Indramani Badoni "Gandhi of Uttarakhand" | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 24, 1925 Akhodi, Garhwal Kingdom |
| Died | August 18, 1998 (aged 72) Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India |
| Occupation(s) | Politician Activist |
Indramani Badoni (December 24, 1925 – August 18, 1999) also known as the "Gandhi of Uttarakhand," was a prominent Indian politician and activist.
Indramani Badoni was born on December 24, 1925[1] in a small hamlet called Akhodi, in the princely state of Tehri Garhwal. Badoni was born to Srim. Kaldi Devi and Sri. Sureshanand and spent his early life in poverty.[1]
Badoni was also a theatre-artist and is said to have been adept at playing folk instruments.[1]
He completed has education in Nainital and Dehradun. He also completed his graduate degree from DAV PG College, Dehradun in 1949.[2] He married Surji Devi when he was only 19 and went to Bombay in search of livelihood. However, he soon returned.
Badoni began his public life in 1953 when Meera Bahan, a Gandhian worker, visited his village.[3]
In 1961, he became a village head and afterwards the head of the development block, Jakholi. He was elected as an independent candidate to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the first time from Devprayag in 1967. In 1969, he was elected as an All India Congress candidate, and in 1977, he was elected as an independent candidate to the Lucknow Legislative Assembly. Even during the Janata Party wave of 1977, he won with such a landslide that both Congress and Janata candidates lost deposit.
However, Badoni also faced setbacks in his political career. He lost the election to Govind Prasad Gairola in 1974, and in 1989, he lost the parliamentary election to Brahm Dutt. Despite these setbacks, Badoni was deeply committed to the cause of a separate Uttarakhand state. He was active in the movement for a separate state since 1979 and served as the Vice President of the Parvateey Vikas Parishad.
In 1994, Badoni began a fast unto death in Pauri to demand a separate Uttarakhand state and was subsequently put in Muzaffarnagar jail by the government[which?]. His arrest enraged his followers and the movement gained further momentum resulting in the creation of Uttarakhand on November 9, 2000, a year after his demise.
Due to his unwavering faith in the non-violent movement and his charismatic but easy-going personality, The Washington Post referred to Badoni as the "Mountain Gandhi." He died on August 18, 1999, at the Vithal Ashram in Rishikesh. Despite the challenges he faced throughout his life, Badoni remains a respected and influential figure in the history of Uttarakhand.[4][5]