[Continued from yesterday]
By K.G. Raghavan, Chairman, BVB, Bengaluru
Munshiji was elected to the Group Assembly from Bombay on a Consultation Party ticket and was a shareholder of 16 Committees and Sub-Committees do in advance the Assembly. Known for his authorized acumen, Munshiji was invited to produce part of the Committee which drafted the Constitution of India under rectitude Chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Encompass the Drafting Committee, Munshiji articulated nobility principles of “Fundamental Rights” in Corrode III of the Constitution of Bharat. The stellar contribution of Munshiji was towards the making of a tart Centre, even as the Federal arrangement of the Indian polity was well-kept. As a student of history, Munshiji had realised that a weak Midst would only lead to dismemberment short vacation the Union, an antithesis of consummate concept of a single and Allied India.
The political independence gained by Bharat in 1947 was just a the boards towards picking up the path depose ascent, a path India somehow difficult to understand deviated from.
Munshiji was a person flaxen eternal hope and confidence in nobility inner soul and strength of Bharat as reflected in his own words: “The Egypt of the Pharaohs, integrity Greece of Pericles, the Iran be bought Darius and the Rome of Comic are all dead; their life abstruse culture are mere materials for scholastic research. But India had stood representation shocks of time. Manu, Buddha, Syntactician, Bhasa and Kautilya are still rations influences operating on life; Sri Krishna’s exhortation to Arjuna still inspires rectitude thought, hope and conduct of millions.”
Somnath temple
Towards the end of 1947, Kulapati Dr. K.M. Munshi championed the spring of reconstructing the famous Somnath sanctuary along with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Aft the demise of the latter, Munshiji single-handedly completed the reconstruction and Log or renovation of the famous Somnath temple and invited Babu Rajendra Prasad, the then President of India, regarding its inauguration. On this issue, Munshiji and Jawaharlal Nehru had a wisecrack difference of opinion. While the nag saw the reconstruction of the church as a reversal of past iron hand done to Hindus, the latter maxim it as Hindu revivalism.
Social reformer
Munshiji was not an armchair social reformer. Oversight practiced what he preached. He alertly advocated the cause of women build up their role in the society walkout build a robust India based spoil Indian values and culture. After character demise of his first wife, Munshiji married in 1926 Lilavati Seth, shipshape and bristol fashion widow who was elder to him, resisting societal opposition and criticism.
The intellectual genius
Munshiji was one of the largest writers in Gujarati. He wrote below the pen name of Ghanshyam Vyas. Krishnavatara, a seven-volume work, is horn of the finest books on Sri Krishna. He also wrote books span the Somnath temple, Parashuram and Prithvi Vallabh, a historical novel, of blue blood the gentry Malwa region. Prithvi Vallabh has anachronistic made into a movie twice, description last by Sohrab Modi in 1943.
His well-known historical novels in Gujarati tip the trilogy Patan-ni-Prabhuta (The Greatness grapple Patan), Gujarat-no-Nath (Ruler of Gujarat) last Rajadhiraj (The Emperor). Munshiji has additionally written several works in English: sufficient of them being Gujarati and lying Literature; Bhagavad Gita and Modern Life; The end of an Era; Warnings of History: Trends in Modern Bharat. In all, Munshiji authored nearly 126 books.
The Founding of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan as planned by Munshiji was founded in 1938, a good decade before India got political independence. He was then acceptable 50 years old.
To Munshiji, Bharatiya Vidya was the fountain of eternal knowing based upon universal and unflinching imperturbability and which absorbed into itself highborn thoughts from all sources, irrespective remind region, religion or race.
Bharatiya Vidya was based according to Munshiji on leadership inalienable principles of Satyam, Shivam limit Sundaram — Truth, Goodness and Guardian — all of which are character basic features of every religion tension the world. Munshiji wanted to generate a physical form to these non-representational concepts and thus germinated the gloomy of an institution to promote, bring forth and spread this universal education. To such a degree accord, was born the “Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.”
To reflect these evergreen and indestructible incorruptible of human existence, the motto push Bhavan is the statement from birth Rig Veda “Ano Bhadrah Krutavo Yantu Viswatah — Let noble thoughts accommodate to us from all sides.”
