Govind Ballabh Pant (An Old and Rare Book)

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The present work is an attempt at portraying the multi-splendoured personality of Pandit Govind.Ballabh Pant, analysing some of the many facets of his role and contribution and presenting some of his well-considered ideas on matters of vital concern to the individual and the nation. From the pages of this work Pandit Pant emerges as a great patriot, administrator, statesman, parliamentarian, founding father of the Constitution and, above all, a lovable, respectable, good man. This lasting contribution to the Pant Centenary celebrations will be found useful and read with interest by all students of modern Indian history and by Pantji's admirers and scholars who wish to discover more of what Pantji was and stood for.

Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap's book is a very readable and apposite contribution to the literature on Pandit Pant. Such efforts are commendable by themselves; equally, they reflect positively on the state of the public mind which holds men like Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant in high and abiding reverence. It is my earnest belief that this work by Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap and Shri Mahesh C. Shah, quite appropriately being brought out to coincide with the Birth Centenary of Pantji, will fulfil the long-felt need for a proper scientific appraisal of Pandit Pant's works and his ideas. I congratulate the authors on this noble endeavour and I am confident that this work will provide a source of inspiration to all those who cherish the causes espoused by Pandit Pant.

A great patriot, Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was one of the foremost leaders of the non-violent nationalist movement for freedom from foreign rule. Also, he was among the most distinguished builders of modern India and towering citadel of Parliamentary democracy in the post-independence period. Like Jawaharlal Nehru; Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Patel, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, C. Rajgopalachari, Dr. Zakir Husain and others, he was a fine product of the Gandhian era. His politics was moulded by the milieu, the ethos and the culture of that age, representing in full, the moral norms and political values of Mahatma Gandhi. Pantji as he was called with reverence and affection by his colleagues and followers and indeed by his countrymen at large, served the country with great distinction as a freedom fighter, as the Premier and later as the Chief Minister of U.P. and as the Union Home Minister. Unfortunately, the life, the work and the ideas of Pantji have not received adequate attention at the hands of academics. In fact there has been no proper scientific appraisal of his contribution to the struggle for independence and later to the cause of building an integrated nation and serving its people. The present work is a modest attempt at portraying the multi-splendoured personality of Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, analysing some of the many facets of his role and contribution and presenting in his own words some of his well-considered ideas on matters of vital concern to the individual and the nation. Part two of the work is based on the speeches made by Pantji during his long legislative career at the Union and State levels. His ideas and observations reveal a continuity and steadfastness in his philosophical beliefs. His tenacity of purpose and analytical approach to problems won the approbation of not only his colleagues and followers but also his opponents.

Research these days has become capital intensive. Individuals, howsoever devoted, find it very difficult to accomplish anything worthwhile without institutional or other financial assistance. It is more so when.they - like the present authors - have their other full-time jobs to attend to. Nevertheless, it is hoped that this humble contribution to the Pant Centenary celebration would be received well by Pantji's admirers and scholars who wish to discover more of what Pantji was and stood for. The authors wish to clarify that while the present work is truly the product of their joint efforts, all references in first person throughout the book but most particularly in Chapter 5 of Part one refer to the first named author who was fortunate to have had several occasions of personally seeing from somewhat close quarters Pandit Pant move in flesh and blood and function as Congress leader, as a freedom fighter, as the Chief Minister of U.P. and as the Home Minister in Union Parliament Also the book incorporates the first named author's ideas and views expressed in a film interview on Pantji and in his inaugural address delivered at the Aligarh Muslim University Seminar on Government and Politics in U.P. during the Chief Ministership of Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant held on 27 February 1988 as part of the Pant Centenary Celebrations. The authors are deeply beholden to Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma, the Vice-President of India and Dr. Bal Ram Jakhar, Speaker of Lok Sabha and Convener of the Pant Centenary Celebrations National Committee for refreshing words of encouragement and to Shri K.C. Pant, the Union Minister of Defence, for inspiration and appreciation. Also, they gratefully acknowledge the assistance received from Shri L.D. Tuteja and Shri N.K. Singh in the preparation of this volume. Sarvashri S.C. Sharma, Bhagwan Singh and Manoj Girdhar helped by typing and retyping the manuscript. It was a labour of love for them all. The publishers deserve thanks and admiration for bringing out the volume in such a short time so as to be released within the Pant Centenary Year.

**Contents and Sample Pages**