Sri Krishna Sinha
Encyclopedia
Sri Krishna Sinha (Sri Babu) (1887–1961), known as Bihar Kesari, was the first Chief Minister
of the India
n state of Bihar
(1946–1961). Along with the nationalists Dr. Rajendra Prasad
and Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha
, Sinha is regarded among the Architects of Modern Bihar. Barring the war years(Second World War 1939–1945), Sinha was chief minister of Bihar from the time of the first Congress Ministry in 1937 until his death in 1961." It was Sinha who led Dalit
’s entry into the Baidyanath Dham temple (Vaidyanath Temple, Deoghar
), reflecting his commitment to the upliftment and social empowerment of dalits. Sinha was the first Chief Minister
in the country to abolish zamindar
i system in Bihar
. He underwent different terms of imprisonment for a total of about eight years in British India.
The President of India
, Pratibha Patil
recently released a book on the letters of exchange between Sinha and the First Prime minister of India
Jawaharlal Nehru
titled Freedom and Beyond. The Nehru-Sinha correspondence touches on subjects such as Indian democracy in the making in early years of Independence, Centre-state relations, role of governor, turbulence in Nepal, Zamindari abolition and education scenario. Sinha was known for his scholarship and erudition and he had given his personal collection of 17,000 books to the public library in Munger in 1959 which is now named after him as Sri Krishna Seva Sadan.
in 1916 at Central Hindu College
, Benares and later at Shah Muhammad Jubair's house in December, 1920. At Monghyr, by the Ganges, he vowed to work relentlessly to free India from the British rule. He had started practising law in 1915, but gave it up in 1921 to take active part in Gandhi's non-cooperation movement
.
He was arrested for the first time in 1922 at Shah Muhammad Jubair's house and Congress Seva Dal was declared illegal. With this spirited action he was declared Bihar Kesari by the people. He was released from jail in 1923 and on the day of Tulsi Jayanti performed in the play Bharat Darshan at Central School, Kharagpur
. In the same year he became member of All India Congress Committee
.
In 1927, he became member of Legislative Council and in 1929 became General Secretary of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee
. In 1929 he became the General Secretary of Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha started by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
. In 1930, Sinha played an important role in 'Namak Satyagrah' at Garhpura. During arrest he suffered severe scalding injuries to his hands and chest. He was arrested for six months and again during Civil Disobedience
movement he was arrested for two years under severe conditions. He was released after Gandhi–Irwin Pact and again started with his nationalist work and work with the Kisan Sabha. On 9 January 1932 he was again arrested in Monghyr for two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1,000. He was released from Hazaribagh
Jail in October, 1933. He was involved in relief and rehabilitation after the 1934 Bihar earthquake
. He was the President of Munger Zila Parishad from 1934–37. In 1935, he became member of Central Assembly.
On 20 July 1937, he became the Premier of Bihar province when Congress came to power. Under the Government of India Act
of 1935, Sinha formed his Cabinet at Patna on 20 July 1937. He and his colleague Bihar Vibhuti Anugrah disagreed with the governor on the issue of the release of political prisoners and resigned. The then governor had to accede to the demands for release of prisoners from Cellular Jail
(Kalapani) and Bihar Tenancy Act was reformed in favour of peasants. They then resumed office. But they again resigned in 1939, as did all Congress CMs, over the question of involving India in the Second World War without the consent of the Indian people. Along with his close colleague in Gandhi's non co-operation movement Bihar Vibhuti Anugrah Narayan Sinha, a prominent Gandhian and the first Deputy Chief Minister
cum Finance Minister
of the India
n state of Bihar,he is considered one of the makers of modern Bihar.
In 1940, at Ramgarh
, where the 53rd National Convention of Indian National Congress
took place, at Gandhi's inspiration became the first Individual Satyagrahi from Bihar. He was jailed for nine months (22 November 1940 – 26 August 1941). When the Quit India movement started in 1942, he was arrested on 10 August. He was released in 1944 from Hazaribagh
jail after he became seriously ill. In the same year his wife died at Prince of Wales Medical College.