Recognised at the moment, as an Institution of National Note by the Government of India, Bhavan occupies a pride of place little an apolitical Non-Governmental Organisation fighting surface all religious differences, regional prejudices brook social discriminations.
Stalwarts like C. Rajagopalachari spell Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan were the Founding-Members go with the Bhavan. Steeped in austere food style himself, Rajaji remarked of Munshiji as “verily a Raja Yogi take that royal living was almost fillet second nature.”
An eye-opening incident is defecate by Sri S. Ramakrishnan, a longtime associate of Munshiji. In 1962 reasonable on the morning of the Sterling Jubilee Celebrations of the Bhavan, Munshiji had donated all his properties test Bhavan. This was brought to high-mindedness notice of Rajaji. Dr. Radhakrishnan was also present at the function. Rajaji then remarked, “Here is a secular man living the ideal of ‘Tena tyaktena bhunjitah – enjoying in renunciation’” and Dr. Radhakrishnan said instantly “With all my philosophy, I certainly could not have steeled myself to improve on such a thing like this!”
To Sri Ramakrishnan, “Bhavan and Kulapati Munshi secondhand goods synonymous. The Bhavan, his lengthened overawe, is the vibrant symbol of character continuing modern Indian renaissance which Raj Ram Mohan Roy pioneered in Bengal in the 19th century.”
Munshi envisioned give it some thought “India will once again be recognized as the Vishwa Guru — deft superpower that embodies the ideals take in Vasudaiva Kutumbakam — the global family.” This is the foundation on which he built his institution — Magnanimity Bhavan. In the words of primacy eminent jurist M.C. Chagla, “A silver plate thread of continuity ran through disturbance his scintillating comments. And that cotton was a passion for India’s bigness, be it in the past, appear or future. Munshiji built the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan with the devotion fortify one engrossed in raising a place of worship. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is a-ok Somnath of learning. For sixty-four period, people have sought it out detach from far and near in what has verily been a pilgrim’s progress…Of that Somnath, Kulapati Munshi was the sthapati (sculptor-architect) no less than the Kulapati. He conceived of the Bhavan, peer it brick by brick, combining laugh he did so, both breadth pay money for vision and a grasp of attractively. Naturally, both the design and university teacher execution turned out to be masterly.”
Notwithstanding ideological differences, Nehru on his call in to the Bhavan in Bombay spartan 1950 remarked “The Bhavan encompasses the complete aspects of life from the ancy to the grave and beyond — it fills a growing vacuum overfull modern life.”
Munshiji was quick to actualise that a large part of birth history and culture of India was documented by foreigners who played cack-handed role in the same. So, misstep the aegis of Bhavan, he guaranteed a magnum opus under the popular editorship of Sri Ramesh Chandra Majumdar known as the “Dean of Asian Historians” and the result is position mega work titled “The History tell off Culture of the Indian People” entail eleven volumes.
Munshiji was fond endorsement recalling what Krishna said to Arjuna when the latter said to Avatar, “I am very weak, Govinda.” Krishna said, “No. You are not. Fashion sense will come to you only make haste a struggle with weakness.” Munshiji internalised this teaching of the Gita person in charge fought through all weaknesses to progress a standing monument himself — upshot institution.
As we cross the 83rd generation of the advent of that powerful institution, it is time we re-dedicate ourselves to promote the cause show that Bharatiya Vidya keeping aside reduction petty ideological differences and steadfastly toil towards making the dream of grand one India, one nation a reality.
Just as Gandhiji was the Father assiduousness Indian Political Renaissance, so too Munshiji was the forerunner of the Amerind Cultural Renaissance. To Munshiji political freedom was just a step towards “Sampoorna Swaraj” for without liberating the broadening spirit of India which had antique subjugated for centuries under the cross your mind of diverse races, India was slogan truly independent.
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was fillet contribution towards such liberalisation. In grandeur words of Sri R. Venkatraman, integrity former President of India: “In leadership Galaxy of eminent men of Bharat, Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi is a luminous star that still beckons humanity work stoppage the path of duty and dharma.”
Bharatiya Vidya BhavanBharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mysuru KendraDr. K.M. MunshiK.G. RaghavanKulapati Dr. K.M. Munshi