The Founder – An Introduction

Purushottam Das Tandon, the Khatri from pre-independent Uttar Pradesh in India, was one of the most popular advocates of freedom for the country from British rule. He worked in association with the Congress party and took part in several events to show his protests against the British rulers. He was dedicated to the well being of his country even after independence and thus, remained attached with politics after August 1947. However, his years within the folds of the Congress were not free of controversies, largely because of his deteriorating relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru after India's independence. Purushottam Das Tandon is best remembered for his contribution towards helping to make Hindi the official language of India and for his participation in party meetings held at the Lok Sabha in spite of the fact that he was the Speaker and was expected to remain neutral and impartial in his opinions and views.

Early Life

Purushottam Das Tandon was born on August 1, 1882 in the city of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh in British-dominated India. After completing school, Purushottam Das Tandon obtained a degree in Law and another masters degree in History before setting on a professional life. The year 1906 was his first year in law practice after which Purushottam Das Tandon joined the bar of the Allahabad High Court. In 1904, He established Gauri Pathshala for Girls of the area as there were no schools for them. It was his dream to provide higher education for women which saw the birth of Rajarshi Tandon Mahila Mahavidyalaya in 1975. In the year 1908, he joined as a junior to prominent lawyer Tej Bahadur Sapru. For the next few years Purushottam Das Tandon practiced law before finally quitting in the year 1921 to concentrate on politics and freedom struggle.

Awards and Recognition

Purushottam Das Tandon earned the tile 'Rajarshi’ which means 'Royal Saint’ in Sanskrit for his giving and unselfish nature. He was presented the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India in the year 1961, just a year before his death.