1. राष्ट्र महलों में नह ीं रहता। प्रकृ त राष्ट्र के ननवास-स्थल वे अगणित झोंपडे हैं, जो गााँवों और
पुरवों में फै ले हुए खुले आकाश के देद प्यमान सूयय और शीतल चन्दर और तारागि से प्रकृ नत
का सींदेश लेते हैं और इसीललए राष्ट्र का मींगल और उसकी जड मजबूत उस समय तक नह ीं
हो सकती, जब तक इन अगणित लहलहाते पौधों की जडों में जीवन का मजबूती का जल
नह ीं सीींचा जाता।- राष्ट्र की न ींव
गिेशशींकर ववद्याथीBY- PANKAJ KALRA
2. • Ganesh Shankar was born in a
Hindu Kayasth family at Hathgaon.
• His father Jai Narain, was a teacher in a middle
school namely Anglo Vernacular School in
Mungaoli (MP)
• He was poor but a deeply religious Hindu and
dedicated to high ideals.
• Under him Ganesh Shankar received his early
schooling and passed the high school
examination privately in 1907 after studying
in Mungaoli and Vidisha
• He could not study further due to poverty
3. • He became a clerk in the currency office and later a teacher in high school in Kanpur.
• At age 16, he also wrote his first book ‘ हमार आत्मोसगयता’ and wed his
wife Chandraprakashwati Vidyarthi on 4 June 1909.
• He came early under the influence of the nationalist upsurge, which was taking place
in the country.
• He became an agent of the well-known revolutionary Hindi and Urdu journals –
Karamyogi and Swarajya and also began to contribute to them. He adopted the pen-name
'Vidyarthi' – the seeker of knowledge.
• Pt. Mahabir Prasad Dwiwedi, the doyen of Hindi journalism offered him the job of a
sub-editor in his famous literary monthly, "The Saraswati", in 1911.
• However he was interested in current affairs and politics and therefore joined the
Hindi weekly "Abhyudaya" as a political journalist of the time.
• In 1913 Ganesh Shankar came back to Kanpur and launched his career of a crusading
journalist and freedom fighter
• He founded 'Pratap', his famous revolutionary weekly, which identified itself with the
cause of the oppressed
• He waged his fights for the oppressed peasants of Rae Bareli, the workers of
the Kanpur mills and the downtrodden people of Indian states.
• During the course of these fights he had to face numerous prosecutions, pay heavy
fines and suffer five prison sentences.
4. • 11 January 1915, he said the following quote “Now the time has come for our political ideology
and our movement no be restricted to the English-educated and to spread among the common
people”
• He first met Gandhi in 1916 in Lucknow and joined the national movement.
• He took a leading part in the Home Rule Movement of 1917–18
• Led the first strike of textile workers in Kanpur.
• In 1920 he launched the daily edition of ’Pratap’
• In 1920 he was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment for championing the cause of
peasants of Rae Bareli.
• In 1922 he was again sent to jail , for delivering a "seditious" speech as the President of the
Provincial Political Conference at Fatehgarh.
• In 1924, he met and protested along with Bhagat Singh & Chandra Shekhar Azad Singh .
• In 1925, Ganesh Shankar decided to contest elections of Provincial Legislative Councils and
organised the Swaraj Party.
• He won a resounding victory and served as a Member of the U.P. Legislative Council until 1929
• In 1928, he founded the Mazdur Sabha and led it until his death in 1931.
• In 1929 he was elected the President of the U.P. Congress Committee and was appointed to
lead the Satyagrah movement in U.P.
• He was arrested and sent to jail again. He was released on 9 March 1931 under the Gandhi-Irwin
Pact.
• While he was about to proceed to Karachi to attend the Congress Session, Kanpur fell into an
orgy of communal rioting, was on this mission of mercy that he was butchered to death by
rioting mob.
5. • He was a supporter of the Hindi language and attended the Hindi
Sahitya Sammelan conference in 1930 in Gorakhpur and in March 1930
at Shraddhanand Park in New Delhi
• In 1913 Ganesh Shankar came back to Kanpur and launched ‘Pratap’
his famous revolutionary weekly and continued as editor till 1931
(untill his death) 18 years (1931). He founded 'Pratap', his famous
revolutionary weekly
• He has written Memoirs,Essays,stories,Diaries apart from his
journalism and political contributions.
•
• Contd...
6. • Stories Memoir
– हाथ की फााँस - जेल-ज वन की झलक
• Letters Essay’s
– अग्रज के नाम - अभ्युदय पर ववपवि
– पत्न के नाम - प्रताप’ की न तत
– बड पुत्र के नाम - अदालत के सामने ललखित बयान
– मााँ के नाम - अनुताप की महहमा
- अरण्य-रोदन
- आत्मोत्सर्ग
- आत्मोत्सर्ग
- उन्हें न भूलना
• - आर्थगक प्रश्न : सींपविवाद का
ववकास
7. • Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi on a 1962 stamp of India
• Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Puraskar is given to renowned journalists by
honourable President of India every year since 1989.
• The Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM)Medical College Kanpur is
named in his remembrance.
• Ganesh Chowk, a square is named after him in the heart of the city
of Gorakhpur.
• Phool Bagh, earlier Queen's Park in Kanpur is also called as Ganesh Vidyarthi
Udyan.
• The Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Inter College (GSVIC) GSV Inter College
Kanpur is named in his remembrance.
• The Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi Inter College (GSV) Inter College Hathgaon-
Fatehpur)is named in his remembrance.
• Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi Smarak Inter College (GSVS) Inter College
Maharajganj, UP) is named after his remembrance.
• On 18 July 2017, the Uttar Pradesh government has renamed Kanpur Airport as
Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Airport to pay respect to his contribution for the
independence of India.
