Table of Contents
Sumitranandan Pant
Introduction:
As a member of the fourth generation of a family of Brahmin pandits from the North Indian state of Uttarakhand, Sumitranandan Pant was born in a small village called Gwaltoli in Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir on 3 January, 1920. His father Pandit Bishan Swaroop Pant was a Sanskrit scholar and had been the headmaster of a Sanskrit school. It was his father’s dream that Pant would also become a pandit.
Early Years of Pant’s Life
Sumitranandan Pant was born on 20 May 1900, Kausani, in the village of Talchako in the district of Dhaulagenwar, in the province of Rajasthan, India. From a very young age, he showed a love of nature and a talent for poetry. When he was just 12 years old, he published his first poem in a local Hindi magazine. At the tender age of 16, he moved to the city of Allahabad to attend Allahabad University. There, he studied Hindi, Urdu and English literature, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1933.
Pant’s Education in India
Sumitranandan Pant was born in 1907 in a small village in the eastern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. After completing high school, Pant was accepted to the Governmental Law College in Allahabad. However, he was expelled after one year for protesting British rule. He then moved to Benares Hindu University, where he studied Indian classical music and Sanskrit. In 1935, Pant was awarded a scholarship to study at the Sorbonne in Paris. There, he completed a degree in literature and philosophy.
Pant, Alokeranjan Dasgupta, and Prabandhachintamani
Sumitranandan Pant wrote about the early years of Rabindranath Tagore, and was one of the first to recognize his poetic genius. He was born in a small village in India, and his father was a farmer. When he was just 9 years old, he started writing poetry. When he was just 16, he moved to Calcutta to attend college. There, he met some of the most famous and important writers and intellectuals of the time, including Rabindranath Tagore. In 1918, he published his first book, which was a collection of poems.
Pant Joins the Two-Nation Theory, Tries to Form an Indian Union, and is Elected to the UP Legislative Assembly
In 1940, Pant joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and 11 years later he became a founder member of the Jan Sangh. He was also one of the first people to advocate the two-nation theory. In 1957, he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, and in 1962 he even tried to form an Indian Union. However, these attempts failed and he resigned from the Jan Sangh in 1969.
Pant Chosen as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
After India gained independence in 1947, the country was divided into India and Pakistan. Uttar Pradesh was part of India and on 15 August 1947, Sumitranandan Pant was appointed the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He held the post until 15 January 1948.
Conclusion:
Pant’s tenure as chief minister saw the implementation of a number of significant changes. The most prominent was the changing of Uttar Pradesh from being known as United Provinces to having its current name, Uttar Pradesh. In addition, Pant tried to bring about further Hindu-Muslim unity by introducing a confessional Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb into state politics and taking on India’s first Sikh governor in 1967.
