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Lala Lajpat Rai

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Lala Lajpat Rai
Rai in 1924
Born(1865-01-28)28 January 1865
Dhudike,Punjab,British India
(present-dayPunjab,India)
Died17 November 1928(1928-11-17)(aged 63)
Lahore,Punjab,British India
(present-dayPunjab, Pakistan)
Cause of deathInjuries sustained during alathi charge
NationalityIndian
Other namesPunjab Kesari
Occupations
Political partyIndian National Congress
MovementIndia's independence
SpouseRadha Devi Aggarwal

Lala Lajpat Rai[a](28 January 1865 — 17 November 1928) was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known asPunjabKesari.He was one of the three members of theLal Bal Paltrio.[1]He died of severe head trauma injuries sustained 18 days earlier during abaton chargeby police inLahore,when he led a peaceful protest march against the BritishSimon CommissionIndian constitutional reforms.

Early life[edit]

Lajpat Rai was born on 28 January 1865 into anAgrawal Jain[2][3][4]family as the eldest son of six children of Munshi Radha Krishna, an Urdu and Persian government school teacher and Gulab Devi Aggarwal atDhudikein theFaridkot districtof thePunjab ProvinceofBritish India(now inMoga district,Punjab,India).[5]He spent much of his youth inJagraon.His house still stands in Jagraon and houses a library and museum.[6]He also built the first educational institute R.K. High school in Jagraon.

Munshi Radha Krishan Aggarwal Family Tree (Officially Provided By R.K Trust,Jagraon).

Education[edit]

Lajpat Rai had his initial education in Government Higher Secondary School, Rewari,Punjab province,where his father was posted as anUrduteacher. In 1880, he joinedGovernment College at Lahoreto study law, where he came in contact with patriots and future freedom fighters, such asLala Hans Rajand Pandit Guru Dutt. While studying at Lahore he was influenced by the Hindu reformist movement ofSwami Dayanand Saraswati,became a member of the existing Arya Samaj Lahore (founded 1877) and founder-editor of Lahore-basedArya Gazette.[7][better source needed]

Career[edit]

Law[edit]

Lala Lajpat Rai (left) ofPunjab,Bal Gangadhar TilakofMaharashtra,andBipin Chandra PalofBengal.The triumvirate, popularly known asLal Bal Pal,changed the political discourse of theIndian independence movement.

In 1884, his father was transferred to Rohtak, and Rai came along after the completion of his studies at Lahore. In 1886, he moved toHisarwhere his father was transferred, and started to practice law and became a founding member of the Bar Council of Hisar along with Babu Churamani. In the same year, he helpedMahatma Hansrajestablish the nationalisticDayananda Anglo-Vedic School, Lahore,and he also founded the Hisar district branches of theIndian National Congress,and the reformistArya Samajmovement with several other local leaders. These included Babu Churamani (lawyer), the threeTayal brothers(Chandu Lal Tayal, Hari Lal Tayal and Balmokand Tayal), Dr. Ramji Lal Hooda, Dr. Dhani Ram, Arya SamajPandit Murari Lal,[8]Seth Chhaju Ram Jat(founder ofJat School, Hisar) and Dev Raj Sandhir. In 1888 and again in 1889, he had the honour of being one of the four delegates from Hisar to attend the annual session of the Congress at Allahabad, along with Babu Churamani, Lala Chhabil Das and Seth Gauri Shankar. In 1892, he moved to Lahore to practise before theLahore High Court.To shape the political policy of India to gain independence, he also practised journalism, and was a regular contributor to several newspapers includingThe Tribune.He was also associated with the management ofPunjab National Bankand Lakshmi Insurance Company in their early stages in 1894.

