Samaldas Gandhi (1897-1953) was a journalist and Indian independence activist who headed the ''Aarzi Hakumat'' or ''Provisional Government'' of the erstwhile princely state of Junagadh. He was a nephew of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

Early life

Samaldas was born in 1897. He was a son of Laxmidas/Kalidas Karamchand Gandhi and Nandkunwarba. Samaldas was a close follower of his uncle,

Mohandas Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

Career

Journalism

Gandhi joined Gujarati evening newspaper ''Janmabhoomi''. He served as a deputy editor and later editor of it from 1937 to 1940. Due to differences with Amrutlal Sheth, the founder of ''Janmabhoomi'', regarding policy regarding

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

s, he left ''Janmabhoomi'' in 1940 and started a new Gujarati daily ''Vande Mataram. Vande Mataram'' became popular.

Politics

He was active in politics and social activities. He was the President of Kathiawar Praja Mandal which brought awareness in Bombay regarding problem of people of

Kathiawar Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, i ...

. He was also welcome president of the Kathiawar Praja Sammelan held at

Azad Maidan Azad Maidan (formerly known as ''Bombay Gymkhana Maidan'') is a triangular-shaped maidan (sports ground) in the city of Mumbai, India. It is located on of land near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station. It is a regular venue for inter-schoo ...

in Bombay in June 1947. He opposed Jam Group Scheme regarding integration of princely states of Kathiawar. When the

Nawab Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

Junagadh State Junagarh or Junagadh ( ur, ) was a princely state in Gujarat ruled by the Muslim Babi dynasty in British India, until its integration into the Union of India in 1948. History Muhammad Sher Khan Babai was the founder of the Babi Pashtun d ...

acceded his state to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1947, Samaldas Gandhi, U. N. Dhebar and members of Junagadh Praja Mandal met at the office of ''Vande Mataram'' on 19 August 1947. He was specially invited to attend Kathiawar Rajakiya Prishad on 25 August 1947. A five-member committee called Junagadh Samiti was formed on 15 September 1947 which included Samaldas Gandhi. Gandhi met

V. P. Menon Rao Bahadur Vappala Pangunni Menon, CSI, CIE (30 September 1893 – 31 December 1965) was an Indian civil servant who served as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of the States, under Sardar Patel. By appointment fr ...

and proposed to form a government-in-exile, the ''Aarzi Hakumat'' or ''Provisional Government'' of Junagadh State. On 25 September 1947, the ''Aarzi Hukumat'' headed by Samaldas Gandhi was declared in a public meeting at Madhavbagh in Bombay. The five member ministry of ''Aarzi Hakumat'' went to

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population ...

. Gandhi became the Prime Minister and also held ministry of foreign affairs. ''Aarzi Hakumat'' captured 160 villages in forty days, from 30 September to 8 November 1947. Junagadh acceded to the Union of India on 9 November 1947. After six months, Gandhi was appointed as one of the three civilian members for the administration of Junagadh on 1 June 1948. He was one of the seven members elected unopposed to the Constitution Assembly of Saurashtra in December 1948. All seven members voted to merge Junagadh State with Saurashtra and it was merged in January 1949. Gandhi served as the minister of revenue of Saurashtra State from 25 January 1949 to 18 January 1950. He resigned following personal differences. Later he and his publication ''Vande Mataram'' faced financial difficulties. He died on 8 June 1953.

Commemoration

Samaldas Gandhi is widely remembered in Junagadh and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

today as a hero and patriot. There are several schools, public foundations and hospitals named after him. The Princess Street in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

has been renamed as Samaldas Gandhi Marg. The townhall in Junagadh is dedicated to him.

Personal life

He married Vijayaben and had two sons, Kishor and Hemant; and two daughters, Pushpa and Manjari. Kishor Gandhi published a children's magazine ''Ramakadu''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Samaldas 1897 births 1953 deaths Indian independence activists from Bombay Presidency People from Junagadh Samaldas Gandhians Members of the Constituent Assembly of India