Madhav Shrihari Aney

Loknayak Bapuji
Madhav Shrihari Aney
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
1962–1967
Preceded byAnasuyabai Kale
Succeeded byNarendra R. Deoghare
ConstituencyNagpur
2nd Governor of Bihar
In office
12 January 1948 – 14 June 1952
Chief MinisterShri Krishna Sinha
Preceded byJairamdas Daulatram
Succeeded byR. R. Diwakar
Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council
In office
1941–1943
MonarchGeorge VI
Governor‑GeneralVictor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow
Personal details
Born29 August 1880
Wani, Berar Province, Hyderabad State, British India
(present-day Maharashtra, India)
Died26 January 1968 (aged 87)
Cause of deathMyocardial Infarction
Political partyCongress Nationalist Party
Other political
affiliations
Indian National Congress
Spouse
Yamuna Bai
(m. 1898; died 1925)
Children4
Alma materMorris College (B.A., 1902) Calcutta University (LL.B, 1907)
OccupationAuthor, politician, freedom fighter
Known forRole in the Indian Independence movement
AwardsPadma Vibhushan (1968)

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 founders 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, confided 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]

  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.