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{{Short description|Indian independence activist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hariprasad Desai
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1880|11|20}}
| birth_place = [[Godhra]], [[British India]] (now in [[Panchmahal district]], [[Gujarat]], India)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1950|03|20|1880|11|20}}
| death_place = Gujarat, India
| other_names =
| occupation = Activist, social worker
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| spouse =
| parents = Vrajrai Desai (Father)
| signature =
}}
'''Hariprasad Vrajrai Desai''' (20 November 1880 – 31 March 1950) was an Indian independence activist, social worker and [[Gandhian]] from Gujarat, [[India]]. He was honored with the first [[Kumar Suvarna Chandrak]] (1944).

==Biography==
{{quote box
| quote = "My innermost desire would be to join him with a spade, a broom, a chunam bucket and a brush."
| source = — [[Gandhiji]] wrote in 1925, commending the work of Dr Hariprasad Desai, who was trying to clean up Ahmedabad.<ref name="The Economic Times">{{cite news |last1=Doctor |first1=Vikram |title=Brooms in limelight: Tracing the history of a hand-made tool that will remain a part of our lives. |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/brooms-in-limelight-tracing-the-history-of-a-hand-made-tool-that-will-remain-a-part-of-our-lives/articleshow/45081951.cms |access-date=7 July 2023 |date=9 November 2014 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707170427/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/brooms-in-limelight-tracing-the-history-of-a-hand-made-tool-that-will-remain-a-part-of-our-lives/articleshow/45081951.cms |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dsouza |first1=Alfie |title=Perfect Tool of Swachh Bharath! 'Maipusudi-Idisudi-Saroon'- whichever language you want to call It. |url=https://www.mangalorean.com/perfect-tool-of-swachh-bharath-maipusudi-idisudi-saroon-whichever-language-you-want-to-call-it/ |website=www.mangalorean.com |access-date=7 July 2023 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707165609/https://www.mangalorean.com/perfect-tool-of-swachh-bharath-maipusudi-idisudi-saroon-whichever-language-you-want-to-call-it/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
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| width = 26em
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Desai was born on 20 November 1880 in [[Godhra]] in [[Panchmahal district]] of Gujarat. He completed his primary education in [[Ahmedabad]]. He studied in [[B. J. Medical College, Ahmedabad]] and completed his LCPS (Licentiate of the College of Physicians & Surgeons) from the [[University of Calcutta]] in 1906. He started his medical practice at Sarangpur in Ahmedabad. He took an active part in ''[[Partition of Bengal (1905)|Bang Bhang Andolan]]''.<ref name="Gujarat Samachar">{{cite news |last1=Mehta |first1=Dr. Makrand |title=અમદાવાદના અનોખા સેવાભાવી ડૉક્ટર હરિપ્રસાદ વ્રજરાય દેસાઈ (1880-1950) |trans-title=Dr. Hariprasad Vrajrai Desai, a unique service-minded doctor from Ahmedabad (1880-1950) |url=https://www.gujaratsamachar.com/news/ravi-purti/ravi-purti-05-december-2020-makrand-mehta |access-date=7 July 2023 |newspaper=Gujarat Samachar |date=6 December 2020 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707163707/https://www.gujaratsamachar.com/news/ravi-purti/ravi-purti-05-december-2020-makrand-mehta |url-status=live }}</ref> He was the first person to invite and convince [[Gandhiji]] to settle down in Ahmedabad.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yagnik |first1=Achyut |last2=Sheth |first2=Suchitra |title=Ahmedabad: From Royal city to Megacity |date=2 February 2011 |publisher=Penguin India |isbn=978-0143415787 |pages=368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivMAUx6Hdl8C&dq=%22Hariprasad+Desai%22&pg=PT266 |access-date=7 July 2023}}</ref> He played an active role in an [[Indian independence movement]], including the [[Indian Home Rule movement|Home rule movement]], and was jailed four times for his patriotic activities. The book 'Patriotic Soul', edited by him, awakened patriotism among the people. He worked for many years as the president of Daskroi Taluka Congress Committee, Ahmedabad City Congress Committee and [[Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee|Gujarat Provincial Congress Committee]].

He was put in charge of the [[Kheda Satyagraha of 1918]] in [[Mahemdavad]] taluka however the movement only reached five villages. This was due to the fact that Hariprasad Desai lived in [[Ahmedabad]] and travelled from the city to villages in a horse-carriage.<ref>{{cite book |title=Peasant Nationalists of Gujarat: Kheda District 1917–1934 |first=David |last=Hardiman |location=Delhi |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1981|page= 104}}</ref>

He was president of the [[Amdavad Municipal Corporation|Ahmedabad Municipality]] in 1930 and then chairman of its sanitary committee from 1931-34.<ref name="Gujarat Samachar"/> He founded the Sanitary Association in Ahmedabad along with Dr. Kanuga and Dr. Benjamin. He had carefully cleaned the city of Ahmedabad seven times. He himself took a broom and cleaned the poles and removed tones of garbage. He served as a vice-president of [[Gujarat Sahitya Sabha]] from 1926-1929 and 1933-1950. He was also served as a vice-president of [[Gujarat Vidhya Sabha]] and dean of Lalit Kala department of [[Gujarat Vidyapith]]. He was a member of the [[Bombay Legislative Assembly]] in 1946. He was minister of ''Gokhale Society'' and ''Swadeshi Mitra Mandal'' From 1905 to 1918.

He wrote books such as 'Kalane Charne Charne', 'Ras Darshan', 'Jyare Nana Hata Tyare', 'Arogyan ni Vato', 'Jivan Sandesh', 'Papi ni Dasha', 'Vitamin ane Penicillin', 'Sahityane Charane'.<ref name="Gujarat Samachar"/> and 'Hindna Acharyo'.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chatterji |first1=Kedarnath |title=Hindna Acharyo |journal=The Modern Review |date=1947 |volume=81 |page=236 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VB0lAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22Hariprasad+Desai%22&pg=PA236 |access-date=7 July 2023}}</ref>

==Recognition==
In 1944, Desai received the [[Kumar Suvarna Chandrak]], a literary award given by Kumar Trust, Ahmedabad for his contribution in [[Kumar (magazine)|Kumar]] magazine published by Kumar Trust. He was the first person to get this award.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Desai+Hariprasad+V.%22 Works of Hariprasad Desai on internet archive]
* {{Gujarati Vishwakosh}}

{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Hariprasad}}
[[Category:1880 births]]
[[Category:1950 deaths]]
[[Category:Writers from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language Indian writers]]
[[Category:People from Panchmahal district]]

Hariprasad Desai - Revision history

LukasBeg27134 at 15:18, 2 April 2026