative, pro-business, and in favour of free enterprise reforms, as opposed to Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru's socialistic policies.

Rising in Congress leadership, as a fierce nationalistic and anti-corruption leanings, Desai was at odds with Prime Minister Nehru and his allies, and with Nehru's age and health failing, he was considered as a possible contender for the position of Prime Minister. Outflanked in the leadership contest after Nehru's death in 1964 by the Nehruvian Lal Bahadur Shastri, Desai remained content to build support within the ranks.

In early 1966, the unexpected passing away of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri after only 18 months in power, made Morarji Desai once again a contender for the top position. However, he was defeated by Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi in the Congress party leadership election by a narrow margin. Desai served as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance minister of India in the Indira Gandhi government until 1969 when Prime Minister Mrs Gandhi without consulting him took away the finance portfolio from him. at the same time, she also nationalised the fourteen biggest banks in India. These acts compelled Morarji Desai resign from the Gandhi cabinet. In the subsequent split of the Congress party, Morarji joined theIndian National Congress (Organisation) faction of the party, whereas Mrs. Gandhi's formed a new faction named Indian National Congress (Ruling). The 1971 general elections to the Indian parliament were won by Indira Gandhi's Indicate faction in a landslide. Morarji Desai, however, was elected as a member of the Lok Sabha or lower house of Parliament. Morarji Desai again went on indefinite hunger strike on 12 March 1975 to support Nav Nirman movement.

Allegations by Mrs. Indira Gandhi's opponents of her using Government civil servants and equipment during campaigning in the 1971 elections led to Mrs Gandhi's conviction of electoral fraud by the Allahbad High Court in 1975. During the subsequent Emergency rule in 1975–76, Morarji-bhai and other opposition leaders were put in jail by the Indira Gandhi government.

The popular anti-corruption movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan and the anti-Emergency wave in 1977 led to the complete routing of the Congress party in Northern India and a landslide victory for the opposition Janata alliance in the National elections held in March 1977. Morarji Desai was selected by the Janata alliance, later Janata Party as their parliamentary leader, and thus became the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India.

Prime Minister of India (1977-79)

After Indira Gandhi decided to lift The Emergency, general elections were held. Janata Party registered a landslide victory in the election and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. Desai worked to improve relations with neighbour and arch-rival Pakistan and restored normal relations with China, for the first time since the 1962 war. He communicated with Zia-ul-Haq and established friendly relations. Diplomatic relations were also re-established with China. His government undid many amendments made to the constitution during emergencyand made it difficult for any future government to impose a national emergency. However, the Janata Party coalition, was full of personal and policy friction and thus failed to achieve much owing to continuous in-wrangling and much controversy. With no party in leadership of the coalition, rival groups vied to unseat Desai. Controversial trials of prominent Congress leaders, including Indira Gandhi over Emergency-era abuses worsened the fortunes of his administration.

Since India's first nuclear test in 1974, Desai kept India's nuclear reactors stating "they will never be used for atomic bombs, and I will see to it if I can help it".^[4] In 1977, the Carter administration sold India, heavy water and uranium for its nuclear reactors but required American on-site inspection of nuclear materials. Desai declined, seeing the American stance as contradictory, in light of its own nuclear arsenal.^[5]

Retirement and death

In 1979, Raj Narain and Charan Singh pulled out of the Janata Party, forcing Desai to resign from office and retire from politics at the age of 83. The chief reason for the collapse was the demand by the duo and other left leaning members like Madhu Limaye, Krishan Kant and George Fernandes that no member of the Janata party could simultaneously be a member of an alternative social or political organisation. This attack on dual membership was directed specifically at members of the Janata party who had been members of the Jan Sangh, and continued to be members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Jan Sangh's ideological parent.

Morarji Desai campaigned for Janata Party in 1980 General Election as a senior politician but did not contest the election himself. , In retirement, he lived in Mumbai, and died at the age of 99. He had been honoured much in his last years as a freedom-fighter of his generation.

Morarji Desai was a strict follower of Mahatma Gandhi's principles and a moralist. He was a vegetarian “both by birth and by conviction.”

Feud with R&AW

Morarji Desai (third from right, front row) with US President Jimmy Carterduring his 1978 visit to India.

Morarji Desai had described the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India's external intelligence agency, as the praetorian guard of Indira Gandhi and had promised to stop all activities of the R&AW after becoming prime minister. He closed down much of the agency, and reduced its budget and operations. B. Raman, the former head of the Counter-Terrorism Division of R&AW and noted security analyst, reveals that, in an unguarded moment, Morarji Desai indiscreetly told Pakistan's Chief Martial Law Administrator General Zia ul-Haq that his government was well aware of Pakistan's nuclear development which prompted the Pakistani government in removing all spies from around its nuclear research facilities and thus finally being successful in its nuclear dream.

Social service

Morarji Desai was a Gandhian follower, social worker, institution builder and a great reformer. He was the Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith(university established by Mahatma Gandhi). Even during his term as the Prime Minister he used to visit and stay at Vidyapith during the month of October. He lived simply and used to write post cards himself even when he held the office of Prime Minister. Sardar Patel deputed him to conduct meetings of farmers in Kaira district which finally led to the establishment of the Amul Cooperative movement. During his rule, he withdrew intervention in Public Distribution System and rationing shops were literally lost due to cheap sugar and oil available in the market.

Personal life and family

Morarji Desai is survived by his son Kanti Desai, and grandsons Jagdeep and Bharat Desai. The only one to hold any political ambition is Madhukeshwar Desai, one of his great grand sons, son of Jagdeep Desai, who has taken it upon himself to revive the legacy of his illustrious great grandfather. Madhukeshwar Desai is the National Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP.

Vishaal Desai, son of Bharat Desai, is a writer and filmmaker  who graduated from The London Film School in 2009 

In 1978, Prime Minister Morarji Desai, a longtime practitioner of "urine therapy", spoke to Dan Rather on 60 Minutes about the benefits of drinking urine. Desai stated that drinking urine was the perfect medical solution for the millions of Indians who cannot afford medical treatment.,

 He was ridiculed by many in India and in foreign countries for this habit..