25th Death Anniv. of Ganesh Vasudeo Mavalankar (1866-1956)

In the annals of Indian Parliament, Ganesh Vasudeo Mavalankar occupies a place of resplendent honor. Jawaharlal Nehru called him the “Father of the Lok Sabha.” His lasting contributions to the molding and development of parliamentary life led Pandit Nehru to observe that his name “will be associated with the Lok Sabha and with our Parliament for long periods to come as a person who gave it the stamp and impress of his personality.” Dadasaheb Mavalankar, as he was affectionately called, was born in Baroda on 27 November 1888. After completing his B.A. from Gujarat College, Ahmedabad, he graduated in law with distinction. He took up the legal profession in 1913 but soon came under the influence of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Mahatma Gandhi. He took an active part in all the campaigns of Gandhiji from the Kaira No-Rent Campaign in 1917 to the Quit India Movement in 1942. He underwent several terms of imprisonment during the struggle for the country’s freedom.

The seeds of Shri Mavalankar’s future parliamentary career were sown in 1919 with his election to the Ahmedabad Municipality, where he later became President twice. When the Congress Government took office in 1937, he was elected Speaker of the Bombay Legislative Assembly. His success in that post made him the natural choice for the presidency of the Central Legislative Assembly in January 1946, and his election was unanimous. He became the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly (Legislative) and, when India was declared a Republic on 26 January 1950, he again became the Speaker of the Provisional Parliament. He continued in this role until the First General Elections of 1952. Thereafter, with the introduction of a bicameral legislature, he was conferred the unique honor of the Speakership of the House of the People (Lok Sabha).

For over ten years, he guided the deliberations of India’s Parliament with dignity, uprightness, and impartiality, enhancing the luster of the office itself and earning the esteem and affection of all sections of the House. He was known worldwide, especially in England and the Commonwealth countries, as one of the outstanding Speakers of modern times. As a mark of high regard and recognition, he was unanimously elected Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for two years at the Jamaica meeting. He led two Parliamentary Conferences in 1948 and 1952, as well as the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1950.

Shri Mavalankar was not only a great parliamentarian but also a social worker, educationist, and writer. He guided numerous trusts for public good, the chief among them being the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and the Kasturba Memorial Trust. The Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department is privileged to issue a commemorative stamp in his honor.

(Text by Prof. P. G. Mavalankar)