Prakash Vir Shastri
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| Prakash Vir Shastri | |
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Member of Parliament
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| In office 1958 – 1977 |
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| Born | December 30, 1923 Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh |
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| Died | November 23, 1977 Uttar Pradesh |
| Political party | Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha |
| Residence | Uttar Pradesh |
| Religion | Arya Samaj, Hindu |
Pandit Prakash Vir Shastri (December 30th, 1923 - November 23, 1977) was a noted Member of the Parliament of India (Sansad).
Born on December 30, 1923 as Om Prakash Tyagi (Devanāgarī: अोउम प्रकाश त्यागी) in the village of Ayodhya to a sepoy father, he earned his Shastri degree from Banaras Hindu University.
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[edit] Career
Shastri was politically active as a young man, obtaining an M.A. degree from Agra University, and eventually rising to become Vice-Chancellor of Gurukul Vrindavan. Shastri was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1958 and from that time till his passing served in the Parliament as an Independent member of both the Lok Sabha [1] and Rajya Sabha.[2] He was elected as a Jana Sangh nominee in 1974.
[edit] Oratory style
Known for his eloquence and forceful oratory style as well as his mastery of the Sanskrit language, Shastri opposed to the official designation of English as the national language of India. He instead preferred Hindi, the country's classical native tongue. [3] He was also known for his abilities as a poet, and incorporated his creative efforts into a number of his more well-known speeches.
[edit] Religious activism
Shastri was also internationally recognized as a devotee of the Arya Samaj movement, a branch of Hinduism dedicated to the Vedas.[4] While he was tolerant of the diversity of approaches to the practice of Hinduism, he shied away from idolatry in his personal affairs and promoted the work of Swami Dayananda in his writing.
Shastri proposed the Religious Protection Bill in March of 1960 in the Lok Sabha, which called for the protection of religious minorities in the face of mass conversions by force occurring across the country at the time.[5]
[edit] Train accident
Shastri was killed in a train accident on November 23, 1977. According to testimonial by his family and friends, Shastri gave his seat to the gentleman sleeping in the bunk below him--a sign of respect in Hindu culture, as the lower bunk is closer to the ground. The trajectory of the train's impact allowed the man in the bunk above him to survive while Shastri lost his life. He was survived by a wife and two children.[6]
[edit] Pandit Prakash Vir Shastri Marg
In November 2002, North Avenue in New Delhi, leading from Ram Manohar Lahia Hospital to Rashtrapati Bhawan, was renamed Pandit Prakash Vir Shastri Marg. The avenue contains Gate 35, the main entrance to Rashtrapati Bhavan and spans a major portion of the downtown district in New Delhi.[7][8]
[edit] Speech compilations
In early 2003, a collection of his parliamentary speeches was compiled for publication, in part by former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani.[9]
Since the publication, interest in the orator has experienced a moderate resurgence, although predominantly among Hindi-speaking audiences, as Shastri was more reticent in his opinion of English oratory. Other collections of Shastri's speeches have been compiled, although none to the acclaim of the original collection sponsored by Advani.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Government Member Roster - Fourth Lok Sabha Member Roster. Retrieved on May 6, 2007.
- ^ Election Commission of New Delhi (1962). Key Highlights on General Elections, 1962 to the Third Lokh Sabha. Retrieved on May 6, 2007.
- ^ Alok Bhallia. Movement Against English as Official Language.
- ^ Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, VSM (Feb 22, 2002). The Triumph at Tankara. Aryasamaj Online Database. Retrieved on May 6, 2007.
- ^ Poonam I. Kaushish (Jun 4, 2006). Religious Conversions and Religious Freedom. The Assam Tribune. Retrieved on May 6, 2007.
- ^ Parliament Proceedings. Indian Government (Nov 30, 1977). Retrieved on May 6, 2007.
- ^ Tenzing Lamsang (April 9, 2007). End of road for names, requests pour in. Delhi News Line. Retrieved on May 6, 2007.
- ^ AMC 21 is Airborne With Grandiose Plans. Tribune News Service (Nov 22, 2002). Retrieved on May 6, 2007.
- ^ Photograph of L. K. Advani releasing a compilation of Prakash vir Shastri's parliamentary speeches (Feb 23, 2003).
