Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Leader of Opposition (Delhi Legislative Assembly) has been one of the most popular figures in Delhi for the last five decades. He has served the people in various capacities and in myriad fields with single-minded devotion. Starting his public service as an elected member of the Delhi Municipal Corporation during 1958-67 and as Chief Executive Councilor (Chief Minister in Protocol) at a comparatively young age of 35 years during 1967-72, he has been elected to the Parliament a number of times to represent Delhi. In December 2008, he was elected the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, representing the Greater Kailash Constituency of New Delhi as MLA.Prof. Malhotra, a Ph.D. is a renowned educationist, writer, orator and sports administrator. His book 'Lotus-an Eternal Cultural Symbol' is widely acclaimed in the cultural field. Above all he is known for his integrity and clean image. He has always identified himself with the interests of all sections of the society, especially the deprived and the under-privileged.
Apart from being highly active in Parliament and Legislative Assembly, Prof. Malhotra has rendered remarkable services in his South Delhi Constituency as MP and GK constituency as MLA. He has been in constant touch with the constituents, Resident Welfare Associations, religious, social and business organizations.
Childhood and Education
Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra was born in Lahore in 1931, as the eldest son to a middle class Punjabi family. His father, Dr. Khazan Chand Malhotra was a renowned Ayurveda doctor and practitioner. Prof. Malhotra was raised in an intellectual, liberal home environment, where both his parents practiced Arya Samaj traditions, and believed in imparting high moral values and contemporary education to all their children, including his five sisters and younger brother. His mother, Sushila Devi, an office-bearer of several Arya Samaj organisations, always encouraged him to help others, not realizing then that this practice would become the mantra of his life. He was an outstanding student, considered a prodigy in Mathematics. He finished his graduation at the young age of 18 years, having been twice promoted to a higher class due to his brilliance.
He studied at D.A.V. College, Lahore, Punjab University and Hansraj College, University of Delhi. He obtained his M.A. Degree in Hindi and has done his Doctorate in Literature. He has been an educationist, journalist, political and social worker, sports administrator and writer. He taught as a professor of Hindi at the P.G.D.A.V. College, Delhi University for over 35 years.
Interests
Professor Malhotra is a voracious reader of books and has been writing for newspapers, periodicals and journals. His PhD thesis was on the famous Hindi poet Shri Sohan Lal Dwivedi and his writings. His speeches delivered in Parliament, on a wide range of topics including budget and finance, terrorism, issues concerning Delhi residents, have been published in an anthology. He has deep interest in works of History, Mythology, Vedic Literature and Current Affairs. He is a student of Holy Texts namely the Bhagwad Geeta, the Bible, the Koran and the Guru Granth Sahib, which ‘help graduate his mind to a higher plane’ according to him. Reading, writing, music and sports occupy whatever time he is left with. He enjoys playing table-tennis and badminton with his grand-children and is an exponent of chess. Several books on chess and sports occupy space on his book-shelf.
Professor Malhotra loves to travel and fortunately his political and sports career have given him the opportunity to travel to many different lands. He is a widely traveled statesman and has had the privilege of representing the country abroad on various occasions. He represented the nation in the United Nations as a delegate and addressed the UN General Assembly. He has had face-to-face meetings with foreign Heads of State and Government of various lands while presenting India’s position on important matters of international importance.
Philosophy and beliefs
“There are no shortcuts to success. Miracles are actually the culmination of persistent efforts” - this is his motto in life . Prof. Malhotra is a firm believer in democratic values and the composite culture of India. He takes keen interest in political, social and cultural developments in the country, in the periphery of India and the international arena.
Social and Political
Professor Malhotra has been deeply involved in various social and political activities in the country. People recall with a sense of nostalgia that during the partition holocaust he was responsible for protecting the lives of thousands of people at a great personal risk. At the time of Pakistani invasion of Jammu & Kashmir in 1947, he worked as an RSS Pracharak in J&K. He played an active role as a student leader. He was Secretary of the Punjab University Camp College Students Union, then was elected Secretary of the Delhi University Students Union, and later the Prime Minister of the Hans Raj College Parliament. He was a founder member and Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi parishad (ABVP).
He has served as Secretary of the Delhi Jana Sangh on the founding of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951; as President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh Party, Delhi Pradesh; National Secretary of All India BJP and Prabhari(organizer) of various States to win the elections for the BJP. He has also served as President, Delhi Social Welfare Board. Prof. Malhotra has been elected to the Lok Sabha four times and once to the Rajya Sabha. As a parliamentarian he has played a gigantic role and has been Chairman of a large number of Committees, Commissions and expert groups.
On the path of struggle
The mettle of a man is measured in how he reacts to the challenges in his path. Prof. Malhotra chose to swim against the current. Facing odds with resolute courage, never losing faith in his convictions, marching ahead, drawing inspiration from secular principles and human values imbued in committed selfless service.
However, he does not see himself as a hero. He believes that even if one cowers down to pressures of life at a given time, he should not lose hope, for one may find strength, courage and conviction anytime, if one follows the path of fellowship and common good.
Prof. Malhotra has faced many challenging tests in his political career. He was subjected to incarcerations and hardships several times in his life which he bore with his characteristic forbearance. He took active part in agitations as a student leader, as a leader of refugees in Delhi at the time of partition, and also as a political leader. He fulfilled each of these roles with utmost sincerity and dedication, remaining unfettered by doubts, even as he was arrested and imprisoned, several times, for his actions.
In 1953, he was arrested along with Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji, Sh. N.C. Chatterji and other eminent leaders under the Preventive Detention Act. He spent six months in jail as part of the Satyagraha to make Jammu & Kashmir an integral part of India. In 1966, during the cow protection campaign, he was hit by a bullet in police firing. Subsequently he was kept in jail for fifteen days.
Prof. Malhotra was arrested during the despotic Emergency rule imposed by Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1975. He was kept under severe persecution for 19 months in jails in Delhi, Ambala, Chandigarh and Hissar. He fell seriously ill due to these privations and tribulations and had to be admitted in the PGI Medical Institute, Chandigarh. In PGI, Chandigarh, he was kept in solitary confinement in a whole ward meant for 100 patients, and went through severe mental trauma.
He participated in active protests for the causes of general public workers, scheduled castes, traders, teachers, government servants and deprived classes on more than 200 occasions and was jailed many times by the Congress government.
He says “I am a person who believes that life is the greatest teacher. Our struggles are really an expression of how we wish the world to be. In my case I have always felt, that I share this world with every living soul, and whatever trials and tribulations come my way, I hope that yours and others’ share of joy may always be greater than mine”.
Sports
His dedication to development of Sports in India has led to his holding important positions in apex bodies in the world of International sports. He is the president of the Archery association of India, and founder president of the Asian Archery Federation as well as the Commonwealth Archery Foundation. He is the foremost member of the team which campaigned hard and brought the 2010 Commonwealth Games to Delhi. He is the Chairman of the Reception Committee, and also a member of the Executive Board of the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in New Delhi, in October, 2010.
Family
Prof. Malhotra is married to Krishna, who is a home-maker, and an able contributor to his public and political life. They have two children, Ajay, who is a businessman, and Anupama, who is in the Information Technology ( IT ) field. Ajay is married to Ruchi, a designer by profession, and Anupama to Raghav Mallik who is a businessman. Prof. Malhotra is extremely fond of his four grandchildren – Medha, Akshay, Aditya and Devika.
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