Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi

K. M. Munshi
Munshi in June 1950
2nd Governor of Uttar Pradesh
In office
2 June 1952 – 9 June 1957
Chief MinisterGovind Ballabh Pant
Sampurnanand
Preceded byHomi Mody
Succeeded byVarahagiri Venkata Giri
3rd Minister of Agriculture
In office
13 May 1950 – 13 May 1952
Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru
Preceded byJairamdas Daulatram
Succeeded byRafi Ahmed Kidwai
Personal details
Born(1887-12-30)30 December 1887
Bharuch, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died8 February 1971(1971-02-08) (aged 83)
Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Political partySwaraj Party, Indian National Congress, Swatantra Party, Jan Sangh
Spouses
Atilakshmi Pathak
(m. 1900; died 1924)
(m. 1926)
ChildrenJagadish Munshi, Sarla Sheth, Usha Raghupathi, Lata Munshi, Girish Munshi
Alma materBaroda College[1]
OccupationFreedom fighter, politician, lawyer, writer
Known forFounder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (1938)
Home Minister of Bombay State (1937–40)
Agent-General of India in Hyderabad State (1948)
Member of the Constituent Assembly of India
Member of Parliament
Minister for Agriculture & Food (1952–53)
Writing career
Pen nameGhanshyam Vyas
LanguageGujarati, Hindi and English
PeriodColonial India
GenreMythology, Historical Fiction
SubjectsKrishna, Indian history
Years active1915-1970
Notable worksPatan trilogy

Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi[2] (pronounced [kə.nəi.ya.lal ma.ɳek.lal mun.ʃi]; 30 December 1887 – 8 February 1971), popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to author and politician. He is a well-known name in Gujarati literature. He founded Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, an educational trust, in 1938.[3]

Munshi wrote his works in three languages namely Gujarati, English and Hindi. Before independence of India, Munshi was part of Indian National Congress and after independence, he joined Swatantra Party. Munshi held several important posts like member of Constituent Assembly of India, minister of agriculture and food of India, and governor of Uttar Pradesh. In his later life, he was one of the founding members of Vishva Hindu Parishad.

  1. ^ "IndianPost – KANHAIYALAL M MUNSHI". indianpost.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  2. ^ Krishnavatara (Vol. I) – The Magic Flute. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. 1973. pp. dust cover flap.
  3. ^ "Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi". Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2012.