A commemorative postage stamp on the Birth Centenary of UP Gandhi ‘Rajarshi‘ Purshottam Das Tandon, an Indian freedom fighter :

Issued by India

Issued on Dec 15, 1982

Issued for : Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department is privileged to issue a commemorative stamp on him.

Description of Designs : The stamp, designed by India Security Press, shows the personality alongwith the seal of Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Prayag. Cancellation has been designed by Charanjit Lal.

Type : Block of 4 Stamps, Mint Condition

Colour : Light Brown

Denomination : 50 Paise

Overall size : 4.06 x 2.73 cms.

Printing size : 3.70 x 2.40 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Unwatermarked adhesive stamp paper

Number printed : 20,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 40

Printing process : Photogravure

Printed at : India Security Press

Name : Purushottam Das Tandon

Born on Aug 1, 1882 at Allahabad, North-Western Provinces, British India [now Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh]

Died on Jul 1, 1962

About : 

• Purushottamdas Tandon was born at Allahabad on 1 August 1882. He graduated from the Muir Central College, Allahabad in 1904, subsequently qualifying for a degree in Law and a Master’s Degree in History. He entered the legal profession in 1906 and joined the Bar of the Allahabad High Court in 1908 as the junior of Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru. For some time, he worked as the Law Minister of the Nabha State but resigned in 1917. He also gave up his practice in 1921 on account of his involvement in public affairs.
  
• He joined the Indian National Congress in 1899 while a student and represented Allahabad at the All India Congress Committee in 1906. He had been imprisoned in 1921 for active participation in the Non-cooperation Movement. Earlier, in 1918 he had organised the Allahabad District Peasants’ Committee to improve the working conditions of the agriculturists. He also gave the lead in stating ‘No Tax‘ campaign in 1930 which was appreciated by Jawaharlal Nehru. During his active participation in the freedom struggle, he was arrested several times. His contribution was specially notable in the field of organising Kisan Sabhas to secure the cooperation of the peasantry to the cause of India’s independence.
• He worked for long years as the speaker of the Legislative assembly of U.P. He was also elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946, to the Lok Sabha in 1952 and to the Rajya Sabha in 1956. He retired from active public life after 1956 due to indifferent health though he continued to do constructive work for many years. He was intimately associated with many institutions like the Servants of the People Society, the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan and the Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti.
• He devoted major part of his energies to the propagation of Hindi and for the development of its literature. His contribution to the cause of Hindi is really momentous. He regarded the knowledge of the ancient cultural heritage of the country as essential to the education of students. He favoured the view of imparting education through the mother-tongue of the students.
• His life was a saga of courage and sacrifice for the national cause and of resolute attachment to his beliefs even under the most adverse circumstances. Shri Tandon was fondly called ‘Rajarshi‘ by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1961, the title of ‘Bharat Ratna‘ was conferred upon him. He passed away on 1 July 1962.
• (The above text is based on material published elsewhere and/or supplied by the sponsors).

Related posts:

Bidhan Chandra Roy Chakravarti Rajagopalachari 1978 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel 1997 Durgabai Deshmukh Madan Mohan Malaviya 1961 Acharya Narendra Deo 1989