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'''M. C. Davar''' (24 April 1913 – 9 November 1977)<ref>{{cite news|title=Passionate advocate of subcontinental amity|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/passionate-advocate-of-subcontinental-amity/article4651250.ece|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=25 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Bhavan's Journal|year=1978|volume=25|issue=1–12|page=149}}</ref> was a [[freedom fighter]] and associate of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] who is remembered for his [[opposition to the partition of India]], his work among the refugees from [[Pakistan]] and his championing the idea of a [[confederation]] of [[India]] and Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr M C Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Davar began his political career as a revolutionary during his school and college before joining the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr M C Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was a successful doctor graduating from Calcutta, also attended the Vidysagar College and did his post graduation in TB from Calcutta. He however gave up his medical career on the advice of [[Subhash Chandra Bose]] following in the paths of [[Motilal Nehru]] and [[C. R. Das]] who had renounced lucrative legal careers for their participation in the [[India's freedom struggle|freedom struggle]]. Davar however treated many prominent participants in the freedom struggle including [[Madan Mohan Malaviya]], [[Rajendra Prasad]] and [[Fazlul Haque]]. He played a key role in getting the [[Central Legislative Assembly|Central Assembly]] to recognise [[homoeopathy]], a resolution that was later adopted by the [[Government of India]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr. M. C. Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Passionate advocate of subcontinental amity|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/passionate-advocate-of-subcontinental-amity/article4651250.ece|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=25 April 2013}}</ref>

== Role in the freedom struggle ==
Davar joined the Indian National Congress after witnessing its annual session at [[Lahore]] in 1929 where Jawaharlal Nehru succeeded his father Motilal to the presidency of the Congress. In April 1930 he was arrested for his participation in the [[Salt Satyagraha]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Lecture on India-Pak friendship to mark 100th birth anny of late Gandhian M C Davar|url=http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/lecture-on-india-pak-friendship-to-mark-100th-birth-anny-of-late-gandhian-m-c-davar/|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Daily Excelsior}}</ref>
Davar is remembered for his staunch opposition to the proposal for the Partition of India. To prevent this and to bridge the divide between the Congress and the [[Muslim League (Pakistan)|Muslim League]], he formed the United Party of India of which he served as secretary general<ref>{{cite web|title=Papers of Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck|url=http://archiveshub.ac.uk/data/gb133-auc.txt|accessdate=18 April 2014}}</ref> and which had among its members the ex-Premier of Bengal A. K. Fazlal Haque, [[Syed Sultan Ahmed|Sir Syed Sultan Ahmed]] and [[Mahatma Bhagwan Din]]. Despite his efforts, India was partitioned for which he blamed the British bureaucracy.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr M C Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Passionate advocate of subcontinental amity|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/passionate-advocate-of-subcontinental-amity/article4651250.ece|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=25 April 2013}}</ref>

== Life in independent India ==
Davar headed the All-India Refugee Convention and was a member of the High Power Committee on Refugee Rehabilitation in which roles he worked for the rehabilitation of refugees from Pakistan in [[Haryana]] and [[Delhi]] where refugee colonies such as [[Rajendra Nagar, Delhi|Rajendra Nagar]] and [[Lajpat Nagar]] were established.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr M C Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Passionate advocate of subcontinental amity|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/passionate-advocate-of-subcontinental-amity/article4651250.ece|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=25 April 2013}}</ref>
Davar was an advocate of peace between India and Pakistan, leading a goodwill mission to Pakistan in 1955 and advocating a no war pact between the two nations as president of the council of Indo-Pakistan affairs. His proposal for a confederation with Pakistan, made in 1956, was endorsed by [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] Jawaharlal Nehru. Following the [[Bangladesh War|birth of Bangladesh]] in 1971, Davar expanded the proposal for the confederation to include [[Bangladesh|that country]] as well.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr M C Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Passionate advocate of subcontinental amity|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/passionate-advocate-of-subcontinental-amity/article4651250.ece|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=25 April 2013}}</ref>
Although a supporter of close ties between India and China, he became a bitter critic of China after the [[Indo-China War of 1962]] during which he made an appeal to every family to donate 'one man and one [[Tola (unit)|tola]] gold' to defeat the Chinese forces.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lecture on India-Pak friendship to mark 100th birth anny of late Gandhian M C Davar|url=http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/lecture-on-india-pak-friendship-to-mark-100th-birth-anny-of-late-gandhian-m-c-davar/|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Daily Excelsior}}</ref> Throughout his career Davar was a supporter of Jawaharlal Nehru, campaigning for him at [[Phulpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Phulpur]] in the [[General elections in India|General elections]] of 1952, 1957 and 1962 and later campaigning for [[Vijayalakshmi Pandit]] in the by-election of 1964 necessitated by Nehru's demise. Following Nehru's death, Davar advocated the establishment of a Nehru Peace Foundation to promote [[disarmament]] and universal peace.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr M C Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> He contested against [[Zakir Husain]] in the Presidential Election of 1967.<ref>{{cite web|title=PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FROM 1952 TO 1997|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/miscellaneous_statistics/PresdElec/BriefNotes.pdf|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=18 April 2014}}</ref>
Davar was president, Mandal Re-Organisation in the [[All India Congress Committee]]. In 1954 he opposed the [[States Reorganisation Commission|linguistic reorganisation of India]] and in the '60s, sided against [[Morarji Desai]] in the succession contests following the deaths of Prime Ministers Nehru and [[Lal Bahadur Shastri|Shastri]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr M C Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Death and commemoration ==
Davar died in 1977 at the age of 65. His death was condoled by several leaders including Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] and [[I. K. Gujral]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr M C Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary|url=http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=Central Chronicle|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419025320/http://www.centralchronicle.com/epaper/archives/2013-04-24/ccpaper6.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Dr. M. C. Davar: A Revolutionary Visionary'' is a forthcoming book on his life by Purushottam Goyal, a former Speaker of the [[Delhi Legislative Assembly]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Passionate advocate of subcontinental amity|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/passionate-advocate-of-subcontinental-amity/article4651250.ece|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=25 April 2013}}</ref> He was survived by four sons and a daughter.<ref>{{cite news|title=Social activist passes away|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/05/stories/2004050515560300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040801040557/http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/05/stories/2004050515560300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2004|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=4 May 2004}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davar, M. C.}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing]]
[[Category:Candidates for President of India]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian medical doctors]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists]]

M. C. Davar - Revision history

Szeeshan896 at 15:34, 9 September 2025