Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay (25 September 1916 – 11 February 1968) was an Indian philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and political scientist. He was one of the most important leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party.
He was born in a Hindu family on 25 September 1916 in Nagla Chandrbhan village near Farah in Mathura District, Uttar Pradesh, 20 km away from District Headquarter.Now known as Deen Dayal Dham. His father, Bhagwati Prasad, was a well known astrologer and his mother Shrimati Rampyari was a religious-minded lady. Both his parents died when he was young and he was brought up by his maternal uncle. He excelled academically under the guardianship of his maternal uncle and aunt. He went to high school in Sikar, Rajasthan where he matriculated. He stood first in the board exam, obtaining a Gold Medal from Maharaja Kalyan Singh of Sikar, along with a monthly scholarship of 10 rupees and an additional 250 rupees towards his books. He did Intermediate at the Birla College in Pilani, the predecessor of the present Birla Institute of Technology and Science. He did B. A. at the Sanatan Dharma College, Kanpur in 1939 and graduated in first division. He joined St. John’s College, Agra to pursue a Master’s degree in English literature and got a gold medal . His maternal uncle persuaded him to sit for the Provincial Services Exam, where he got selected but declined to join the Services on account of his interest in working with the common man. He obtained a B.Ed and M.Ed degrees at Prayag and entered public service.
He was assassinated on 11 February 1968 at Mughalsarai in UP, while travelling in a train.
Legacy
Several institutions are named after him:
Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Shekhawati University, Sikar (Rajasthan)
Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Sanatan Dharma Vidyalaya, Kanpur
Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University
Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Delhi
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Vidyalaya, Kanpur
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College
Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Medical College, Rajkot.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Park, Indian Space Research Organisation Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560078
(Ref:www.nationalistonline.com & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deendayal_Upadhyaya)