Editing Narendra Deva

{{Short description|Indian Socialist}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| office              = Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University
| order               = 7th
| image               = Narendra Deva 1971 stamp of India.jpg
| succeeded           = [[Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer]]
| predecessor         = [[Pandit Govind Malaviya]]
| termstart           = 6 December 1951
| termend             = 31 May 1954
| caption             = Narendra Deva on a 1971 stamp of India
| honorific_prefix    = Acharya
| image_size          = 180px
| appointer           = [[Rajendra Prasad]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Allahabad]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allduniv.ac.in/alumni/distinguish-alumni|title = University of Allahabad}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Narendra Deva 1989 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|Narendra Deva on a 1989 stamp of India]]
'''Acharya Narendra Deva''' ({{audio|Narendra Dev.ogg|pronunciation}}; also '''Dev'''; 30 October 1889 – 19 February 1956) was one of the leading theorists of the [[Congress Socialist Party]] in India. His [[democratic socialism]] renounced violent means as a matter of principle and embraced the ''[[satyagraha]]'' as a revolutionary tactic.<ref>India on Acharya Narendra Dev: [https://www.istampgallery.com/acharya-narendra-deo/ 1971], [https://www.istampgallery.com/acharya-narendra-dev/ 1989]. istampgallery.com</ref>

Dev was first drawn to nationalism around 1915 under the influence of [[B G Tilak]] and [[Aurobindo Ghosh]]. As a teacher he became interested in [[Marxism]] and [[Buddhism]]. He was active in the [[Hindi language]] movement. He was a key leader of the [[Congress Socialist Party]] from its founding in 1934 and was imprisoned several times during the freedom struggle. He was at times a member of the [[Uttar Pradesh]] legislative assembly. 

He served as Vice Chancellor of [[University of Lucknow]] from 1947-1951<ref>{{Cite web|title=University of Lucknow / Former Vice Chancellors|url=https://lkouniv.ac.in/article/en/past-vice-chancellors|access-date=2020-11-24|website=lkouniv.ac.in}}</ref> and as Vice Chancellor of [[Banaras Hindu University]] from December 1951 to 31 May 1954. Helped by Nirmal Chandra Chaturvedi, Executive Councillor and a prominent educationist of the state, he started a number of projects for the expansion of the university.

Narendra Dev advocated the abolition of poverty and exploitation not just through the Marxist [[materialist dialectic]] but especially on moral and humanistic grounds. He insisted that "without social democracy political democracy was a sham". Dev was active in the peasant movement and served as president of the All-India Kisan Congress.

He remained associated with the [[Socialist Party (India)|Socialist Party]] and its successor, the [[Praja Socialist Party]], until his death in 1956.

== Legacy ==

Prime Minister [[Rajiv Gandhi]] said: "Acharya Narendra Dev was one of the greatest sons of India and the nation owes a great debt to him."{{cn|date=April 2022}}

The [[Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology]] was named in his honour in 1975.{{cn|date=April 2022}}

The [[Acharya Narendra Dev College]], [[University of Delhi]], was also named in his honour in 1991.

In an emotional obituary in [[Rajya Sabha]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] said:

: "The death of Acharya Narendra Dev is something much bigger for many of us and, I think, for the country than just the passing away of an important person.  He was a man of rare distinction—distinction in many fields—rare in spirit, rare in mind and intellect, rare in integrity of mind and otherwise.  Only his body failed him.  I do not know if there is any person present here in this House who was associated with him for a longer period than I was.  Over 40 years ago we came together and we shared innumerable experiences together in the dust and heat of the struggle for independence and in the long silence of prison life where we spent—I forget now—four or five years together at various places, and inevitably got to know each other intimately; and so, for many of us, it is a grievous loss and a grievous blow, even as it is a grievous loss for our country.  There is the public sense of loss and there is the private sense of loss and a feeling that somebody of rare distinction has gone and it will be very difficult to find his like again."<ref>Prem Singh  (31 October 2017) [https://countercurrents.org/2017/10/31/acharya-narendra-dev-life-and-politics/ Acharya Narendra Deva : Life And Politics]. countercurrents.org</ref>

He was also the first Principal of Lucknow Montessori Inter College and a professor at Kashi Vidyapeeth. He died at the age of 67 in 19 February 1956 in Madrass.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}<!-- (Commenting this out because it's not really useful as is. If someone wants to use it to expand the article, that would be great.) 
Books and publications on Acharya Narendra Dev:

* ''Acharya Narendra Dev, Socialism and the National Revolution,'' edited by Yusuf Meherally (Bombay, 1946).
* ''Acharya Narendra Dev: Birth Centenary Volume'', edited by Prem Bhasin, [[Madhu Limaye]], Haridev Sharma, Vinod Prasad Singh published by Radiant Publishers. New Delhi.
* ''Acharya Narendra Dev: Commemorative Volume'', Centre of Applied Politics. New Delhi.
* ''Selected Works of Acharya Narendra Dev: 1928–1956'', four volumes, edited by Haridev Sharma. Radiant Publishers, New Delhi.
* ''Acharya Narendra Dev: A Commemorative Volume'', edited by [[B V Keskar]] and VKN Menon, New Delhi, 1971.
* ''Acharya Narendra Dev, Towards Socialist Society'', edited by Brahmanand.
* ''Acharya Narendra Dev'' by Jagdish Chandra Dikshit.
* ''Acharya Narendra Dev — Concept of Socialism'', by S.R Bakshi. New Delhi: Anmol Publishers.
* ''Socialism in Theory and Practice: Narendra Dev's Contribution'', by Asha Gupta, 1987. New Delhi: Gitanjali Publishing House.
* ''Acharya Narendra Dev: His Age and Ideals'', by Jagdish Chandra Dikshit, Information & Public Relations Department, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 1989.
* ''Leftism in India: 1917–1947'', by Satyabrata Rai Chowdhuri, 2008. London and New Delhi: Palgrave Macmillan.-->

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Narendra Deva}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161105171749/http://www.buddha2550.org.in/contribution.htm Acharya Narendra Dev's Contribution] – International Research Institute of Buddhist Studies
* [https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/56117/1/lsd_01_12_20-02-1956.pdf Lok Sabha condolence message Page 41]

{{Sahitya Akademi Award For Hindi}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dev, Narendra}}

[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:University of Allahabad alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Lucknow]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of British India]]
[[Category:Vice-chancellors of Banaras Hindu University]]
[[Category:Praja Socialist Party politicians]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}

{{Use Indian English|date=September 2015}}