In 1914, he quit law practise to dedicate himself to the Indian independence movement and travelled to Britain, and then to the United States in 1917. In October 1917, he founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York. He stayed in the United States from 1917 to 1920. His early freedom struggle was impacted by Arya Samaj and communal representation.[9]

Politics[edit]

After joining theIndian National Congressand taking part in political agitation in Punjab, Lala Lajpat Rai Wadwal was deported to Mandalay, but there was insufficient evidence to hold him for subversion. Lajpat Rai's supporters attempted to secure his election to the presidency of the party session at Surat in December 1907, but he did not succeed.[10]

Graduates of the National College, which he founded inside theBradlaugh Hallat Lahore as an alternative to British-style institutions, includedBhagat Singh.[11]He was electedPresident of the Indian National Congressin the Calcutta Special Session of 1920.[12]In 1921, he foundedServants of the People Society,a non-profit welfare organisation, in Lahore, which shifted its base to Delhi after partition, and has branches in many parts of India.[13]According to him, Hindu society needs to fight its own battle with caste system, position of women and untouchability.[14]Vedas were an important part of Hindu religion and approved everyone should be allowed to read them and recite the mantras. He believed that everyone should be allowed to read and learn from the Vedas.[15]

Travel to the United States[edit]

See also:Ghadar Party
A banquet given in honour of Lala Lajpat Rai by the California Chapter of the Hindustan Association of America at Hotel Shattuck inBerkeleyon 12 February 1916.

Lajpat Rai travelled to the United States in 1916, and then returned during World War I. He touredSikhcommunities along theWestern Seaboard,visited theTuskegee Universityin Alabama, and met with workers in thePhilippines.His travelogue,The United States of America(1916), details these travels and features extensive quotations from leading African American intellectuals, includingW.E.B. Du BoisandBooker T. Washington.While in the United States he had founded the Indian Home Rule League inNew York Cityand a monthly journal, theYoung India and Hindustan Information Services Association.Rai petitioned theUnited States House Committee on Foreign Affairs,painting a vivid picture of maladministration by theBritish Rajin India, the aspirations of Indian public for independence amongst many other points which strongly sought the support of the international community for the attainment of Indian independence. The 32-page petition, which was prepared overnight, was discussed in theU.S. Senatein October 1917.[16]The book also argues for the notion of "color-caste," suggesting sociological similarities between race in the US and caste in India. During World War I, Lajpat Rai lived in the United States, but he returned to India in 1919 and in the following year led the special session of the Indian National Congress that launched the non-co-operation movement. He was imprisoned from 1921 to 1923 and elected to the legislative assembly on his release.[16]

Protests Against The Simon Commission[edit]

Photo of Rai printed in the February 1920 issue ofYoung India.

In 1928, the United Kingdom set up theSimon Commission,headed bySir John Simonto report on the political situation in India. The commission was boycotted by Indian political parties because it did not include any Indian members, and it was met with country-wide protests.[17]When the Commission visited Lahore on 30 October 1928, Lajpat Rai led a non-violent march in protest against it and gave the slogan "Simon Go Back!". The protesters chanted the slogan and carried black flags.

The police superintendent in Lahore, James A. Scott, ordered the police tolathichargethe protesters and personallyassaultedRai.[18]Despite being severely injured, Rai subsequently addressed the crowd and said "I declare that the blows struck at me today will be the last nails in the coffin ofBritish rule in India."[19]

Death[edit]

Rai did not fully recover from his injuries and died on 17 November 1928. Doctors thought that James Scott's blows had hastened his death.[18]However, when the matter was raised in theBritish Parliament,theBritish governmentdenied any role in Rai's death.[20]Bhagat Singh,anHSRArevolutionarywho was a witness to the event,[21]swore to avenge the death of Rai, who was a significant leader of theIndian independence movement.[20]He joined other revolutionaries,Shivaram Rajguru,Sukhdev ThaparandChandra Shekhar Azad,in a plot to kill Scott to send a message to the British government.[22]However, in a case of mistaken identity, Singh was signalled to shoot on the appearance of John P. Saunders, an assistant superintendent of theLahore Police.He was shot by Rajguru and Singh while leaving the District Police Headquarters inLahoreon 17 December 1928.[23]Chanan Singh, ahead constablewho was chasing them, was fatally injured by Azad's covering fire.[24]

This case did not stop Singh and his fellow-members of theHindustan Socialist Republican Associationfrom claiming that retribution had been exacted.[22]

Legacy[edit]

The statue of Rai atShimla,Himachal Pradesh.

