Anugrah Narayan Sinha, born 18 June 1887, and also known as ‘Bihar Vibhuti’, was an Indian nationalist statesman, participant in Champaran Satyagraha, Gandhian & one of the architects of modern Bihar, who was the first Deputy Chief Minister and the Finance Minister of the Indian state of Bihar (1946–1957). And, on this day in 2023, take a moment to know more about his contributions to India’s Independence Movement and to his home state.
All you need to know about Anugrah Narayan Sinha:
He was born to Visveshwar Dayal Singh on 18 June 1887 in a family of Poiwan village of the erstwhile Gaya district (today known as Aurangabad) of Bihar. He belonged to the Rajput caste, his younger son Satyendra Narayan Sinha became chief minister of Bihar.
A brilliant student from the beginning of his academic career, Sinha obtained his initial education in the village school. From Junior school till graduation he topped the lists at every examination, obtaining an M.A. (History) in 1914 from the prestigious University of Calcutta. He became the Secretary of the Bihar Students Conference founded by Rajendra Prasad and the Chanakya Society of Patna College.
In 1917, heeding the call of Mahatma Gandhi to the nation, he left his flourishing law practice to join the Champaran Satyagraha movement. He served as a teacher in Bihar Vidyapeeth founded by Rajendra Prasad for motivating young meritorious youths. Among his first students was young Jayprakash Narayan.
When Rajendra Prasad was elected Chairman of Patna Municipality, Sinha was elected Vice-Chairman. As he was soon elected Chairman of the Gaya District Board, he resigned.
He was the pivotal force behind the Civil Disobedience Movement led by M K Gandhi, in the year 1930 which is considered an important milestone in the history of Indian Nationalism.
His patriotism earned him 15 months of rigorous imprisonment in 1933–34.
In the provincial autonomy granted by the British, under the Government of India Act of 1935, the first Congress Ministry was sworn in on 20 July 1937 and he became the Deputy Premier and the Finance Minister of Bihar province.
He was among the first freedom fighters to respond to Gandhiji's call for Satyagraha in 1940–41. He was arrested by the British authorities and imprisoned in the Hazaribagh Central Jail in 1942. In 1944 he was released and devoted himself to serving the epidemic-ridden people.
After independence, he dedicated himself to the all round development of Bihar as its Deputy Chief Minister and the Finance Minister.
