Harendra Coomar Mookerjee

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Harendra Coomar Mookherjee
File:Harendra Coomar Mookerjee.jpg
Office 3rd Governor of West Bengal


Office Vice President of Constituent Assembly of India
Office Chairman of Minorities Sub-Committee


Term start 1 November 1951
Term end 7 August 1956
Predecessor Kailash Nath Katju
Successor Phani Bhusan Chakravartti (acting)





Born 3 October 1887
Born Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died Template:Death date and age
Place of death Calcutta, West Bengal, India



Political party Indian National Congress



Alma mater University of Calcutta
Occupation Politician, Educationalist, Activist


Harendra Coomar Mookherjee (3 October 1887 – 7 August 1956), also spelt as H.C. Mukherjee, was the Vice-President of the Constituent Assembly of India for drafting the Constitution of India before Partition of India, and the third Governor of West Bengal after India became a republic with partition into India and Pakistan.[1][2][3]

He was an educationalist, prominent Christian leader of Bengal, and was the chairman of the Minority rights sub-committee and Provincial constitution committee of the Constituent Assembly—consisting of indirectly elected representatives to draft the Constitution of India, including for provinces of present Pakistan and Bangladesh (then East Bengal) – the assembly considered only Muslims and Sikhs as religious minorities – after India became republic, the same Constituent Assembly became the first Parliament of India in 1947.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Biography

Born into a Hindu family in Bengal, he did MA, PhD, D.Litt, and was the first Indian to receive a Doctor of Philosophy degree (from the University of Calcutta). Mookerjee's doctorate was in English literature, and he went on to become a philanthropist, and teacher.[9]

At Calcutta University, he served at various positions—as lecturer, secretary, council of Post-Graduate Teaching in Arts, Inspector of Colleges, professor of English from 1936 to 1940, and head of the English department. He was later nominated to "Bengal Legislative Council" and elected to "Bengal Legislative Assembly."[8][10][11]

While he was vice-president of the Constituent Assembly of India, and chairman of the Minority rights sub-committee and Provincial constitution committee, he began suggesting reservation for the upliftment of minorities in all fields, including politics. With partition of India, he changed his stance and limited it to provision for preservation of the language and culture of minorities—over the period, this has been interpreted to open educational institutes and other institutions by minority communities.[2][3][4][5][7][12][13][14]

Following the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, Dr. Mookerjee was appointed Governor of West Bengal from 1 November 1951 through 7 August 1956. While working as Bengal governor, he served as the president of "Desh Bandhu Memorial Society" from 1953. He died in office on 7 August 1956 in Kolkata.[15]

Christian leader

He represented Bengali Christians in Bengal, and after his entry into national politics, he was elected as the president of All India Conference of Indian Christians, representing All-Indian Christians other than Anglo-Indians, who were organized as the All India Anglo-Indian Association.[16][17]

He was also the member of Indian National Congress and participated in national movements representing the Bengali Christian community.[18][19] He confessed to his community as:Template:Quote

He was the only candidate to be unanimously nominated for Vice-Presidency, with a resolution moved by Pattabhi Sitaramayya, a member of Indian National Congress and Constituent Assembly of India; consequently, he expressed his gratitude in the Constituent Assembly of India that met in the Constitution Hall, New Delhi as:Template:Quote

Template:S-start Template:Succession box Template:S-end

See also

References

  1. ↑ States after 1947. Rulers. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 What was the Constituent Assembly of India?. rishabhdara.com. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Drafting of Indian Constitution – The beginning. gktoday.in. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Constitution-framers India forgot. NY Times Co.(6 November 2007). Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Forgotten fathers of the Constitution. zeenews.india.com(26 January 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  6. ↑ Threats against RI atheist teen being investigated(12 June 2010). Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Reservations for Muslims. drthchowdary.net. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Constituent Assembly. scribd.com. Retrieved 27 May 2012. Template:Subscription required
  9. ↑ Step Aside. NIC, Darjeeling district centre. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  10. ↑ A study of the Department of English University of Calcutta. uvm.edu. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  11. ↑ The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India, 1947–1967{{#if:Chatterj|, Chatterj}. Cambridge University Press(2007). ISBN 978-0521875363
  12. ↑ India and the Politics of Developing Countries: Essays In Memory Of Myron Weiner{{#if:Weiner|, Weiner}. SAGE(2001). ISBN 0761932879
  13. ↑ Policing for Profit: The Private Security Sector{{#if:Nigel|, Nigel}. SAGE(1988). ISBN 0803981759
  14. ↑ India's Living Constitution: Ideas, Practices, Controversies{{#if:Hasan|, Hasan}. Orient Blackswan(2004). ISBN 8178240874
  15. ↑ Template:Google books
  16. ↑ Missions, Nationalism, and the End of Empire{{#if:Stanley|, Stanley}. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing(2003). ISBN 0802821162
  17. ↑ Constituent Assembly:-. lexvidhi.com. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  18. ↑ History of Christianity in India. system46.blogspot.in(14 April 2012). Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  19. ↑ Happy Gestures. hindubooks.org. Retrieved 25 May 2012.

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