Mere industrial advancement cannot ensure happiness and prosperity to any people; nor can it raise them in the scale of nations. Moral progress is even more necessary for that purpose than material.” These words are from the prospectus of Benaras Hindu University Scheme, published in July 1911. The intensity of thoughts and the sonorous voice of Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya can be discerned in a section titled ‘Moral Progress’ which underscores, “Even industrial prosperity cannot be attained in any large measure without mutual confidence and loyal cooperation amongst the people who must associate with each other for the purpose.”

Reading through the objects of the University formulated in the 1911 prospectus is engrossing: (i) To promote the study of the Hindu Shastras and of Sanskrit literature generally, as a means of preserving and popularising for the benefit of the Hindus in particular and of the world at large in general, the best thought and culture of the Hindus, and all that was good and great in the ancient civilization of India; (ii) to promote learning and research generally in arts and science in all branches; (iii) to advance and diffuse such scientific, technical and professional knowledge, combined with the necessary practical training, as is best calculated to help in promoting indigenous industries and in developing the material resources of the country; and (iv) to promote the building up of character in youth by making religion and ethics an integral part of education.

For Pt Malaviya, and stalwarts of his generation, morality and progress went hand in hand; just as the Hindu Shastras and modern sciences were coming together to form pillars of modern education. Moreover, the emphasis on character-building of students was at the heart of the endeavour to build a progressive university where youth would dedicate themselves to work for the nation, not merely study for the ICS or join the government. It was outlined that the university should comprise colleges dedicated to Sanskrit and Theology; Arts and Literature; Science and Technology; Agriculture; Commerce; Medicine; and Music and Fine Arts. The University was benchmarking itself with modern universities in Europe and America, creating its unique Indian identity of being rooted in an ancient city.

Through 1906 to 1916, Pt Malaviya was not only engrossed in the affairs of the Indian National Congress, he was deeply engaged with the Imperial Legislative Council, writing in magazines to keep alive issues of selfgovernment, patriotism and Sanatan Dharam so close to his heart. In his multidimensional focus on burning issues of the day, there is a definite global perspective.

In fact, in 1909 when as the Congress President, Pt Malaviya delivered his speech he made special mention of the status of Indians in other countries. “It is not necessary for me to say how deeply it has grieved us all to hear of the unjust, the cruel, the disgraceful treatment to which our countrymen in the Transvaal (in South Africa) have been subjected… We admire the unflinching courage, the unbending determination with which our noble brother Mr Gandhi and our other countrymen have been fighting for the honour of the Indian name.”

With Gandhiji, Pt Malaviya shared a special bond; long before Gandhiji left South Africa and made India the centre of his struggle for equality, justice, and human rights. In his early writings, Gandhiji said, “When I returned to my country, I first went to Lokmanya Tilak. He appeared tall like the Himalayas. I thought it was not possible for me to scale the heights and returned. Then I went to Deshbandhu Gokhale. He appeared deep like the ocean. I saw that it was not possible for me gauge the depth and returned. Finally, I went to Mahamana Malaviya and he appeared like pure flow of the Ganga. I saw it was possible to take bath in the sacred flow.”

He went on to write: “I have the privilege of knowing Pandit Malaviyaji…I regard him as one of the best among Hindus, who though orthodox, holds most liberal views. He has a heart large enough to accommodate even his enemies. He has never aimed at power. And what he has is due to a long period of unbroken service of the motherland, such as very few of us can boast. He and I are temperamentally different but love each other like brothers.”

At Malaviya Bhavan in the BHU campus is a painting of these two brothers seated close together, a picture of austerity and simplicity. Their faces reveal their age but the eyes are alert, perceptive. They are not looking at each other, both are looking in different directions and very thoughtfully too. Through the 1920s and 1930s, Gandhiji and Pt Malaviya had major differences on political strategy and non-violent movements being launched. They never let their differences come in the way of their goal: steady progress towards selfdetermination and freedom from British Raj. Both exemplified deeprooted morality which ruled their political life, and rigorous ethics which governed their public and private lives.

A precursor to the inspiring story of Mahamana and the Mahatma can be found in the ancient town of Ahraura in Mirzapur district, a short drive from the BHU campus. It is the site of a minor rock edict of Emperor Ashoka, dating back at least 2200 years ago. Standing atop the hill, with the edict covered in a shelter of the Archaeological Survey of India, Prof Ajay Pratap of the Department of History, BHU, explained the political significance of the edict and its moralistic overtones.

Ashoka remains the first, powerful emperor who engraved his royal messages on huge rocks and stately pillars, along trade routes and important towns. Through the edicts we learn key concerns of the Emperor, his call to adhere to teachings of Buddha, ahimsa, non-killing of animals. Edicts are found in and around urban centres, along trade routes and forts for military garrisons: it can be seen as calibrating the moral progress of the Mauryan Empire.

“The entire Vindhyan mountain region, spread across several districts of UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, was supplying raw materials, food grains, timber, cattle and men required as the Mauryan Empire grew,” said Prof Pratap, adding, “it continues to be doing so even now!”

Fields packed with ripening crops, cattle pens and sand-mining activities are in evidence today, as they would have been two millennia ago. From the hilltop, a garrison-fort of Magan Deewana is also visible with its large water-tank dating back to Mauryan times and large-scale mining underway. Going much further back in time to 10,000 BCE or more as they studied the progress of pre-historic man, Prof Pratap said, “Rock paintings of the Vindhyan ranges are being studied. These are expressions arising from needs of our early ancestors.” He added: “Since starting our work in 2009 of locating, documenting rock paintings we covered six locations, with over thirty individual rock shelters, named variously as Likhaniya Dari, Chuna Dari, Wyndham Falls, Morhana Pahar, Lekhania Pahar and Mukkha Dari. There could be hundreds, if not thousands of rock shelter sites where the early humans lived, foraged, hunted along river valleys, and then moved on when water sources dried up or if there were successive years of rain failure.”

Broadly speaking, the rocky mountain systems in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts are a series of discontinuous hills, valleys and plateaus drained by rivers like Sone, Belan, Garai and Khajuri and numerous seasonal streams and waterfalls.

Presently, these rock painting sites of the Vindhyan ranges are calling attention for protection against the vagaries of nature, urbanization and the lack of comprehensive legislation pertaining to pre-historic art.

Through their academic literature, BHU Department of History and its teams are highlighting how modern-day tourists have badly damaged rock paintings by throwing water on them, defacing them by drawing graffiti over them, and in some cases entire sites have been gutted by mining.

“We are ‘salvaging’ archaeology as we recommend remedial measures to the concerned authorities to safeguard the fastdecaying rock art of this region from certain obliteration. If conserved properly, the Vindhyas may well give us a World Heritage Site other than Bhimbetka, as the rock art here is far greater than Bhimbetka,” said Prof Pratap.

In our globalizing age, progress of knowledge about evolution of human life today faces moral challenges and dilemmas. Solutions may well lie within the ambit of ‘moral progress’ outlined by the Mahamana and the Mahatma in the last century.

(The writer is a researcherwriter on history and heritage issues, and former deputy curator of Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya)