Prakash Vir Shastri

Prakash Vir Shastri
Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
In office
1958–1977
Personal details
Born December 30, 1923
Rehra, Uttar Pradesh
Died November 23, 1977
Uttar Pradesh
Political party Independent
Residence Uttar Pradesh
Religion Arya Samaj, Hindu

Pandit Prakash Vir Shastri (December 30, 1923 – November 23, 1977) was a noted Member of the Parliament of India (Sansad). He was known for his eloquence and forceful oratory style, as well as his mastery of Sanskrit. Shastri was also a recognized leader in the Arya Samaj movement.

Career

Shastri was born on December 30, 1923 as Om Prakash Tyagi (Devanāgarī: अोउम प्रकाश त्यागी) in the village of Rehra, in the J.P. Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, earlier a part of Mudarabad. He 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. He earned his Shastri degree from Banaras Hindu University. In 1958 Shastri was elected to the Lok Sabha as an Independent and until his death continued to serve as an Independent member, first in the Lok Sabha[1] and later in the Rajya Sabha.[2] He was elected as a Jana Sangh nominee in 1974.

Oratory style

Known for his eloquence and forceful oratory style as well as his mastery of Sanskrit, Shastri opposed the official designation of English as the national language of India. He instead preferred Hindi, the country's classical native tongue. He was also known for his abilities as a poet, and incorporated his creative efforts into a number of his more well-known speeches. He was the first Indian to speak in Hindi at the United Nations Organization, with Atal Bihari Vajpayee being second.[3]

Religious activism

Shastri was also internationally recognized as a devotee of the Arya Samaj movement, a branch of Hinduism dedicated to the Vedas.[4]

Shastri proposed the Religious Protection Bill in March 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] While he was tolerant towards a wide diversity of religious practices, he shied away from idolatry in his personal affairs and promoted the work of Swami Dayananda in his writing.

Train accident

Shastri was killed in a train accident on November 23, 1977. Shastri gave his seat to the man sleeping in the bunk below him, a sign of respect in Hindu culture as the lower bunk is closer to the ground. The man in the bunk above him survived, while Shastri lost his life. He was survived by his wife and two children.[6]

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.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Government Member Roster - Fourth Lok Sabha Member Roster". Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  2. ↑ Election Commission of New Delhi (1962). "Key Highlights on General Elections, 1962 to the Third Lokh Sabha" (PDF). Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  3. ↑ Alok Bhallia. Movement Against English as Official Language.
  4. ↑ Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, VSM (February 22, 2002). "The Triumph at Tankara". Aryasamaj Online Database. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  5. ↑ Poonam I. Kaushish (June 4, 2006). "Religious Conversions and Religious Freedom". The Assam Tribune. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Parliament Proceedings". Indian Government. November 30, 1977. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Photograph of L. K. Advani releasing a compilation of Prakash vir Shastri's parliamentary speeches". February 23, 2003.