Syama Prasad Mookerjee was an underrated academician: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

Delivering an online academic lecture on ''Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and his contribution to higher education'', Singh described him as a “prodigal child” who grew up into a versatile genius, which enabled him to achieve so much in life in a short span of just 52 or 53 years of age. At a time when there were very few universities in India, which were mostly controlled by the British and dominated by the British faculty, Singh said, Mookerjee rose to become the vice-chancellor of Calcutta University at the age of 34 and in spite of his multifarious activities, he delivered as many as over 22 convocation addresses in different universities of the country. 

“Mookerjee was an underrated academician and while the history failed to do justice to him by not adequately acknowledging his self-effacing contribution in public life, a greater injustice was meted out to him by not adequately acknowledging his sterling role as an academician which was recognised even by the British rulers,” said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel. 

He said, Mookerjee's political vision was also guided by sound academic logic. 

Singh quoted from Mookerjee’s Nagpur University convocation address of 1936, wherein he said, ''India fell mainly because her people were at the critical hour divided and disorganised. We revelled in internal strife, which ceased for a time when great things like Asoka and Akbar ruled over destinies of India.'' Even in his political thoughts, Mookerjee was inspired by a deep sense of academics that reflected in the slogan ''Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan'', which he gave before making the ultimate sacrifice of his life for the integration of Jammu and Kashmir, the minister said. Even today, he said, these six words' acronym sums up the entire 75 years' history of post-independence Jammu and Kashmir.