6th August 2020

 Musings.......

Freedom Fighters - Part 6 

Lala Lajpat Rai 

Born in Dhudike near Ludhiana in Punjab in 1865, Lala Lajpat Rai became a follower of Dayanand Saraswati- the founder of Arya Samaj in his early days. He went on to become one of the society’s leaders. 

In 1885, Lajpat Rai established the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School in Lahore and remained a committed educationist throughout his life. 

He was also the founding members of the Punjab National Bank and established the Lakshmi Insurance Company in 1894. 

In 1881, Lajpat Rai joined the Indian National Congress at the young age of 16 years. 

As early as 1897, Lala Lajpat Rai founded the Hindu Relief Movement to provide help to the famine stricken people. 

Though an advocate of aggressive Hindu politics, Lajpat Rai’s vision of Hindu politics was very different from the present Hindutva divisive politics, and he stood for Unity in Diversity.  

Having initially been supportive of the Two Nation theory for Hindus and Muslims, by 1915 Lajpat Rai proclaimed that “religious nationalism” was a “false idea” embodying “narrow sectarianism” which could never be “truly National”. 

For him Akbar was a role model whose memory ought to inspire Hindus and Muslims. 

He was a fervent advocate of the Swadeshi movement and along with Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal formed a triumvirate. (Lal-Bal-Pal). 

They led mass agitation in the aftermath of the controversial Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon in 1905. 

A lawyer by profession, Lajpat Rai quit law practice to dedicate himself to the freedom movement in 1914. 

Lala Lajpat Rai went for a lecture tour to Japan, England and the United States in 1914. Due to the outbreak of World War I he had to remain overseas until 1920. 

He founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York City in 1917. 

Upon his return to India, Lala Lajpat Rai was elected Congress President in the Special Session of INC in Calcutta 1920. This historic Calcutta session of INC was where Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement. 

After taking part in a political agitation in Punjab,  Lajpat Rai was deported to Mandalay by the British without trial in May, 1920. 

However, he was allowed to return the same year as the British could not find any evidence against him to hold him in jail. 

Lajpat Rai was imprisoned by the British from 1921- 1923. 

In 1928, the Simon commission - an all White commission to study the implementation of Government of India Act of 1919 ( Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms ) comprising of 7 British MPs came to India. That there was no Indian representation in a committee, which was to decide on how Indians would be ruled was severely criticised and protested by the Nationalist leaders and Indians as a whole. 

Lala Lajpat Rai was severely lathi charged by the British police force during a protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore on October 30, 1928 and died a few days later on November 17th from the wounds. 

It was after the brutal lathi- charge that Lajpat Rai gave his famous speech where he said “ The blows struck at me today will be the last nails in the coffin of British Rule in India”. 

Young men Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad were greatest inspired and influenced by Lala Lajpat Rai. 

It was his unflinching patriotism that earned him the the title of “ Punjab Kesari” and “Lion of Punjab”. 

Food for Thought.......

RC