Gurmukh Singh Musafir | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Jathedar of the Akal Takht | |
| In office 1930–1931 | |
| Preceded by | Jawaher Singh Mattu Bhaike |
| Succeeded by | Vasakha Singh Dadehar |
| 5thChief Minister of Punjab | |
| In office 11 November 1966 – 8 March 1967 | |
| Preceded by | President's rule |
| Succeeded by | Gurnam Singh |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1952–1966 | |
| Succeeded by | Yagya Dutt Sharma |
| Constituency | Amritsar,Punjab |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 1968–1976[1] | |
| Constituency | Punjab |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gurmukh Singh (1899-01-15)15 January 1899 |
| Died | 18 January 1976(1976-01-18) (aged 77) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress,Shiromani Akali Dal |
| Spouse | Ranjit Kaur |
| Source:[1] | |
Gurmukh Singh Musafir (15 January 1899 – 18 January 1976) was anIndian politician andPunjabi language writer. He was the 5th Chief Minister ofPunjab from 1 November 1966 to 8 March 1967.[2]
He was awarded theSahitya Akademi Award in Punjabi, given bySahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in 1978 for his short story collection,Urvar Par[3] and was posthumously decorated withPadma Vibhushan, the second highest Indian civilian award given byGovernment of India.[4]
Musafir was born on 15 January 1899 atAdhwal, inCampbellpore (now calledAttock district of Punjab province in British India (presentlyRawalpindi District ofPunjab Province in Pakistan) - in a small land-holding farming family ofKhatri ofChadha clan.[5]
He completed primary education from the village primary school and then went toRawalpindi to pass the middle school examination. In 1918, he became a teacher at Khalsa High School, Kallar. His four years there as a teacher earned him the epithetGiani,Musafir being the pseudonym he had adopted. In 1922, he gave up teaching and joined the Akali agitation for Gurudwara reform. For taking part in the Guru ka Bagh agitation in 1922, he underwent imprisonment.
He was appointed to the highest religious office of SikhismJathedar of theAkal Takht from 12 March 1930 to 5 March 1931.[6]
Musafir joined the freedom movement in the early 1920s and courted arrest several times till 1947. He courted arrest in theCivil disobedience movement in 1930. He became the head ofAkal Takht, central seat of religious authority for theSikhs. He held this office from 12 March 1930 to 5 March 1931. He also served for a time as secretary of theShiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as well as general secretary of theShiromani Akali Dal. He also courted arrest as part ofSatyagraha andQuit India movements.
In 1949, he became the President of thePunjab Pradesh Congress Committee. He held the office of the President for 12 years and was also an elected member of theCongress Working Committee. He was elected to theLok Sabha in 1952, 1957 and 1962, representingAmritsar constituency. In 1966, he resigned from the Lok Sabha and became theChief Minister of Punjab state after its re-organization. In 1967, he contested theVidhan Sabha election from Amritsar constituency, but he was defeated bySatyapal Dang of theCommunist Party of India.[6] He was the member of theRajya Sabha from 1968 to 1974.[7] Musafir died in Delhi on 18 January 1976.[6] He was posthumously awardedPadma Vibhushan in 1976.
Musafir was a member of the Indian delegations to the International Peace Conference in Stockholm in 1954,World Peace Conference in Helsinki in 1965, and theWorld Peace Conference in Berlin in 1969. He also led the Indian delegations to the World Progressive Writers Conference in Japan in 1961 and the Indian Writers Afro-Asian Conference inBaku in 1965.
Source:[8]
Musafir[9] was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Congress Party. In the Constituent Assembly he spoke[10] on the issues of citizenship[11] and separate electorates.[12]
Musafir was also a poet and writer. His writings became profile following the massacre ofJallianwala Bagh when he wrote about the Indian National struggle. While he is more famous for being a politician, noted Punjabi critics like Kartar Singh Duggal, Raghbir Singh Sirjana and Gurbhajan Gill have all spoken about Musafir's contribution to Punjabi literature, particularly his work during the freedom struggle.[13]
His published works include nine collections of poems (Sabar De Bann, Prem Ban, Jivan Pandh, Musdfaridn, Tutte Khambh, Kadve Sunehe, Sahaj Sumel, Vakkhrd Vakkhrd Katrd Katrd and Duur Nerhe); eight of short stories (Vakkhn Duma, Ahlane de Bot, Kandhdn Bol Paidn; Satdl Janvari; Allah Vale, Gutdr, Sabh Achchhd, and Sastd Tamdshd); and four biographical works (Vekhya Sunya Gandhi, Vekhya Sunya Nehru, BaghlJamail and Vehvin Sadi de Shahid). He represented Indian writers at international conferences at Stockholm in 1954, and at Tokyo in 1961.
He recorded the reminiscences of his association withMohandas Gandhi andJawaharlal Nehru in two separate volumes –Vekhya Sunya Gandhi (Gandhi as I knew him), "Vekhya Sunya Nehru" (Nehru as I knew him). His bookMartyrs of 20th Century is the result of 30 years of research. Most of his poetry and short stories were written while in jail. He also translatedGandhi Gita andJames Allen'sByways of Blessedness titledAnand Marg.
On 17 January 1976, Giani Gurmukh Singh experienced a massive heart-attack after dining with his friends in the house ofSir Sobha Singh inNew Delhi.[14]
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