Dr. Madhav Shrihari Aney ; popularly referred to as Loknayak Bapuji Aney or Bapuji Aney, was an ardent educationist, freedom fighter, statesman, a modern Sanskrit poet and a politician. He was also conferred with the title of "Loknayak Bapuji", which means "The People's Leader and Respected Father". He was one of the founder of the Congress Nationalist Party. He was first among the eminent disciples of Lokmanya Tilak such as N C Kelkar, Kakasaheb Khadilkar, Gangadhar Deshpande, Dr B S Munje, Abhyankar, T B Paranjpe and Vaman Malhar Joshi, who walked in the footsteps of Tilak. Accepting the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi on the death of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Aney persuaded his colleagues to see the writing on the wall. At the same time he was not blind in his loyalty. He disapproved Congress throwing itself in Khilafat Movement and warned against excessive wooing of Muslims at the cost of national interests. He regarded unity at any price as elusive and dangerous. Since the best safeguard for the minority was the goodwill of the majority. He never permitted his critical faculties to be blurred by emotion. Mahatma Gandhi admiring his calm logic, confined in him and often sought his counsel. He was chosen to arbitrate the disputes between Subhash Chandra Bose and Jatindra Mohan Sengupta. He was never a breaker or a destroyer but was always a cementing factor believing in synthesis and not in segregation.
Biography
Early life and background
Bapuji Aney was born on 20 August 1880 in a family of Sanskrit pandits at Wani in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha in Maharashtra. His father Srihari Aney was a learned pandit and mother Rakhma Bai Aney, a housewife. Bapuji Aney was second of their four son's. He came from a Deshastha Brahmin family It is said that his ancestors hailed from Telugu-speaking area with the surname "Annamraju" which was later transmuted into "Aney". He was initiated into vedic studies early in life and soon ripened into profound Sanskrit scholar. He completed his B.A. from Morris College in Nagpur in 1902 and was a teacher in private school for some time. After taking his law degree from Calcutta University in 1907, he joined the bar a built a lucrative practice. He used to attend courts for two weeks in a month and devout rest of the time to public word.
Forest Satyagraha
The forest law was defied in Berar as in other parts of the country. Moreshwar Vasudeo Abhyankar and Wamanrao Joshi were arrested for their protests. On 10 July 1930, Bapuji Aney took over the leadership to inaugurate the "Forest Satyagraha". With the party of volunteers he cut grass from the reserved forests at Pusad at Yavatmal and was arrested. At the same time other leaders of the Berar such as Brijlal Biyani, Gole, Patwardhan and Soman were arrested. With this the Satyagraha started spreading in all the parts of the state. The Adivasis too participated in thousands in the Satyagraha. He underwent six months imprisonment and thereafter he was known as "Loknayak Aney"
In 1973, he was posthumously honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit for his Shritilakayashornava, a Sanskrit biography of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
Family
Bapuji Aney married to Yamuna Bai in 1898 and had one son. Yamuna Bai died in 1925. His grandson Shrihari Aney was the former Advocate General of Maharashtra.
Legacy
, the street on which the chief minister of Bihar's residence is located, is named after him.
