Dhani Prem

Dhani Prem Biography

Dhani Ram Prem, best known as Dhani Prem was a Political activist of Indian origin. He was a doctor, social worker and British citizen. He was the first non-resident Indian to receive the prestigious civilian award, Padma Shri, and he won the award in the year 1977. He was the first councillor of Asian origin of Birmingham. He represented Labour Party at Great Barr, in south Staffordshire. He was from Aligarh, of present day Uttar Pradesh. Prem was selected for the British honour of the Order of the British Empire, which he declined. He received a doctoral degree from the Aston University in 1978.

Dhani Prem was born in 1904 in Aligarh during British rule in India. He lost both his parents before he reached two, and was brought up by his uncle. He was not given good education. He later ran away from his uncle’s house. He worked as an errand boy, and got introduced to the world of books through a library. He got influenced by the independence movement of Mahatma Gandhi, got into it and was arrested twice before he reached 14. Later he completed his medical studies from Mumbai and pursued higher studies from London.

Though he secured his LRCP and MRCS degrees from London, when he moved back to India in the 1930s he failed to get a job in medical field and took the job of an editor of a literary magazine by name, Chand. By that time he started writing stories. He got married and moved to London in 1938 and started off as a general practitioner in Birmingham the following year. He worked among the British working class for a few years before he joined active politics. He earned recognition as a politician and leader.

Published: November 03, 2018

Updated: November 03, 2018