Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar (November 27, 1888–27 February 1956) popularly known as
Dadasaheb was an independence activist, the President (from 1946 to 1947) of the
Central Legislative Assembly, then Speaker of the
Constituent Assembly of India, and later the first Speaker of the
Lok Sabha, the lower house of the
Parliament of India.
Early life
Mavalankar hailed from a
Marathi family but lived and worked in
Ahmedabad, capital of
Gujarat. His family originally belonged to Mavalange in
Ratnagiri district of
Bombay Presidency in
British India. After his early education in
Rajapur and other places in Bombay Presidency, Mavalankar moved to Ahmedabad in 1902 for higher studies. He obtained his B.A. Degree in Science from the
Gujarat College, Ahmedabad, in 1908. He was a Dakshina Fellow of the College for one year in 1909 before beginning his law studies in Government Law School, Bombay. He passed his Law examination in First Class in 1912 and entered the legal profession in 1913. Soon. he came into contact with eminent leaders like
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and
Mahatma Gandhi. He became the honorary secretary of the Gujarat Education Society in 1913 and the secretary of the Gujarat Sabha in 1916. Mavalankar was elected to the Ahmedabad Municipality for the first time in 1919. He was a member of the Ahmedabad Municipality during 1919-22, 1925-28, 1930-33 and 1934-37.
Political Life
Mavalankar joined the
Indian Independence Movement with the......
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