Movements and institutes founded by Lala Lajpat Rai[edit]

Lala Lajpat Rai Statue, Lajpat Rai DAV College, Jagraon
Lala Lajpat Rai Statue, Lajpat Rai DAV College, Jagraon.

Lajpat Rai was a heavyweight veteran leader of theIndian Nationalist Movementled by theIndian National Congress,Hindu reform movementsandArya Samaj,who inspired young men of his generation and kindled latent spirit of patriotism in their hearts with journalistic writings and lead-by-example activism. Young men in the independence movement, such asChandrasekhar AzadandBhagat Singh,were inspired by Rai.

In late 19th and early 20th century Lala Lajpat Rai himself was founder of many organisations, including Hisar congress, Hisar Bar Council, national DAV Managing Committee. Lala Lajpat Rai was also head of the "Lakshmi Insurance Company," and commissioned theLakshmi BuildinginKarachi,which still bears a plaque in remembrance of him. Lakhsmi Insurance Company was merged with Life Insurance Corporation of India when en masse nationalisation of life insurance business happened during 1956.

Lala Dhanpat Rai Bust Statue, Lajpat Rai DAV College, Jagraon
Lala Dhanpat Rai Bust Statue, Lajpat Rai DAV College,Jagraon.

In 1927, Lajpat Rai established a trust in his mother's memory to build and run a tuberculosis hospital for women, reportedly at the location where his mother, Gulab Devi, had died of tuberculosis in Lahore.[25]This became known as theGulab Devi Chest Hospitaland opened on 17 July 1934. Now the Gulab Devi Memorial hospital is one of the biggest hospital of present Pakistan which services over 2000 patients at a time as its patients.

In 1926, Lala Lajpat Rai established R.K. Trust in the memory of his father Sh. Radhakrishan. In 1956, R.K. Trust established Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial College in Jagraon. Later the college was taken under DAV management and rename as Lajpat Rai DAV College. R.K. Trust also manages the R.K. High School inJagraon.Lala Lajpat Rai's younger brother Lala Dhanpat Rai was appointed by him to be the first headmaster of the R.K. High School.[26]

Monuments and institutes founded in memory of Lala Lajpat Rai[edit]

Lala Lajpat Rai Bus Terminal,Jagraon(ਜੀ ਆਇਆਂ ਨੂੰ - Welcome).
Lala Lajpat Rai Statue, Bus Stand,Jagraon.

Erected in the early 20th century, a statue of Lajpat Rai atLahore,was later moved central square inShimlaafter the partition of India.[27]In 1959, the Lala Lajpat Rai trust was formed on the eve of his Centenary Birth Celebration by a group ofPunjabiphilanthropists (including R. P. Gupta and B. M. Grover) who have settled and prospered in the Indian State ofMaharashtra,which runs theLala Lajpat Rai College of Commerce and Economicsin Mumbai.Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College, Meerutis named after him.[28]In 1998,Lala Lajpat Rai Institute of Engineering and Technology, Mogawas named after him. In 2010, theGovernment of Haryanaset up theLala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciencesin Hisar in his memory.

Lajpat Nagar and Lala Lajpat Rai square with his statue in Hisar;[29]Lajpat Nagarand Lajpat Nagar Central Market in New Delhi, Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Park in Lajpat Nagar, Lajpat Rai Market in Chandani Chowk, Delhi; Lala Lajpat Rai Hall of Residence atIndian Institutes of Technology(IIT) inKharagpur;Lala Lajpat Rai Hospitalin Kanpur; the bus terminus, several institutes, schools and libraries in his hometown ofJagraonare named in his honour including a bus terminal with statue of him at the entry gate. Further, there are several roads named after him in numerous metropolis and other towns of India.

