Hari Singh Gour was born on November 26, 1870 in a poor peasant family near Saugar. The family had  to  be supported by Hari Singh 's eldest brother who provided an allowance of Rs. 50 per month. At the age of  10, Hari Singh won a scholarship  of Rs. 2 per  month which  enabled him  to  attend  a  night  school  at  Saugar. Later, with  the  help  of  another  scholarship  he  went   to  Jabalpur   to  undertake further studies. He passed  his Intermediate  examination from Hislop College, Nagpur, standing first in   the whole Province.

When he was 18, Hari Singh Gour went to Cambridge University where he took Moral Sciences Tripos and Law Tripos. While in England  he  came  to  be  known in  literary  circles  as  a  promising  poet.

On his return to India he became a successful lawyer at Raipur. He wrote two monumental works, 'The Law of Transfer  in  India'  and  'The  Penal  Law of British India'. Another  book  'Hindu Law Code' published later added to his reputation  as  a  great jurist.    He was also a great social reformer and was  successful in getting an Act passed to enable women to be enrolled  as  lawyers,  while his  Civil  Marriage  Bill  of  1923 showed him  to  be  a  reformer  thinking  ahead  of his times.

By his determination and industry combined with a gift of oratory, Dr. Hari Singh Gour rose to eminent  position  in the political  scene.  He  became  a  leader of the Opposition and of the Nationalist Party in the Indian Legislative Assembly. He was a Member of the Constituent Assembly that framed  India's  Constitution.

Besides being a great lawyer and jurist, Dr. Gour was also a great  educationist. He organised  Delhi  University  as its first Vice-Chancellor  and was Vice-Chancellor of  Nagpur  University  for  two  successive terms. One of his most important contributions was the founding of the University of  Saugar in 1946 for which he  made a munificent donation. He became the first Vice-Chancellor of this University and occupied this position  until he passed away on December 25, 1949.   He bequeathed  the greater  part  of his life's  savings, a large fortune, to the University of Saugar. The  new  campus  of  this  University  laid out   on   the   summit of Patharia Hills, with  a  panoramic view  of  the  town  and lake,  has  been  built  largely  through  the benefactions  of  Dr. Hari  Singh Gour and is a fitting memorial  to this man  of great vision.

The P&T Department feels privileged to issue a commemorative stamp on Dr. Hari  Singh  Gour.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India