Mahesh Dutt Shukla was born in Raipur in 1916. His father's name was Shri Shivnath Prasad Shukla. His education till matriculation was done in Raipur only. While completing his matriculation, he became inclined towards the activities of the freedom movement. After completing his matriculation, he joined the national movement. Many big leaders of Raipur lived near his house, hence he was in contact with patriotic leaders from the beginning and used to participate in their programs.
In 1939, a Satyagraha training camp was organized in the school near his house in which he played an active role. Mahesh Dutt had acquired proficiency in running the charkha and spinning yarn.
During the Quit India Movement in 1942, when the movement was at its peak in the entire country, many leaders of Raipur were arrested while agitating, hence he tried his best to continue the movement. They used to secretly distribute and paste leaflets, gather people and prepare plans, take out processions, raise slogans, etc. But he could not remain underground for long and was arrested while taking out a procession. During this time, he was sentenced to 7 months imprisonment in Raipur Central Jail.
Name mentioned in the list of freedom fighters inscribed in Shahid Smarak Bhawan, Raipur.
Source: Pankaj Singh Rajput, Contributor for CCRT.