In popular culture[edit]

Homi Masterdirected a 1929 Indian silent film, titledPunjab Kesari(orThe Lion of Punjab), about Lala Lajpat Rai.[30]Vande Mataram Ashrama 1927 silent film by the Indian filmmakerBhalji Pendharkar,was inspired by Rai's andMadan Mohan Malaviya's opposition to the Western-style educational system introduced by the British Raj; it wascensoredby the colonial government's regional film censorship board.[31]

A documentary film about Lajpat Rai, directed byK. Viswanath,was produced by theGovernment of India'sFilms Division.[32]

A protest is brewing and threatening to become a full-fledged rebellion in the aftermath of the arrest of Lala Lajpat Rai is referenced at the starting scene of 2022 released movie 'RRR'.[33]

Lala Lajpat Rai is also showcased in 2022 released movie 'Dasvi",The protagonist tries to say Lalaji.[34]

InS. S. Rajamouli'speriod fiction filmRRRprotest for his arrest at Calcutta (only name mentioned) inRam Charanintroduction with 1000 people, historically, Lalaji was arrested on 3 December 1921 in Lahore for his activities related to the non-cooperation movement and was imprisoned for a year and a half.[35]

Works[edit]

Along with foundingArya Gazetteas its editor, he regularly contributed to several major Hindi, Punjabi, English and Urdu newspapers and magazines. He also authored the following published books. He also wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi,ShivajiandShri Krishna.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^The term "Lala"is an honorific.
  2. ^The book was written and published shortly after theFirst World Warbroke out in Europe. Rai was travelling in the United States at the time ofFranz Ferdinand'sassassination.[36]In the book, Rai claimed that the Indian people were ready to stand behind theAlliedwar effort againstImperial Germany.[36]Some historians have claimed that since Rai was trying to cultivate support amongst the American public for Indian independence, he could not risk saying anything which would make India look bad in front of the United States, which included claiming that India was unwilling to fight against Germany (many Americans held mixed-opinions on the war, but significant numbers heldanti-German sentimentsand so support American participation in the Allied war effort against Germany). Rai also emphasised in the book that India would not undertake violent actions in her campaign for independence from theBritish Empire.[37]InYoung India,Rai drew parallels between theAmerican Revolutionand the Indian independence movement. Rai used the book to convey to aWesternaudience his vision of an independent India after colonial rule, expressing his desire for complete Indian sovereignty from all foreign entanglements. He was well aware the United States was the most suitable ally of the Indian independence movement, and sought to challenge Americanstereotypesof Indians via writing a concisehistory of Indiato dispel them. These stereotypes included the common perception in the West that India was not yet ready for self rule, which Rai sought to challenge via highlighting the efficiency of Indian civil servants.[36]

References[edit]

