Eminent freedom fighter n former MP Paripoornanand Painuly given adieu at 96 with full state honours

An eminent freedom fighter and former member of parliament from Tehri Garhwal who relentlessly waged an incessant struggle against the then Tehri RAJSHAHI of undivided Garhwal to seek freedom for the oppressed and depressed people Paripoornanad Painuly is no more with us.

He breathed his last on 13th April after suffering from prolonged illness at the age of 96.

Legendry figure of Uttarakhand late Paripurnanand Painuly’s pious body was consigned to flames at Khadi Khadi Ghat at Haridwar on Sunday with full state honours in the presence of grief stricken relatives, well wishers and hundreds of followers.

An iconic personality of his time late Paripoornanand Painuly was an eminent freedom fighter cum revolutionery, seasoned journalist and Tehri Garhwal MP who’d struggled hard to oppose the then Rajshahi of Tehri Garhwal before n after independence.

He was a socio political n academic figure with impeccable integrity and commitment to peoples’ welfare. He was also jailed during the pre independent days.

In the sad demise of this iconic figure Uttarakhand and the nation has lost a great acdemic personality, an able MP, a revolutionery and freedom fighter and a gentleman to the hilt.

His absence would be immensely felt not only in Uttarakhand but in the country as well. He was the great source of inspiration to the youths, women and the social activists of Uttarakhand fighting against corruption for bringing decency and morality in public life.

The Uttarakhand Journalists Forum conveys its heartfelt tributes to this great soul and condoles his death in all earnestness.

It may be recalled that late Painuli was a multifaceted personality, but a rebel at heart. Born on 19 November, 1924 in village Chholgaon in district Tehri, he ran away from home and passed his matriculation from a school located in Ghaziabad, which was then part of Meerut district.

According to Arun Singh of Garhwal post Painuly went to Varanasi and took admission in Queen’s College with the help of a scholarship granted by the royal family of Varanasi. However, even before he could finish his college, he joined the freedom struggle at a young age of 17 years. His activities attracted the ire of the then British empire and he was arrested under the Defence of India Rules for his participation in the freedom struggle.

After his release, Painuli came to Meerut where he was again arrested for his participation in Soorajkund bomb blast and was imprisoned for 5 years. While in Meerut Prison, he met some leading freedom fighters of the region, such as Banarsi Das and Shyam Singh who was brother of Chaudhary Charan Singh. He prepared for Intermediate examinations, while in the prison itself and he was taken to Lucknow, handcuffed, for writing examinations.

Leading freedom fighter Rafi Ahmed Kidwai played a role in his early release from the prison in 1946, and he returned to Tehri. But being a rebel at heart, he did not sit quiet and joined the farmers’ agitation, was again arrested on 24 July, 1946 and sent to Tehri prison. Not happy with the appalling conditions of the prison, he launched a hunger strike in the prison on 13 September which lasted till 22 September. Consequently, he was charged with sedition and again sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment.