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Anugrah Babu - a Tribute
By Somesh Verma
June 1, 2008 |
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Bihar has
been the birth place of some of the most
legendary statesmen whose dauntless
determination and utmost integrity made them the
architects of modern India and Bihar
respectively. In fact even today, Bihar continue
to reap the fruits that are a cumulative result
of the vision and effort of those great
sagacious administrators who changed the destiny
of our nation and our state and touched the
lives of millions. Among those eminent
luminaries was Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha.
Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha, known as Bihar
Bibhuti, was the first Finance Minister of the
Indian state of Bihar. He was also a Member of
the Constituent Assembly of India, which was
elected to write the Constitution of India and
served as its first Parliament as an independent
nation. He also held a range of portfolios
including Labour, Health, Local Self-government
and Agriculture.
A. N. Sinha, affectionately called "Babu Saheb",
was a very close associate of Mahatma Gandhi
during the freedom struggle movement and worked
with Deshratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Bihar
Kesari Dr. Sri Krishna Sinha to lead the
Gandhian movement in Bihar.
The qualities that gave Dr. Anugrah Narayan
Sinha a place among the personal forces of his
time were moral as well as intellectual. His
genuineness, intensity, abhorrence of sham
trickery and imposture and his dauntless
determination to arrive at facts had helped him
change the destiny of the state. He participated
in the Bihar Students Conference. This
organization founded by Rajendra Prasad and Mr.
Sinha worked under his inspiring guidance.
The promise of a bright talent was revealed in
his college career.
"Coming events cast their shadows before" is
fully exemplified by the life of Anugrah Babu.
From early childhood, he had harmonious blend of
intelligence leadership.
After securing first class in middle school
examination, he got scholarship in the high
school for his excellent performance and was
admitted to Gaya Zila School. He was elected
student representative of Gaya District. He was
admitted to Patna College in 1908. He passed the
entrance examination in the first division and
graduated with honors in English. He was the
Secretary of the Bihar Students Conference and
the Chanakya
Society of the Patna College.
He served as a volunteer in the Patna Congress.
In 1915 he took M.A degree. Then he was
appointed Professor of History in the T.N.B
College Bhagalpur. As a professor, he won high
esteem of the students. He organised relief work
when Bhagalpur was ravaged by flood.
In 1916 he joined the Patna Bar. When Gandhiji
embarked the Champaran Satyagraha Mr. Sinha
abandoned his practice and became a Satyagrahi
along with other prominent lawyers handpicked by
Gandhi. In 1922 he successfully organized the
Gaya Congress. In the following year he became
one of the General Secretaries of the A.I.C.C.
Then he was elected as the General Secretary of
the Bihar Congress Committee.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad founded the "Bihar
Vidyapeeth" for motivating young meritorious
youths and as a co-founder Anugrah Sinha gave
his services as a professor; among his first
students was young Jay Prakash Narayan. Sri
Krishna Singh joined Rajendra Prasad and Anugrah
Narayan Sinha in the massive Civil Disobedience
movement after they resigned from the membership
of the Council of estates.
In 1933 he was sentenced to fifteen months
rigorous imprisonment for hoisting the national
flag. He was chosen the general Secretary of the
Bihar Earthquake Relief Committee.
When Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru came to visit the
affected areas; he was so impressed by Anugrah
Babu's extraordinary administrative skills that
he remarked "I do not have to think about Bihar
since it is in the most careful observation of
none other than Anugrah Babu on whom even Bapu
(Mahatma Gandhi) has expressed greatest of
confidence".
Interestingly Loknayak Jay Prakash Narayan was
associated with Anugrah Babu as a student at the
Bihar Vidyapeeth; although both had different
party lines, yet he maintained close relations
with him.
He was elected to Bihar Legislative Assembly in
1936 and resigned from the "Council of estates"
(Rajya Sabha) to became the first Finance
Minister of Bihar. He played pivotal role in
organizing Congress “seva dal”.
In fact, the first Bihar Government both in 1936
and 1946 was also characterised by the values of
the Mahatma and Rajendra Babu. Its two eminent
leaders Sri Babu and Anugrah Babu were men of
unimpeachable integrity and great public spirit.
They ran an exemplary government. An imperious
Sri Babu and an humble but very capable Anugrah
Babu complemented each other and made an
excellent pair of popular rulers, enriching
Bihar with wealth and wisdom. Bihar was
recognized as the best administered state during
the first few years since the Independence and
also had the distinction of securing the first
position in the achievement of the First Five
Year plan targets. Dr. Sinha’s role in all this
was
simply exemplary.
The great Bihar Bibhuti breathed his last on 5th
July 1957. His life and ideals are an
inspiration for the state and the young
generation to follow.
Salute to the great son of Bihar and India!
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