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DHEBAR: A SYMBOL OF SIMPLICITY & SERVICE

Shashi Bhushan

U.N. Dhebar

Shri Uchharangray Navalshankar Dhebar was born on 21 September, 1905 at Gangajala near Jamnagar, Gujarat. He received his education at Rajkot and Bombay. He started legal career and almost from the very beginning gained a good name as a lawyer, but under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi he left his legal career in 1936 and decided to devote himself to national service.

His long career of national service began in 1936 when he settled in the village of Thurala, five miles from Rajkot. He started the work of village-uplift by organizing relief-work in famine-hit neighbouring villages. In the same year he organized the Rajkot Mill Kamadar Mazdoor Sangh, despite severe opposition from the Diwan of Rajkot, and became its chairman. He also revived the Kathiawad Political Conference after eight years of inactivity. Despite strong opposition of the Diwan, he succeeded in holding its session at Rajkot which was attended by Sardar Patel and Darbar Gopaldas.

In 1937, Shri Dhebar was arrested by the Rajkot Darbar, but was soon released on account of public pressure. He continued his fight for administrative reforms in Rajkot, culminating in the famous Rajkot Satyagraha in 1938-39. Gandhiji's fast ultimately led to the conclusion of the Satyagraha in favour of the fighters. It marked an important stage in the national struggle, because the Congress increasingly got involved in the fight for responsible government in the Princely States. The end of Rajkot Satyagraha was followed by an unprecedented famine in Kathiawad. Shri Dhebar took a leading role in organizing relief.

In 1941, Shri Dhebar was selected by Gandhiji to offer individual satyagraha at Viramgam. He was arrested and sentenced to six month's imprisonment. In 1942, he was again arrested during the Quit India Movement. On the attainment of independence, Shri Dhebar played a prominent role in the merger of the States of Kathiawad in the Indian Union and then in the formation of the Kathiawad Union known as 'Saurashtra'. He was elected Chief Minister of Saurashtra in 1948. During his administration, several reforms were introduced in Saurashtra for the uplift of villages. His village reforms included establishment of Gram-Panchayats and schools, facilities for medical attendance, provision for drinking water and amenities for recreation. But his most important reforms were those connected with the tenancy problems of Saurashtra, namely the Land Reform Act, the Barkhali Abolition Act, the State Acquisition Act and the Agriculture Debt Relief Act, which made the tenant as undisputed occupant of his land.

During his Chief Ministership and after, constructive programme of Khadi, village industry and removal of untouchability always remained dear to his heart. Shri Dhebar was a very close confidant of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and used to seek his guidance. Seeing Shri Dhebar's social and political activism and knowing him as a person with a balanced view of the national scenario, Pandit Nehru supported his candidature for the Presidentship of the AICC in 1955. Thus, Shri U.N. Dhebar was elected the All India Congress Committee President. During his five-year period he managed to forge a mainstream of nationally accepted ideology of the Congress as the legacy of the freedom movement common to various political trends in the party. He had successfully managed to sideline the unhealthy rightist trend which was then developing in certain sections within the party. He introduced the famous 'Unit System' of election in the party thereby, integrating the Congress workers right from the grassroot polling station level to the highest central level of the All India Congress Committee.

In 1960, he was appointed Chairman of the Scheduled Tribes Areas Commission, the report of which he submitted to the President in 1961. In 1962, he was elected to the Lok Sabha. In 1958, he visited Aden to inaugurate a Gandhian Institute. In 1962, he attended the Anti-Nuclear Arms Conference at Accra and also visited Russia and Italy. He worked as vice-president of the Bharatiya Adim Jati Sangh from 1957 to 1962, and as its president from 1962 to 1964. In 1963, he became Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.

Though appreciative of western learning, Shri Dhebar was an ardent champion of national education and was closely connected with the Rashtriya Shala and the Lok Bharati. He was the Chairman of the Primary Education Commission appointed by the Government. He played a predominant role in the promotion of cottage and village industries in Saurashtra. He was a symbol of simplicity and service.