As the former Prime Minister of Bihar he attended the Simla Conference
and also became the member of Constituent Assembly of India
which framed the Constitution of India
.
He was always interested in self-study and his ideas and speeches were noted for their wisdom. He was a staunch opponent of casteism and always rose in defence of the oppressed and the oppressed. Impressed by this courage of Sinha, Mahatma Gandhi in 1940 awarded him the distinction of being called the first Satyagrahi of Bihar.
Sinha served Bihar continuously from 1946 till his death on 31 January 1961 at the age of 73. In his honour in 1978, the Ministry of Culture started a science museum called Srikrishna Science Centre
. The biggest conference hall in Patna
, Shri Krishna Memorial Hall
is also named after him.
In fact, Bihar became the top state in the country's first five-year plan and it was announced by the then Finance Minister Dr Sinha in the assembly. Since the second five year plan period, Shri Babu brought several heavy industries like Barauni Oil Refinery, HEC plant at Hatia, Bokaro Steel Plant, Barauni Fertiliser Plant, Barauni Thermal Power Plant, Maithon Hydel Power Station, Sulphur mines at Amjhaur, Sindri Fertiliser Plant, Kargali Coal Washery, Barauni Dairy Project, etc. for the all round development of the state.
He had immense contribution in the cultural and social development of the state. It was he who had established the Rajendra Chatra Niwas at Calcutta for the Bihari students, the Anugraha Narayan Sinha Institute of Social Studies (ANSISS) at Patna, Lok Rangshala of the Bihar Sangit Nritya Natya Parishad, Sanskrit College at Patna, Ravindra Bhavan at Patna, Bhagvan Buddha
's statue at Rajgir Venu Van Vihar as well as orphanage at Muzaffarpur
.
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
(1946–1961). Along with the nationalists Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was an Indian politician and educator. He was one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of independent India...
and Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha
Anugrah Narayan Sinha
Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha , known as Bihar Vibhuti, was an Indian statesman who was the first Deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister of the Indian state of Bihar...
, Sinha is regarded among the Architects of Modern Bihar. Barring the war years(Second World War 1939–1945), Sinha was chief minister of Bihar from the time of the first Congress Ministry in 1937 until his death in 1961." It was Sinha who led Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
’s entry into the Baidyanath Dham temple (Vaidyanath Temple, Deoghar
Vaidyanath Temple, Deoghar
Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, also known as Baba dham and Baidyanath dham is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, India...
), reflecting his commitment to the upliftment and social empowerment of dalits. Sinha was the first Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
in the country to abolish zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
i system in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. He underwent different terms of imprisonment for a total of about eight years in British India.
The President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
, Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...
recently released a book on the letters of exchange between Sinha and the First Prime minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
titled Freedom and Beyond. The Nehru-Sinha correspondence touches on subjects such as Indian democracy in the making in early years of Independence, Centre-state relations, role of governor, turbulence in Nepal, Zamindari abolition and education scenario. Sinha was known for his scholarship and erudition and he had given his personal collection of 17,000 books to the public library in Munger in 1959 which is now named after him as Sri Krishna Seva Sadan.
Family and early life
Sri Babu was born on 21 October 1887 in Khanwa situated along the banks of the Ganges River in the state of Bihar. His paternal village is Maur near Barbigha which was under Munger District (earlier name Monghyr)but now falls under Sheikhpura District of Bihar. His father was a religious, middle-class member of a Bhumihar Brahmin family. His mother was also a very simple and religious-minded person. She died of plague when Sri babu was five years old. He got his early education in his village school, and later in Zila School, Monghyr, and then joined Patna College, then an affiliate of the University of Calcutta in 1906. He studied law and started practicing in Munger from 1915. In the meantime, he married and had two sons, Shivshankar Singh and Bandishankar Singh (more commonly known as Swaraj Babu) who later held various posts in the State Ministry.Freedom struggle
He first met Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
in 1916 at Central Hindu College
Central Hindu College
Central Hindu School, formerly known as Central Hindu College, is one of India's largest schools which is situated in the heart of the city at Kamachha Varanasi in India. This school provides the education to all societies of people having highly qualified faculties and aboratory and a SARGA HALL...
