Mandan Mishra

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Mandan Mishra was a Sanskrit scholar from India and founder of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha. In 2000, he was awarded Padma Shri by Government of India for his work in the field of Sanskrit.^[1]

Mishra was born on 7 June 1929 in the village of Hanutiya, located around 50km away from Jaipur. His father was a Hindu scholar and his mother was a housewife. He was the eldest of five sons and two daughters. Mishra took his primary education from Amarsar, and high education under the guidance of Shri Pattabhiramshastriji. He married Bharti Mishra, with whom he had one daughter and three sons.

Mishra began his career as a lecturer at Maharaja Sanskrit College in Jaipur, later advancing to the position of professor. In 1956, he was elected as a Minister and subsequently as Minister-in-Chief in 1959 for the All India Sanskrit Literature Association, an organization established by Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya to represent Sanskrit literature.

Recognizing his expertise, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri secured Mishra’s services from the Government of Rajasthan and appointed him as the permanent Director of the Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit Vidyapeetha. Under his leadership, the World Sanskrit Century plan was launched, marking a new phase for Sanskrit development in India.

In 1961, a historic session of the All India Sanskrit Literature Association was held in Calcutta, inaugurated by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad. This session became a significant milestone in promoting Sanskrit and culminated in the decision to establish a Sanskrit Vidyapeetha in New Delhi.

On the insistence of Rajendra Prasad the then chairperson of the association Shri Narahari Vishnu, Governor of Punjab, Shri Balawant Nagesh Dattar, Minister of State for Home, Government of India, Shri Shanti Prasad, sought the services of Mishra in New Delhi from Government of Rajasthan as a result of which he came to Delhi and founded Sanskrit Vidyapeetha in New Delhi in 1962.

There was no provision of providing assistance to Sanskrit Institutions during that time. Each Institution would then be getting a maximum of Rs. 1000/- as assistance per annum from Delhi Government. With Mishra's effort, Delhi administration decided to extend 95% assistance to all the Sanskrit Institutions. As a result of which, each Sanskrit Institution today is getting lakhs of rupees as assistance from Government.

Prime Minister of India Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri accepted the chairmanship of All India Sanskrit Literature Association and Mishra was again elected as its Minister-in-Chief. On a request from Shri Shastriji, Mishra do away with the desire of an imminent foreseeable power in politics which would otherwise be bestowed upon him on the basis of his 17 years of selfless Service in Rajasthan and the reputation he had won amongst social sectors and public at large and dedicated his entire life for Sanskrit.

After unexpected death of Shri Shastriji, with Mishra's effort and request from Sampurnanandaji, Smt. Indira Gandhi took over as President of the Association and Vidyapeetha and in the honour of Shri Shastri he renamed the Vidyapeetha as Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit Vidyapeetha and dedicated it to the Government of India. Mishra remained the founder director of the Institution. His consistent efforts bring in Delhi Vidyapeetha adequate progress and it became a deemed university in 1989.

On 23 June 1989, the Indian Government appointed Mishra as its first Vice-Chancellor. He started his life's journey from an evening school and got his first retirement as vice-chancellor in June 1994 and again Uttar Pradesh's Administration appointed Mishra as vice-chancellor of Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi on 1 January 1996.

Mishra founded Shri Pattaviram Shastri Veda Mimansa Research Centre in Varanasi paying as a homage to popular master sheer Acharya Shri Pattaviram Shastri that is in operation from a newly constructed grand building in Varanasi. Kanchi Sankaracharya also nominated him as the founder chairman of the centre.

He died serving the Rajasthan Government as Vice-Chancellor, Rajasthan Sanskrit University.

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