Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant was a prominent Indian freedom fighter and politician, born on September 10, 1887, in Khoont village near Almora, in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family. He studied at Allahabad University and began his career as a lawyer in Kashipur. Pant’s political journey started in 1921 when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. He became deeply involved in the Indian independence movement, representing revolutionaries in the Kakori case and participating in the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the Satyagraha Movement, which led to multiple imprisonments. After India’s independence, Pant served as the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, where he implemented significant reforms such as the abolition of the zamindari system and the enactment of the Hindu Code Bill, which granted Hindu women the rights to divorce and inheritance. Later, as Union Home Minister from 1955 until his death on March 7, 1961, he played a pivotal role in the reorganization of states on linguistic lines and the establishment of Hindi as an official language. Pant was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, in 1957 for his service to the nation.