, Benares and later at Shah Muhammad Jubair's house in December, 1920. At Monghyr, by the Ganges, he vowed to work relentlessly to free India from the British rule. He had started practising law in 1915, but gave it up in 1921 to take active part in Gandhi's non-cooperation movement
Non-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
.
He was arrested for the first time in 1922 at Shah Muhammad Jubair's house and Congress Seva Dal was declared illegal. With this spirited action he was declared Bihar Kesari by the people. He was released from jail in 1923 and on the day of Tulsi Jayanti performed in the play Bharat Darshan at Central School, Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
. In the same year he became member of All India Congress Committee
All India Congress Committee
The All India Congress Committee is the Presidium or central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress Party. It is composed of members elected from State-level Pradesh Congress Committees and can have as many as a thousand members...
.
In 1927, he became member of Legislative Council and in 1929 became General Secretary of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee
Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee
The Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee is the unit of the Indian National Congress for the state of Bihar. The head office of the organization is situated in Patna at the historical Sadaquat Ashram. The current President of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee is Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser...
. In 1929 he became the General Secretary of Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha started by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
Swami Sahajanand Saraswati , born in a Jijhoutia Brahminfamily of Ghazipur of Uttar Pradesh state of India, was an ascetic of Dashnami Order of Adi Shankara Sampradaya as well as a nationalist and peasant leader of India...
. In 1930, Sinha played an important role in 'Namak Satyagrah' at Garhpura. During arrest he suffered severe scalding injuries to his hands and chest. He was arrested for six months and again during Civil Disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
movement he was arrested for two years under severe conditions. He was released after Gandhi–Irwin Pact and again started with his nationalist work and work with the Kisan Sabha. On 9 January 1932 he was again arrested in Monghyr for two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1,000. He was released from Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is famous as a health resort and for Hazaribagh National Park ....
Jail in October, 1933. He was involved in relief and rehabilitation after the 1934 Bihar earthquake
1934 Bihar earthquake
The 1934 Bihar earthquake was one of the worst earthquakes in India's history. Some 30,000 people were said to have died. Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed. This 8.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on January 15, 1934 at around 2:13 PM and caused widespread damage in the northern...
. He was the President of Munger Zila Parishad from 1934–37. In 1935, he became member of Central Assembly.
On 20 July 1937, he became the Premier of Bihar province when Congress came to power. Under the Government of India Act
Government of India Act
The term Government of India Act refers to any one of a series of Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to regulate the government of British India, in particular:...
of 1935, Sinha formed his Cabinet at Patna on 20 July 1937. He and his colleague Bihar Vibhuti Anugrah disagreed with the governor on the issue of the release of political prisoners and resigned. The then governor had to accede to the demands for release of prisoners from Cellular Jail
Cellular Jail
The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī , was a colonial prison situated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. The prison was used by the British especially to exile political prisoners to the remote archipelago...
(Kalapani) and Bihar Tenancy Act was reformed in favour of peasants. They then resumed office. But they again resigned in 1939, as did all Congress CMs, over the question of involving India in the Second World War without the consent of the Indian people. Along with his close colleague in Gandhi's non co-operation movement Bihar Vibhuti Anugrah Narayan Sinha, a prominent Gandhian and the first Deputy Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
cum Finance Minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Bihar,he is considered one of the makers of modern Bihar.
In 1940, at Ramgarh
Ramgarh
Ramgarh Raj was a major Zamindari in the era of the British Raj.The areas that would later comprise the Ramgarh Raj had initially belonged to the Raja of Chhota Nagpur. Around the year AD 1368, the area witnessed unrest for reasons not now known. The Raja deputed two brothers by name Baghdeo and...