  1. ^Ashalatha, A.; Koropath, Pradeep; Nambarathil, Saritha (2009)."Chapter 6 – Indian National Movement"(PDF).Social Science: Standard VIII Part 1.State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). p. 7.Retrieved13 October2011.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  2. ^CHAND, FEROZ (31 May 2017).Lajpat Rai - Life and Work.Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.ISBN978-81-230-2438-7.
  3. ^Rai (Lala), Lajpat (2003).The Collected Works of Lala Lajpat Rai.Manohar.ISBN978-81-7304-618-6.
  4. ^"Lala Lajpat Rai Birth Anniversary: The legacy of the famed nationalist".Hindustan Times.27 January 2020.Retrieved13 September2022.
  5. ^"Lala Lajpat Rai | Biography & Facts".Encyclopedia Britannica.Retrieved27 June2021.
  6. ^"Sub Division, Jagraon, Punjab".jagraonadministration.in.Retrieved5 June2021.
  7. ^Ahluwalia, Kewal (February 2010)."Lala Lajpat Rai".aryasamaj.
  8. ^Jugal Kishore Gupta (1991).History of Sirsa Town.Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 182.
  9. ^"Religion and Nationalism: The Views of Lala Lajpat Rai".ResearchGate.Retrieved21 March2021.
  10. ^NEWS, SA (28 January 2023)."Lala Lajpat Rai Jayanti: Biography, Quotes, Essay, Slogan, Death".SA News Channel.Retrieved28 January2023.
  11. ^"Bradlaugh Hall's demise".Pakistan Today.17 April 2011.Retrieved15 October2011.
  12. ^"Lala Lajpat Rai".10 June 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 10 June 2004.Retrieved17 December2023.
  13. ^"Head Office".Servants of the People Society.Retrieved27 May2014.
  14. ^Chandran, Subramaniam (2015)."Religion and Nationalism: The Views of Lala Lajpat Rai".doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.4744.8163.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  15. ^Bhargav, Vanya (2018)."Lala Lajpat Rai's Ideas on Caste: Conservative or Radical?".Studies in Indian Politics.6:15–26.doi:10.1177/2321023018762672.S2CID158597343.
  16. ^abRaghunath Rai.History.VK Publications. p. 187.ISBN978-81-87139-69-0.
  17. ^Sandhya Dangwal."Lala Lajpat Rai birth anniversary: All you need to know about the man from Punjab who gave 'Simon Go Back' slogan".India.Retrieved4 June2022.
  18. ^abRai, Raghunath (2006).History For Class 12: Cbse. India.VK Publications. p. 187.ISBN978-81-87139-69-0.
  19. ^Friend, Corinne (Fall 1977). "Yashpal: Fighter for Freedom – Writer for Justice".Journal of South Asian Literature.13(1): 65–90.JSTOR40873491.
  20. ^abRana, Bhawan Singh (2005).Bhagat Singh.Diamond Pocket Books. p. 36.ISBN978-81-288-0827-2.
  21. ^Singh, Bhagat; Hooja, Bhupendra (2007).The Jail Notebook and Other Writings.LeftWord Books. p. 16.ISBN978-81-87496-72-4.
  22. ^abGupta, Amit Kumar (September–October 1997). "Defying Death: Nationalist Revolutionism in India, 1897–1938".Social Scientist.25(9/10): 3–27.doi:10.2307/3517678.JSTOR3517678.
  23. ^Nayar, Kuldip(2000).The Martyr: Bhagat Singh Experiments in Revolution.Har-Anand Publications. p. 39.ISBN978-81-241-0700-3.
  24. ^Rana, Bhawan Singh (2005).Chandra Shekhar Azad (An Immortal Revolutionary of India).Diamond Pocket Books. p. 65.ISBN978-81-288-0816-6.
  25. ^"Gulab Devi Chest Hospital".Archived fromthe originalon 15 October 2011.Retrieved13 October2011.
  26. ^"Year of Affiliation & History – LAJPAT RAI D.A.V. COLLEGE JAGRAON (DISTT. LUDHIANA)".Retrieved20 April2022.
  27. ^Pratishkhedekar (25 May 2018),English: Lala Lajpat Rai Statue, Shimla,retrieved27 October2022.
  28. ^"Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College's maladies: Meagre budget, vacant posts".Hindustan Times.8 September 2017.Retrieved17 December2023.
  29. ^Tributes paid at Lala Lajpat Rai Square and Statue at Hisar,DNA News.
  30. ^R. K. Verma (2000).Filmography: Silent Cinema, 1913-1934.M. Verma.ISBN978-81-7525-224-0.
  31. ^Ashish Rajadhyaksha; Paul Willemen (1994).Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema.British Film Institute. p. 231.ISBN978-0-85170-455-5.
  32. ^Jag Mohan (1990).Documentary films and Indian Awakening.Publications Division.p. 128.ISBN978-81-230-2363-2.
  33. ^Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (25 March 2022)."'RRR' movie review: Rajamouli delivers a spectacle with winsome performances by NTR and Ram Charan, but his storytelling has taken a backseat ".The Hindu.ISSN0971-751X.Retrieved20 April2022.
  34. ^"Movie Review| Abhishek starrer 'Dasvi' fails to impress".The New Indian Express.8 April 2022.Retrieved20 April2022.
  35. ^Vadrevu, China Veera Bhadrudu (24 May 2022)."RRR అనే సినిమాపై వాడ్రేవు చినవీరభద్రుడి సమీక్ష".teluputv.Retrieved24 May2022.
  36. ^abcRai, Lala Lajpat (1916).Young India.Huebsch.Retrieved22 April2015.Lajpat Young India.{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help)
  37. ^Hope, Ashley Guy (1968).America and Swaraj: The U.S. Role in Indian Independence.Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press.
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External links[edit]

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