Charu Chandra Bhandari

Charu Chandra Bhandari (19 October 1896 – 24 June 1985) was an independence activist, lawyer, Gandhian and a leader of the Sarvodaya Movement. He was the chief propagator of the Sarvodaya movement in Bengal as a close associate of Acharya Vinoba Bhave and took an active part in the Bhoodan movement.

Birth and early life Charu Chandra Bhandari was born on 19 October 1896 in Shyambasur Chak village in an affluent Bengali Mahishya family to Jogendranath Bhandari and Sailabala Debi under Kulpi police station in Diamond Harbour subdivision of South 24 Parganas, British India (present day West Bengal, India). His schooling was from Hatuganj high school and subsequently he completed his I.A from Ashutosh College and B.A from Ripon College, Calcutta. Thereafter, he completed his M.A in Economics and also, LLB from the University of Calcutta.

Charuchandra Bhandari was a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly. On June 20, 1947, he advocated for the establishment of West Bengal. In the first general election of independent India in 1951, Charuchandra Bhandari was elected from the Diamond Harbour Assembly constituency as a member of the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party(KMPP). He became the first minister of food and civil supplies in Prafulla Chandra Ghosh's first cabinet.

Books written

Bhūdānajajña ki ō kēna (1955)(What and Why Land donation movement) Āmādēra jātīẏa śikṣā (1962)(Our National Education) Kōra-āna sāra (Essence of Quran) Āsāmēra aśānti prasaṅgē (1961) Thoughts on Assam Disturbances (1961)

Death and legacy Charuchandra Bhandari died on June 24, 1985. After his death, the Charuchandra Memorial Committee was formed in his memory at Diamond Harbour. The 'Girls School Road' in ward number 13 of Diamond Harbour city has been named 'Charuchandra Bhandari Sarani' by the municipality and a bust statue of Charuchandra Bhandari has been installed at the intersection of Diamond Harbor Main Road and Charuchandra Bhandari Sarani.