, where the 53rd National Convention of Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
took place, at Gandhi's inspiration became the first Individual Satyagrahi from Bihar. He was jailed for nine months (22 November 1940 – 26 August 1941). When the Quit India movement started in 1942, he was arrested on 10 August. He was released in 1944 from Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is famous as a health resort and for Hazaribagh National Park ....
jail after he became seriously ill. In the same year his wife died at Prince of Wales Medical College.
As the former Prime Minister of Bihar he attended the Simla Conference
Simla Conference
The Simla Conference was a 1945 meeting between Viceroy Archibald Wavell and the major political leaders of India at Simla, India. Convened to agree on and approve the Wavell Plan for Indian self-government, it reached a potential agreement for the self-rule of India that provided separate...
and also became the member of Constituent Assembly of India
Constituent Assembly of India
The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to write the Constitution of India, and following independence served as the nation's first Parliament.-Nature of the Assembly:...
which framed the Constitution of India
Constitution of India
The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens...
.
He was always interested in self-study and his ideas and speeches were noted for their wisdom. He was a staunch opponent of casteism and always rose in defence of the oppressed and the oppressed. Impressed by this courage of Sinha, Mahatma Gandhi in 1940 awarded him the distinction of being called the first Satyagrahi of Bihar.
Sinha served Bihar continuously from 1946 till his death on 31 January 1961 at the age of 73. In his honour in 1978, the Ministry of Culture started a science museum called Srikrishna Science Centre
Srikrishna Science Centre
"Srikrishna Science Centre" was established in Patna in the year 1978 which was named after the first Chief Minister of Bihar . It was inaugurated on April 14, 1978 by the then Minister of Education, Govt of Bihar, Shri Thakur Prasad Singh...
. The biggest conference hall in Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
, Shri Krishna Memorial Hall
Shri Krishna Memorial Hall
Shri Krishna Memorial Hall is a conference hall near Gandhi Maidan, Patna in honour of the first Chief Minister of Bihar, Sri Krishna Sinha....
is also named after him.
Legacy
Almost all the development projects needed for the state of Bihar were done by the leadership pair of Sinha and A N Sinha. It includes several river valley projects right from Koshi, Aghaur and Sakri to other such river projects. The first five-year plan period was given to the development in rural development works mainly mainly in the agricultural sector.In fact, Bihar became the top state in the country's first five-year plan and it was announced by the then Finance Minister Dr Sinha in the assembly. Since the second five year plan period, Shri Babu brought several heavy industries like Barauni Oil Refinery, HEC plant at Hatia, Bokaro Steel Plant, Barauni Fertiliser Plant, Barauni Thermal Power Plant, Maithon Hydel Power Station, Sulphur mines at Amjhaur, Sindri Fertiliser Plant, Kargali Coal Washery, Barauni Dairy Project, etc. for the all round development of the state.
He had immense contribution in the cultural and social development of the state. It was he who had established the Rajendra Chatra Niwas at Calcutta for the Bihari students, the Anugraha Narayan Sinha Institute of Social Studies (ANSISS) at Patna, Lok Rangshala of the Bihar Sangit Nritya Natya Parishad, Sanskrit College at Patna, Ravindra Bhavan at Patna, Bhagvan Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
's statue at Rajgir Venu Van Vihar as well as orphanage at Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division....
.
Pictorial Survey
- Nath, Nagendra (ed.) Shri Krishna Sinha, 1960 Central Art Press, Calcutta.
External links
- http://books.google.co.in/books?id=kmZV1ALVaCYC&pg=PT403&lpg=PT403&dq=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9+%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A3+%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B9&source=bl&ots=BrT5wQ4s1b&sig=FZ42i9ZenyWp7bjweJjoCtfvYbw&hl=hi&ei=CpllS_P4IYGX8AbKzeWcAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A3%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B9&f=falseSri Babu & Anugrah Babu]
- Bihar's first exemplary government:The Sri Babu-Anugrah Babu regime
- Rajendra Prasad :Letters to Sri Babu & Anugrah Babu
- Freedom Fighters of India
- SATYAGRAHA LABORATORIES OF MAHATMA GANDHI