Vijaya Parikh, granddaughter of Bharat Ratna Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya who lives in an old-age home in Sector 55, Noida “with dignity” says “I am a widow, issue less, so I have decided to live in an old-age home at the winter of my life. I don’t want to be a burden on my relatives and grandchildren.”
By Shivnath Jha
She was sitting at her life-time hired rented-room at an old-aged home when a woman stepped into her room and told her about the government’s announcement to confer with Bharat Ratna to her grandfather Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya. She smiled.
Barring few inmates of this old-aged home run by Jan Kalyan Trust at Sector 55 in Noida, hardly anyone knows about her relationships with Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya @ Mahamana till the announcement government’s decision.
She is Ms Vijaya Parikh, 87, daughter of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya’s youngest son late Ramakant Malviya.
Mahamana had four sons – Rama Kant Malviya, Radha Kant Malviya, Mukund Kant Malviya and Govind Kant malviya – and three daughters including Rama Buaa and Malti Buaa. Viajaya Parikh, a teacher of English by profession retired from St. John’s School, Meerut in 1992. Her husband Dr Rajendra Parikh died in 1987. After the death of Dr Parikh, instead of living with her cousins’ children, she decided to lead her own life without giving any mental-burden on any of her relatives at the winter of her life.
“It took almost two-and-half-year to convince all my relatives and grandchildren why I am taking such decision?” Parikh said and added: “We have no issue so I thought it may give mental burden to my grand children and I am happily spending my life here after my retirement. All inmates are very cooperative and emotionally attached with each others.”
On December 24, the President’s Office announced the Bharat Ratna award to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The announcement was made on the eve of Vajpayee’s 90th birthday and the 153rd birth anniversary of Pandit Malviya.
The BJP has been demanding Bharat Ratna for Mr. Vajpayee for a long time; and BJP patriarch L.K. Advani has been at the forefront of seeking the highest civilian honour for the former Prime Minister. Earlier, Mr. Advani had written a letter to the UPA Government to award the Bharat Ratna to the former Prime Minister. The request was however, overlooked by the UPA government. In 2013, the award was conferred to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and scientist C.N.R Rao.
A Bharat Ratna for Pandit Malviya, a freedom fighter and the founder of the Benaras Hindu University was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign. Justice Giridhar Malviya, the grandson of Pandit Malaviya was one of those who proposed the nomination of Modi from Varanasi parliamentary constituency. Vajpayee will be the seventh Prime Minister to receive the award, while Pandit Malviya will be the 12th person to be honoured posthumously.
Earlier recipients of the award include former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Lal Bahadur Shastri, along with first Governor General of free India C. Rajagopalachari, and former Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed delight at the announcement. “Bharat Ratna being conferred on Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a matter of great delight. Country’s highest honour to these illustrious stalwarts is a fitting recognition of their service to the Nation. Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya is remembered as a phenomenal scholar and freedom fighter that lit the spark of national consciousness among people.
Parikh said: “My grandfather was above the Bharat Ratna. Since its government’s decision, we should honour it. He should be conferred with the award years ago.”
She remembers her grandfather “a political and social stalwart of the country,an honest, disciplined and hardworking man who decided his life for the nation. Malaviya is most remembered as the founder of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) at Varanasi.
