Mukund Ramrao Jayakar (M.R. Jayakar) (13 November 1873 – 10 March 1959, Bombay) was the first Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Poona Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Poona, is a collegiate public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganes ...

. He was a lawyer, scholar and politician. He was a prominent freedom fighter. Jayakar was born in a Marathi

Pathare Prabhu Pathare Prabhu is one of the Hindu communities in the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Introduction The Pathare Prabhus and the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus ( CKPs) are considered sister communities, both being part of the 'Prab ...

family. Jayakar studied LL.B. in Bombay in 1902 and became a barrister in 1905 at London. In 1905 he was enrolled as advocate of the Bombay High Court. He was Director of ''

The Bombay Chronicle ''The Bombay Chronicle'' was an English-language newspaper, published from Mumbai (then Bombay), started in 1910 by Sir Pherozeshah Mehta (1845-1915), a prominent lawyer, who later became the president of the Indian National Congress in 1890, a ...

'' along with

Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

. He was a member of the

Bombay Legislative Council Bombay Legislative Council was the legislature of the Bombay Province and later the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Bombay Province in British India and the Indian state of Bombay. History The Indian Councils Act 1861 set up t ...

during 1923–1925, and a leader of the

Swaraj Party The Swaraj Party, established as the ''Congress-Khilafat Swaraj Party'', was a political party formed in India on 1 January 1923 after the Gaya annual conference in December 1922 of the National Congress, that sought greater self-government and ...

. He also became member of

Central Legislative Assembly The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Imperial Legislative Council, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometim ...

. In 1937 he became Judge of the Federal Court of India at Delhi. In December 1946, he joined the

Constituent Assembly of India The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...

. He was also the chairman of the Indian Road Development Committee, formed in 1927 to report recommendations regarding highway development. He was a member of the

Hindu Mahasabha The Hindu Mahasabha (officially Akhil Bhārat Hindū Mahāsabhā, ) is a Hindu nationalist political party in India. Founded in 1915, the Mahasabha functioned mainly as a pressure group advocating the interests of orthodox Hindus before the ...

. He took part in the

All Parties Conference The All Parties Conference was a group of Indian political parties known for organizing a committee in May 1928 to author the Constitution of India after independence was actualized. It was chaired by Dr. M. A. Ansari. A draft constitution, known ...

in 1928, and was pivotal in denying demands of the

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

put forward by

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

. He was also Chairman of the Advisory Board of Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute. He died on 10 March 1959 at Bombay at the age of 86.

Writings

Published works: ''Social Reform and Social Service'' (Madras: Theosophical Society, 1917) (ed.) Kirtikar, V. J., ''Studies in Vedanta'' (Bombay: Taraporevala, 1924) ''The Story of My Life'' (Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1958) Contributions to periodicals: Letter to ''Times of India'', 22 May 1931, criticising India Society and promotion of Bengal school of art Secondary works: Bakshi, S. R. (ed.), ''M. R. Jayakar'' (New Delhi: Anmol, 1994) Brown, Judith M., ''Gandhi’s Rise to Power'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1972) Dhanki, Joginder Singh (ed.), ''Perspectives on Indian National Movement: Selected Correspondence of Lala Lajpat Rai'' (New Delhi: National Book Organisation, 1998) Israel, Milton, ''Communications and Power: Propaganda and the Press in the Indian Nationalist Struggle'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994) Kulkarni, V. B., ''M. R. Jayakar'' (New Delhi: Government of India, 1970) Lahiri, Shompa, ''Indians in Britain: Anglo-Indian Encounters, Race and Identity, 1880-1939'' (London: Frank Cass, 2000) Mitter, Partha, ''The Triumph of Modernism'' (London: Reaktion, 2007) Nehru, Jawaharlal, ''An Autobiography: With Musings on Recent Events in India'' (London: Bodley Head, 1936)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayakar, M. R. 1873 births 1959 deaths Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Members of the Constituent Assembly of India Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India Marathi people Indian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Indian National Congress politicians Swaraj Party politicians

Writings

See also

References