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Sampurnanand | |
|---|---|
संपूर्णानंद | |
 Sampurnanand in 1936 | |
| 2nd Governor of Rajasthan | |
| In office 16 April 1962 – 16 April 1967 | |
| Chief Minister | Mohan Lal Sukhadia |
| Preceded by | Gurumukh Nihal Singh |
| Succeeded by | Sardar Hukam Singh |
| 2nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh | |
| In office 28 December 1954 – 7 December 1960 | |
| Preceded by | Govind Ballabh Pant |
| Succeeded by | Chandra Bhanu Gupta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1891-01-01)1 January 1891 |
| Died | 10 January 1969(1969-01-10) (aged 78) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
Sampurnanand (1 January 1891 – 10 January 1969) was an Indian teacher and politician who served as the secondChief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1954 until 1960, and later asGovernor of Rajasthan. Serving for five years and 344 days, he had the longest single tenure of any Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister until surpassed byYogi Adityanath in 2023.[1]
Born inVaranasi, Sampurnanand was a respected scholar ofSanskrit andastronomy. During theIndian Independence Movement, Sampuranand participated in theNon-cooperation movement.[2] He worked as an editor forMaryada, a Hindi newspaper founded byMadan Mohan Malaviya, and contributed frequently to theNational Herald. His political career began in 1922, when he joined theAll-India Congress Committee, and was subsequently appointed Minister for Education of Uttar Pradesh.[3] Following India's Independence, Sampurnanand was elected to theUttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and selected as Education Minister. During his tenure, he devised plans for the establishment of an astronomical observatory at the Government Sanskrit College (GSC) in Varanasi, which in 1974 was named after him asSampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya.[4]
Sampurnanand became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1954, and served for nearly six years, until he was asked to step down following a political crisis in the UP government. As chief minister, Sampurnanand continued to promote the use of theHindi language[5] and passed a ban on the slaughter of cattle, against the wishes of then-Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru.[6] Following his resignation, he became Governor of Rajasthan in 1962, where he advocated for the "open prison" system, in which prisoners were allowed to live with family and work.[7]
Sampurnanand was born to aKayastha family on 1 January 1891 atBenaras (present-dayVaranasi) and started life as ateacher. Brought up under the influence of theBenaras ethos, he was a strong votary of traditional culture. He was deeply interested in ancient Hindu culture includingSanskrit and Phalit Jyotish (astrology). His interest in phalit coupled with his academic bent of mind got him interested in astronomy.
Babu Sampurnanandji was also an ardent freedom fighter. His jail-mates narrate that while under confinement in jail (as a freedom fighter) Babuji used to entertain them with discussions on astronomy and acquainted them with the night sky. Babuji had a modern outlook too and in this respect he was a curious mixture of diverse influences.
After Independence, Babu Sampurnanandji became Education Minister in the first popular government ofUttar Pradesh. This was instrumental in fulfilling his cherished astronomical dreams and drew up plans for establishing an astronomical observatory with a Time unit at the Government Sanskrit College,Benaras (GSC) (nowSampurnanand Sanskrit University).He sought support and guidance from educationists like Dr. Ishwari Prasad and Nirmal Chandra Chaturvedi,MLC.The later was consulted by him for social welfare schemes too.
Dr Sampurnanand was first Chairman of State Lalit Kala Akademi,U.P. which was established on 8 February 1962 under the Department of Culture, Government ofUttar Pradesh as a fully funded autonomous body. Sampurnanand as a CM pushed Hindi (also Cow slaughter ban).
As a reformist governor ofRajasthan he promoted the idea of Sanganer's no-bars prison. In this open prison convicts live with their families, go out to work and pay taxes for water and electricity. Sampurnanand believed that State's punishment should not be an act of revenge but rather an act of reformation. Life imprisonment is like a death sentence for a convict as it results in a separation from family and friends. TheRajasthan government started the Sri Sampurnanand Khula Bandi Shivir (open jail), named after the governor, on an experimental basis in 1963.
