Hridayanath Kunzru
|
Pandit H. N. Kunzru |
|
|---|---|
| Rajya Sabha | |
|
In office 1952–1964 |
|
| Prime Minister | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| Indian Council of World Affairs President | |
|
In office 1948–1975 |
|
| Preceded by | Tej Bahadur Sapru |
| Succeeded by | Sardar Swaran Singh |
| Indian School of International Studies President | |
|
In office 1955–1970 |
|
| Bharat Scouts and Guides National Commissioner | |
|
In office 1952–1957 |
|
| Preceded by | Incumbent |
| Succeeded by | Justice Vivian Bose |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 October 1887 Agra |
| Died | 3 April 1978 Agra |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations |
National Liberal Federation |
| Spouse(s) | Senapati |
| Alma mater | Agra College, London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Public figure |
Dr. Hridya Nath Kunzru (1 October 1887 – 3 April 1978), a Kashmiri Brahmin and a Pandit, was a freedom fighter and Indian public figure. He was a long-time Parliamentarian, serving in various legislative bodies at the Provincial and Central level for nearly four decades. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India (1946–50) that drew up the Constitution of India. He was also keenly interested in international affairs and co-founded the Indian Council of World Affairs and the Indian School of International Studies.
Kunzru was the second son of Pandit Ayodhya Nath Kunzru and his second wife Jankeshwari. He was born at Allahabad on 1 October 1887. Even though he had got married in 1908, his wife died in 1911 during childbirth, followed by the death of the child six months later. This was a turning point in his life and he resolved to dedicate his life to public service. He did his matriculation in 1903 and F.A. in 1905 from Agra College. He passed his B.A. examination in 1907 from Allahabad University. Subsequently, he left for the London School of Economics in 1910 where he completed a B.Sc in Political Science.
Pandit Kunzru started his political career in the Congress, but left and formed the National Liberal Federation along with other moderates such as Tej Bahadur Sapru and Madan Mohan Malaviya. He became its President in 1934. The National Liberal Federation was a loose conglomeration of high-minded individuals and Kunzru remained true to that tradition, standing for his first election, and every election after, as an Independent candidate. His vigorous support of non-governmental organisations, was also linked to the liberal philosophy that government should not be all powerful in a democracy. Many of his interventions in the Constituent Assembly Debates were also to reduce the power of government over the people.
He became a member of the Legislative Council of the United Provinces (1921–26),and subsequently in the Central Legislative Assembly (1926–30), the Council of States (1936), the Provisional Parliament (1950–52) and the Rajya Sabha (1952–64).
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