Sir Hari Singh Gour (26 November 1870 – 25 December 1949) was a distinguished lawyer, jurist,

educationist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Var ...

social reformer A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...

, poet, and novelist. Gour was the First

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

University of Delhi Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

and Nagpur University, founder and Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Sagar Dr. Hari Singh Gour University (Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya), formerly and more popularly known as Sagar University or University of Saugor, is a central university in the city of Sagar, the state of Madhya Pradesh or (MP), India. It wa ...

, Deputy President of the

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 ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, an Indian Delegate to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, a Member of the Indian Central Committee associated with the Royal Commission on the

Indian Constitution The Constitution of India (IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ri ...

(popularly known as the Simon Commission), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Early years

Hari Singh Gour was born on 26 November 1870 to a poor family near Sagar, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The family had to be supported by Hari Singh's eldest brother who provided an allowance of 50

rupees Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

per month. Hari Singh's father was a carpenter,and a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

but the young boy did not have an interest in this trade. At the age of ten, Hari Singh won a scholarship of two

per month which enabled him to attend a night school in Sagar. Later, with the help of another scholarship he went to

Jabalpur Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. J ...

to undertake further studies. Mathematics was his favourite subject and for this he received a special prize. In Jabalpur, he went for his matriculation but he failed in the first time as he was deeply disturbed as someone stole his gold ring which he brought by saving 10 rupees from all his scholarships. But the second time he passed out with good marks. He passed his Intermediate examination from

Hislop College Hislop is an English, Scottish and Irish name in origin. The name belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches or types of trees. It derives from Old ...

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to ...

, a free church institution, standing first in the whole province.

Education

When he was 18 years old, Hari Singh Gour went to the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

in England where he studied

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Tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

and Law

. Unfortunately, the young Hari Singh experienced a great deal of racism: as a student; and throughout his life. He participated in a mathematics competition, for which the results were not declared. Some years after obtaining his

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

he learned that the scholarship which the competition awarded was not given to foreigners, especially "blacks," as Indians were referred to by the British. Since Hari Singh came first in the competition, the scholarship ended up not being awarded to any one. He faced similar treatment in other situations and academic competitions, however he never let this unfair treatment by the British discourage him. Instead, he began to write poetry. In fact, while in England he came to be known in literary circles as a promising poet, becoming acquainted with the likes of

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

. He wrote a book of poetry entitled ''Stepping Westward and Other Poems'' due to which he became somewhat of a celebrity and was thereby selected a Member of the Royal Society of Literature. He was admitted as a

pensioner A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...

at Downing College, Cambridge on 5 June 1889. Gour received his BA in 1892; the MA in 1896; LL.M. in 1902; and finally the

in 1908. After his time at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, he read for the

D.Litt. Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

and

at Trinity College, Dublin. He received an honorary

from the

, where he served as the institution's first

Career

On his return to India he became a successful lawyer in

Raipur Raipur ( ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raipur is also the administrative headquarters of Raipur district and Raipur division, and the largest city of the state. It was a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of Ch ...

. He was called to the Bar,

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

on 26 November 1872. Gour practised in the

High Courts of India The high courts of India are the highest courts of appellate jurisdiction in each state and union territory of India. However, a high court exercises its original civil and criminal jurisdiction only if the subordinate courts are not authoriz ...

, including the Central Provinces,

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, and Allahabad. He wrote two monumental works, ''The Law of Transfer in British India'' and ''The Penal Law of India''. Another book entitled ''Hindu Law Code'' published later added to his reputation as a great jurist. In the

in 1921, Gour denounced the sequestration and suppression of women. He was also a great

and was successful in getting an act passed to enable women to be enrolled as lawyers, while his

Civil Marriage A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Every country maintaining a pop ...

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

of 1923 showed him to be a reformer thinking ahead of his time. Gour was not only a progressive scholar; he demonstrated such forward thinking in his personal life as well. He married Olivia D/o Balwant Singh of Bhandara. Hari Singh Gour was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed in 1925. The first bill for the abolition of untouchability was introduced in 1921 by Hari Singh Gour. By his determination and industry combined with a gift of oratory, Sir Hari Singh Gour rose to an eminent position in the political scene. He became a Leader of the

Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

and of the Nationalist Party in the Indian Legislative Assembly from 1921 to 1934. Gour was also president of the High Court Bar Association in

and president of the Hindu Association. He was an Indian Delegate to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

in 1933. He was a Member of the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

that framed India's Constitution.

