Residents, Sanskrit experts hail Bharat Ratna for Malviya

Sandeep Rawat

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 24

Residents including Sanskrit experts are elated at the announcement that Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya will be given the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. Malviya is known to have a connection with the state, particularly Haridwar.

Malviya had formed the Ganga Sabha, a body that authorises religious rituals in Haridwar, a century ago.

Malviya had also staged a mega agitation in 1916 against the British Empire in the region, opposing the blocking of the natural flow of the Ganga.

On the call of Malviya, kings and head of ‘Rajwadas’ arrived with their forces to stop the British from constructing a dam on the Ganga.

The world-famous ‘Ganga aarti’ at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar was started on a daily basis on the suggestion of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya. As mark of respect, an adjacent ghat at Har-ki-Pauri has been named Malviya Deep Ghat.

While an intersection at Rishikul was renamed last year in his honour, a statue was also installed there by the then Chief Minister Vijay Bahguna.

Malviya had organised a lecture on Hinduism and Indian culture at Bharat Dharma Mahamandal in Haridwar in 1887 and a large number of experts had taken part in it. Apart from starting Banaras Hindu Universtiy, Pt Malviya had laid the foundation of a Sanskrit residential school.

Once a seat of Sanskrit learning, Rishikul Vidyapeeth Brahamcharyashram is now facing many problems.

Apart from encroachment into its land, this institution is facing financial crunch.

Currently, 28 teachers are imparting education to 315 students. A dispute over the managing rights of several bodies that were caretakers of the Vidyapeeth led to mismanagement of the institution, resulting in several legal battles. Later, the district administration took over the reins of the institution.

Now, the District Magistrate is its chairperson while the Sub Divisional Magistrate is its secretary.

Social activist Yogesh Pandey put Rishikul Vidyapeeth and Kashi Hindu University in the same bracket as far as quality of education is concerned.

“Malviya ji wanted to provide moral education to the younger generation. He laid the foundation of the institute. Over 100 years have passed and the glory of Rishikul Vidyapeeth has withstood the test of time,” said Pandey.

Radha Krishan Shastri, 90, who joined Rishikul Vidyapeeth as a teacher in 1950, is quite excited after the announcement of conferring of the Bharat Ratna on Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.

Remembering the past, Radha Krishan said the institute was a pioneer in imparting knowledge of Sanskrit in the country where scholars from other countries came to get Vedic education. Meanwhile, residents and Sanskrit scholars expressed hope that the conferring of the award on Malviya would mark a return to the golden days of Rishikul Vidyapeeth.

Principal of the institute, Dr Kamla Pati Shastri, said pilgrims and tourists would now know about the contribution of Pandit Malviya in ensuring sanctity of the Ganga, popularising Sanskrit and Vedic knowledge.