Samwaterman2016: cleaned up article for clarity and cleaned formatting after review

2025-12-09T17:13:22Z

cleaned up article for clarity and cleaned formatting after review

>ElliAWB: Reverted edits by Ebbedlila (talk) to last version by Jkaharper. requested at ANI

2021-10-02T18:18:22Z

Reverted edits by Ebbedlila (talk) to last version by Jkaharper. requested at ANI

← Older revision	Revision as of 23:48, 2 October 2021
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>Jkaharper at 14:52, 4 February 2021

2021-02-04T14:52:36Z

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{{Use Indian English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Joachim Alva
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1907|1|21}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1979|6|28|1907|1|21}}
| office =
| image = JoachimAlva.jpg
| caption = Joachim Alva, c. 1938
| office2 = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha]]
| constituency2 = [[Kanara (Lok Sabha constituency)]]
| predecessor = ''Position Established''
| successor = [[D. D. Dattatreya]]
| office3 = [[Sheriff of Bombay]]
| term2 = 1952–1967
}}[[File:Joachim and Violet Alva 2008 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|Joachim and Violet Alva on a 2008 stamp of India]]

'''Joachim Ignatius Sebastian Alva''' or '''Joachim Piedade Alva''' (21 January 1907 – 28 June 1979) was an Indian lawyer, journalist and politician from [[Mangalore]].<ref name="mem">{{cite web|url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/pre_member/1952_2003/a.pdf|title=Rajya Sabha Members Biographical Sketches 1952 – 2003 :A|publisher=Rajya Sabha website}}</ref> He was a prominent Christian figure involved in the [[Indian independence movement]].

After Independence, Alva was appointed [[Sheriff of Mumbai|Sheriff of Bombay]] in 1949. In 1950, he entered the Provisional Parliament of India. He was elected to the [[Lok Sabha]] in 1952, 1957, and 1962 from North [[Kanara]]. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1968 and retired from the Rajya Sabha in 1974.

==History==

Joachim Alva belonged to the Alva-Bhat, a [[Mangalorean Catholic]] clan from [[Belle, Udupi|Belle]] in [[Udupi district]].<ref>{{Cite book
|last=Lobo
|first=Michael
|authorlink=Michael Lobo
|publisher=Camelot Publishers
|title=Distinguished Mangalorean Catholics, 1800–2000: a historico-biographical survey of the Mangalorean Catholic community
|year=2000
|isbn=978-81-87609-01-8|page=111}}</ref> He was educated at the Jesuit [[St. Aloysius College, Mangalore]], [[Elphinstone College]], [[Government Law College, Mumbai]] and the Jesuit [[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai]].

In 1928, Alva became the first Christian to be appointed as Secretary of the fifty-year-old Bombay Students Brotherhood. Along with [[Khurshed Nariman]], H.D. Raja and Soli Batliwala, he was a pioneer of the Bombay Youth League.

In 1930, Alva founded the Nationalist Christian Party with the goal of drawing the Christian community into the freedom struggle. He was expelled from St. Xavier's College for moving a resolution at the Catholic Students Union urging it to throw open its doors to students of other communities. In 1937, Alva presided over a large meeting of Christians at Bombay addressed by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. He was actively involved in organizing the "No-Tax" campaign at the [[Bardoli Satyagraha]] and appointed Dictator of the War Council.

Imprisoned twice by British Indian authorities on charges of [[sedition]], Alva was jail companion to [[Vallabhbhai Patel]], [[Jayaprakash Narayan]], [[Morarji Desai]] and [[J. C. Kumarappa]]. In 1934, [[Mahatma Gandhi]] wrote a letter to Alva to inform him that he had missed him at [[Yerwada Central Jail|Yerwada Jail]] because of his early release.

In Nasik prison, Alva wrote two books: ''Men and Supermen of Hindustan'' and ''Indian Christians and Nationalism.'' Although the manuscripts of both were confiscated by prison authorities, ''Men and Supermen of Hindustan'' was subsequently re-drafted and published in 1943.

In 1937, Alva married [[Violet Alva|Violet Hari]], a Gujarati Protestant from [[Ahmedabad]] and professor of English at St. Xavier's Indian Women's University College. Violet would also go on to become active in national politics.

On 9 August 1943, the first anniversary of Quit India Day,{{clarify|date= March 2015}} Joachim and Violet Alva founded ''FORUM'', a weekly news magazine which became known for its championing of the cause of independence.

After Independence, Alva was appointed [[Sheriff of Mumbai|Sheriff of Bombay]] in 1949. In 1950, he entered the Provisional Parliament of India. He was elected to the [[Lok Sabha]] in 1952 and 1957<ref>{{cite web
|url =http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok02/state/02lsmy.htm
|title =MEMBERS OF SECOND LOK SABHA
|accessdate =1 September 2008
|publisher =Parliament of India
|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071010005424/http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok02/state/02lsmy.htm
|archive-date =10 October 2007
|url-status =dead
}}</ref> and 1962 from North Kanara.<ref name="DH">{{cite news
|url =http://www.deccanherald.com/CONTENT/Dec22007/national2007120239020.asp
|title =Portrait of the first couple in Parliament to be put up
|date =2 December 2007
|accessdate =1 September 2008
|newspaper =Deccan Herald}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> In 1952, Violet was elected to the [[Rajya Sabha]]<ref name="DH"/><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/kiosk/whoswho/prev90a.htm
|title=BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF MEMBERS
|accessdate=1 September 2008
|publisher=Rajya Sabha
|url-status=unfit
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015011807/http://rajyasabha.nic.in/kiosk/whoswho/prev90a.htm
|archivedate=15 October 2008
}}</ref> making them the first couple to be elected to Parliament under adult franchise.

The Government of India issued a stamp commemorating the couple in November 2008.<ref name=re>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/20stamp-released-of-joachim-alva-and-violet.htm A stamp in memory of Joachim and Violet Alva] [[Rediff.com]], 20 November 2008.</ref>

==Personal life==

Joachim and Violet Alva had two sons, Niranjan and Chittaranjan, and a daughter, Maya.

The couple were close associates of [[Khin Kyi]], Burma's ambassador to India from 1960, widow of Burmese nationalist [[Aung San|General Aung San]]. The late [[Henry F. Grady]], the first US Ambassador to India, was godfather to Maya.

His son Niranjan is married to [[Margaret Alva]], née Margaret Nazareth, former General Secretary of the [[All India Congress Committee]], former [[Governor of Uttarakhand]] and [[Rajasthan]].<ref name="pia">{{cite web|url=http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok13/biodata/13KN22.htm|title=Smt. Margaret Alva,: Bio-sketch|publisher=[[Parliament of India]] website}}</ref>

==References==
{{Commons category|Joachim Alva}}
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alva, Joachim}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:1st Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:2nd Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:3rd Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Indian Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Mangaloreans]]
[[Category:Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Sheriffs of Mumbai]]

Joachim Alva - Revision history

Samwaterman2016: cleaned up article for clarity and cleaned formatting after review

>ElliAWB: Reverted edits by Ebbedlila (talk) to last version by Jkaharper. requested at ANI

>Jkaharper at 14:52, 4 February 2021