Anugrah Narayan Sinha

The qualities that have given Mr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha a place among the personal forces of his time are moral as well as intellectual. His genuineness, intensity, abhorrence of sham trickery and imposture and his dauntless determination to arrive at facts have given his action a ring of truth.

He never works himself into a scarlet passion. His face which crowns his frail shoulders in aglow with enthusiasm. He is so amiable that it is a pain to disagree with him. He is a silent worker with a profound dislike for hero worship.

He was born in 1889. As a lad his patriotic virtues were visible. He participated in the Bihar Students Conference. This organization was founded by Rajendra Prasad and Mr.Sinha worked under his inspiring guidance.

K.L. Kamat/Kamat's Potpourri

Anugrah Narayan Sinha
Sinha was an eminent Congressman from Bihar

The promise of a bright talent was revealed in his college career. He passed the entrance examination in the first division and graduated with honors in English. He was the Secretary of the Bihar Students Conference and the Chanakya Society of the Patna College.

He served as a volunteer in the Patna Congress. With fever on he feverishly worked for its success. In 1915 he took M.A Degree. Then he was appointed Professor of History in the T.N J College Bhagalpur. As Professor he won the high esteem of the students. He organised relief work when Bhagalpur was raved by floods.

In 1916 he joined the Patna Bar. When Gandhiji embarked the Champaram Satyagraha Mr. Sinha abandoned his practice and became a satyagrahi. During the campaign he worked as a Professor in Bihar Vidyapith. In 1922 he successfully organized the Gaya Congress. In the following year he became one f the General Secretaries of the A.I.C.C. Then he was elected as the General Secretary of the Bihar Congress Committee.

In 1930 he resigned his membership of the Council of State and participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement. In 1933 he was sentenced to fifteen months rigorous imprisonment. He was the general Secretary of the Bihar Earthquake Relief Committee. He is now the minister for Finance and Local Self Government.

He is a middle sized man. His figure spare and delicate has the self possession of the orators stature. His nose is long, his mouth firmly delineated, his eyes full of brilliancy, and his forehead broad and large has the polish of the mirror in which intelligence is reflected. In the common herd he passes without arresting the gaze but when his spirits diffuses itself over his face he shines with great splendor.

He has blended his expression with the thought. He is a historian. Lloyd George never speaks but for England; Roosevelt for America. Mr. Sinha who is more universal and speaks for reason.

Source: Haripura Congress Souvenir, 1938