Pandit Balakrishna Sharma Biography

Pandit Balakrishna Sharma is an Indian poet, philosopher and politician. He was fascinated by the idealism of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. He was born on December 8, 1897. He passed the middle school examination from Shajapur and matriculation in 1917 from Ujjain. His acquaintance with Makhanlal Chaturvedi and Pandit Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi in Kanpur paved his future field of action.

The foundation of Pandit Balakrishna Sharma's political career was laid when he was a student of final year B. A. in Christ Church College, Kanpur. He was a part of the non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1921, he left college to participate in the freedom movement earnestly. During the period from 1921 to 1944, he was imprisioned six times.

In the first General Elections he was elected from the Kanpur constituency to the Lok Sabha. From 1957, throughout his lifetime he was a member of the Rajya Sabha . For his oratory skills, he is known as the 'Lion of Kanpur'. He served as a member of the Official Language Commission and represented India in many countries. He held the post of President of the Kanpur City Congress Committee.

Pandit Balakrishna Sharma was the editor of 'Pratap' after the death of Pandit Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi. Apart from being a patriot he was also an eminent literary figure. Some of his notable works are 'Kumkum', Rashmirekha', 'Apalak', 'Kwasi', 'Vinoba Stavan', 'Urmila', 'Hum Vishpaee Janam Ke' etc. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his literary contributions. On 29th April, 1960 India lost this legendary figure.