Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai | |
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India's independence | |
Spouse | Radha Devi Aggarwal |
Lala Lajpat Rai[a] (28 January 1865 — 17 November 1928) was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of the Lal Bal Pal trio.[1] He died of severe head trauma injuries sustained 18 days earlier during a baton charge by police in Lahore, when he led a peaceful protest march against the British Simon Commission Indian constitutional reforms.
Early life
Lajpat Rai was born on 28 January 1865 into an Agrawal 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 at Dhudike in the Faridkot district of the Punjab Province of British India (now in Moga district, Punjab, India).[5] He spent much of his youth in Jagraon. 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.
Education
Lajpat Rai had his initial education in Government Higher Secondary School, Rewari,
Career
Law
In 1884, his father was transferred to Rohtak, and Rai came along after the completion of his studies at Lahore. In 1886, he moved to Hisar where 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 helped Mahatma Hansraj establish the nationalistic Dayananda Anglo-Vedic School, Lahore, and he also founded the Hisar district branches of the Indian National Congress, and the reformist Arya Samaj movement with several other local leaders. These included Babu Churamani (lawyer), the three Tayal brothers (Chandu Lal Tayal, Hari Lal Tayal and Balmokand Tayal), Dr. Ramji Lal Hooda, Dr. Dhani Ram, Arya Samaj Pandit Murari Lal,[8] Seth Chhaju Ram Jat (founder of Jat 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 the Lahore High Court. To shape the political policy of India to gain independence, he also practised journalism, and was a regular contributor to several newspapers including The Tribune. He was also associated with the management of Punjab National Bank and 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
After joining the Indian National Congress and 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 the
Travel to the United States
Lajpat Rai travelled to the United States in 1916, and then returned during World War I. He toured
Protests Against The Simon Commission
In 1928, the United Kingdom set up the Simon Commission, headed by Sir John Simon to 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 to
Death
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.
This case did not stop Singh and his fellow-members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association from claiming that retribution had been exacted.[22]
Legacy
Movements and institutes founded by Lala Lajpat Rai
Lajpat Rai was a heavyweight veteran leader of the
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 the Lakshmi Building in Karachi, 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.
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 the Gulab Devi Chest Hospital and 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 in Jagraon. 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
Erected in the early 20th century, a statue of Lajpat Rai at
Lajpat Nagar and Lala Lajpat Rai square with his statue in Hisar;[29] Lajpat Nagar and 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 at Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur; Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur; the bus terminus, several institutes, schools and libraries in his hometown of Jagraon are 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
Homi Master directed a 1929 Indian silent film, titled Punjab Kesari (or The Lion of Punjab), about Lala Lajpat Rai.[30] Vande Mataram Ashram a 1927 silent film by the Indian filmmaker Bhalji Pendharkar, was inspired by Rai's and Madan Mohan Malaviya's opposition to the Western-style educational system introduced by the British Raj; it was censored by the colonial government's regional film censorship board.[31]
A documentary film about Lajpat Rai, directed by
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 '
Lala Lajpat Rai is also showcased in 2022 released movie 'Dasvi", The protagonist tries to say Lalaji.[34]
In
Works
Along with founding Arya Gazette as 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, Shivaji and Shri Krishna.
- The Story of My Deportation, 1908.
- Arya Samaj, 1915.
- The United States of America: A Hindu’s Impression, 1916.
- The Problem of National Education in India, 1920
- Unhappy India, 1928.
- England's Debt to India, 1917.
- Autobiographical Writings
- Young India: An Interpretation and a History of the Nationalist Movement from Within. New York: B.W. Huebsch, 1916.[b]
- The Collected Works of Lala Lajpat Rai, Volume 1 to Volume 15, edited by B.R. Nanda.
Notes
- ^ The term "Lala" is an honorific.
- ^ The book was written and published shortly after the First World War broke out in Europe. Rai was travelling in the United States at the time of Franz Ferdinand's assassination.[36] In the book, Rai claimed that the Indian people were ready to stand behind the Allied war effort against Imperial 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 held anti-German sentiments and 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 the British Empire.[37] In Young India, Rai drew parallels between the American Revolution and the Indian independence movement. Rai used the book to convey to a Western audience 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 American stereotypes of Indians via writing a concise history of India to 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
- ^ 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. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - ISBN 978-81-230-2438-7.
- ISBN 978-81-7304-618-6.
- ^ "Lala Lajpat Rai Birth Anniversary: The legacy of the famed nationalist". Hindustan Times. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Lala Lajpat Rai | Biography & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ "Sub Division, Jagraon, Punjab". www.jagraonadministration.in. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ Ahluwalia, Kewal (February 2010). "Lala Lajpat Rai". aryasamaj.com.
- ^ Jugal Kishore Gupta (1991). History of Sirsa Town. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 182.
- ^ "Religion and Nationalism: The Views of Lala Lajpat Rai". ResearchGate. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ NEWS, SA (28 January 2023). "Lala Lajpat Rai Jayanti: Biography, Quotes, Essay, Slogan, Death". SA News Channel. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "Bradlaugh Hall's demise". Pakistan Today. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ "Lala Lajpat Rai". 10 June 2004. Archived from the original on 10 June 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ "Head Office". Servants of the People Society. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- )
- S2CID 158597343.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-87139-69-0.
- ^ Sandhya Dangwal. "Lala Lajpat Rai birth anniversary: All you need to know about the man from Punjab who gave 'Simon Go Back' slogan". India.com. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-87139-69-0.
- JSTOR 40873491.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-288-0827-2.
- ISBN 978-81-87496-72-4.
- ^ JSTOR 3517678.
- ISBN 978-81-241-0700-3.
- ISBN 978-81-288-0816-6.
- ^ "Gulab Devi Chest Hospital". Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ "Year of Affiliation & History – LAJPAT RAI D.A.V. COLLEGE JAGRAON (DISTT. LUDHIANA)". Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ Pratishkhedekar (25 May 2018), English: Lala Lajpat Rai Statue, Shimla, retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College's maladies: Meagre budget, vacant posts". Hindustan Times. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ Tributes paid at Lala Lajpat Rai Square and Statue at Hisar, DNA News.
- ISBN 978-81-7525-224-0.
- ISBN 978-0-85170-455-5.
- ISBN 978-81-230-2363-2.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "Movie Review| Abhishek starrer 'Dasvi' fails to impress". The New Indian Express. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ Vadrevu, China Veera Bhadrudu (24 May 2022). "RRR అనే సినిమాపై వాడ్రేవు చినవీరభద్రుడి సమీక్ష". teluputv.com. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Rai, Lala Lajpat (1916). Young India. Huebsch. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
Lajpat Young India.
{{cite book}}
:|website=
ignored (help) - ^ Hope, Ashley Guy (1968). America and Swaraj: The U.S. Role in Indian Independence. Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press.
External links
- Lala Lajpat Rai's books at Hindustan Books
- Lala Lajpat Rai's "Young India" in the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)
- Satish K. Kapoor, He gave a fillip to freedom struggle, Tribune
- Works by Lajpat Rai at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Lala Lajpat Rai at Internet Archive
- Newspaper clippings about Lala Lajpat Rai in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW