Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant

Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant 10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961) was a veteran Indian freedom fighter and politician who alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru was a key figure in the movement for India's independence and subsequently was a pivotal figure in the independent Indian Government. He was one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand (then in United Provinces) and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India. Today there are atleast a dozen Indian hospitals, educational institutes and foundations named after him across India. A prominent statue of Mr. Pant stands in front of the Indian Parliament in New Delhi. The city and Airport of Pantnagar in Northern India is also named after Mr. Pant. Today Pantnagar has integrated industrial estates which houses some of India's largest companies such as Tata, Bajaj, Nestle, Dabur and Vedanta Resources.

Mr. Pant received India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 1957, an honour which has been shared with luminaries such as Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and various Indian Nobel Laureates.

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Govind Ballabh Pant was born on 10 September 1887 in Khoont village on the slopes of Shyahi Devi hill near Almora, in a Karhade family. His mother's name was Govindi Bai. His father Manorath Pant being a government official, was constantly on the move, and hence Govind was brought up by his maternal grandfather, Badri Dutt Joshi, who played a significant part in moulding his personality and political views.

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As a lawyer in Kashipur, Pant began his active work against the British Raj in 1914, when he helped a local parishad, or village council, in their successful challenge of a law requiring locals to provide free transportation of the luggage of travelling British officials. In 1921, he entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.