On good governance

Being an academic par excellence, Gour focused on the importance of skill Administration and good governance and it could very well be reflected not only in his writings but in his conduct as well. As a lawyer and revenue officer in Jabalpur District Court in 1893, he successfully managed to dispose of 300 pending cases in one year only. His book on Hindu law references 500 books and more than 7,000 cases.

Indian Penal Code

The

Indian Penal Code The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. The code was drafted on the recommendations of first law commission of India established ...

was passed by the Legislative Council of India on 6 October 1860 on which date it received the assent of the Governor-General. Since that time, the

had come to be the law of the land, with its amendments and modifications. However, the

retained very severe means of punishment. Sir Hari Singh Gour vehemently opposed such measures, stating: The

was "draconian in its severity with regard to punishment," according to Gour, who firmly believed that solitary confinement as a form of punishment under Section 73 of the

lacked rational basis. Solitary confinement had been abolished in England and Gour claimed that it would be in keeping with the civilised culture of India to wipe out this kind of punishment—an inhumane mark ironically left by the British

colonialists Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

themselves in the Penal Code.

Age of Consent Bill

The 1891 Age of Consent Act had established that the minimum age of consent within marriage for girls should be 12 years. In 1922, Rai Bahadur Bakshi Sohan Lal proposed that the age of consent should be raised from 12 to 14. This motion was defeated. Then in 1924 Sir Hari Singh Gour brought the age of consent issue back into the Legislature with a similar proposal to raise the minimum age from 12 to 14 years for girls. After amendments and the appointment of a select committee, Gour's

was passed to raise the age of consent within marriage to 13 for girls in 1925. In March 1928, Gour, who had always been a steadfast proponent of age of consent bills, appealed to the importance of realising standards of modern clinical psychology and pointed out the emotional problems of early marriage, such as the incidence of

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is ...

as grooms grew up and decided they desired more compatible partners, possible occurrence of suicide and early death, and generally marital unhappiness for both partners. In 1929 his book titled "Sprit of Buddhism" published and had a great impact on several buddhist countries such as Japan and Sri Lanka. Dr. Gour honoured as Dharm Guru in Japan. It is also been talked that Dr. Ambedkar also got inspired by this book.

Legacy

Besides being a great lawyer and jurist, Dr. Gour was also a great

. He organised the

as its first

and was Vice-Chancellor of Nagpur University for two successive terms. Of his most important contributions was the founding of the

, now officially known as Dr. Hari Singh Gour University, the oldest university in the state of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

, in 1946 for which he made a munificent

donation A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as ...

. He started the

with 2 million and gave about two

crores A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is eq ...

in property as a

to the University. He became the first Vice-Chancellor of the

and occupied this position until he died on 25 December 1949. He bequeathed the greater part of his life's savings, a large fortune, to the

. The new campus of this university, laid out on the summit of the Patharia Hills with a panoramic view of the town and lake, has been built largely through the benefaction of Hari Singh Gour. He accomplished much, overcoming initial poverty and lasting discrimination. For example, in 1941 Gour was turned away by a hotel in England on account of his race. The Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued a commemorative stamp of Dr. Hari Singh Gour on 26 November 1976. Madhya Pradesh Council of science and technology provide Dr. Hari Singh Gour state award in the field of social science."National & State Awards"
mpcost.nic.in

Selected works

* ''The Transfer of Property in British India: Being an Analytical Commentary on the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 as Amended ...'', Published by Thacker, Spink, 1901. *''The Law of Transfer in British India'', Vol. 1–3 (1902) *''The Penal Law of India'', Vol. 1–2 (1909) *''Hindu Code'' (1919) *''India and the New Constitution'' (1947) *''Renaissance of India'' (1942) *''The Spirit of Buddhism'' (1929) *''His only Love'' (1929) *''Random Rhymes'' (1892) *''Facts and Fancies'' (1948) *''Seven Lives'' (1944) *''India and the New Constitution'' (1947) *''Letters from Heaven'' *''Lost Soul'' *''Passing Clouds''

References

External links

Bundelkhand Darshan
* ttp://www.dhsgsu.ac.in/ Dr. Hari Singh Gour University: University of Sagar Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Gour, Hari Singh 1870 births 1949 deaths 19th-century Indian lawyers 19th-century Indian educational theorists Indian male poets Indian male novelists Knights Bachelor Indian Knights Bachelor People from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India Vice-Chancellors of the University of Delhi 19th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian novelists Poets from Madhya Pradesh 20th-century Indian poets 19th-century Indian poets Novelists from Madhya Pradesh 19th-century British male writers 20th-century Indian lawyers 20th-century Indian educational theorists Scholars from Madhya Pradesh 20th-century Indian male writers