Lala Lajpat Rai Biography
లాలా లజపత్ రాయ్ జీవిత చరిత్ర
Lala Lajpat Rai was a prominent nationalist
leader who played an important role in India’s struggle for freedom. He was a
prominent member of the famous ‘Lal Bal Pal’ firebrand trio during the
independence movement. His fierce brand of patriotism and potent vocalism
against the British rule earned him the title of ‘Punjab Kesari’ or the Lion of
the Punjab. He also initiated the foundation of Punjab National Bank. In 1897,
he founded the Hindu Orphan Relief Movement to keep the Christian missions from
securing custody of these children. He was badly injured in police lathi-charge
on the activists, who were protesting the arrival of Simon Commission, and died
a few days later due to the injuries.
Early Life
Lala Lajpat Rai was born on January 28,
1865 to Munshi Radha Krishna Azad and Gulab Devi at Dhudike village in Ferozpur
District. Munshi Azad was a scholar of Persian and Urdu. Lala’s mother was a
religious lady who inculcated strong moral values in her children. His family
values allowed Lajpat Rai the freedom of having different faiths and beliefs.
He received his elementary education in
the Government Higher Secondary School, Rewari where his father was posted as
teacher. Lajpat Rai joined the Government College at Lahore in 1880 to study
Law. While in college he came in contact with patriots and future freedom
fighters like Lala Hans Raj and Pandit Guru Dutt. He studied law from
Government College in Lahore and thereafter started his legal practice in
Hissar, Haryana. Since childhood he had a desire to serve his country and
therefore took a pledge to free it from foreign rule. In 1884 his father was
transferred to Rohtak and Lala Lajpat Rai came along. He married Radha Devi in
1877.
In 1886 the family shifted to Hissar, where he practiced law. During the 1888 and 1889 annual sessions of the National Congress, he participated as a delegate. He moved to Lahore to practice before the High Court in 1892.
Ideas of Nationalism
Lala Lajpat Rai was a voracious reader
and everything he read left a great imprint on his mind. He was deeply
impressed by the ideals of patriotism and nationalism outlined by Italian
revolutionary leader Giuseppe Mazzini. Inspired by Mazzini, Lalaji became
indoctrinated into the revolutionary way of attaining freedom. He, together
with other prominent leaders like Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosh from
Bengal, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak from Maharashtra, began to see the negative
aspects of moderate politics advocated by many leaders of the Indian National
Congress. They voiced their strong opposition to the Congress’ demand for
gradual progress to dominion status and began voicing the need for complete
independence or ‘Purna Swaraj’. In personal views he was a great believer in
inter-faith harmony, but he did not think right of the trend by Congress
leaders to sacrifice Hindu interests to appease the Muslim section of the
party. Lala was one of the few leaders who realized the difficulties of a
united anti-colonial struggle and a possible source of religious conflict
between the Hindus and Muslims of the country. His proposal for "a clear
partition of India into a Muslim India and non-Muslim India" on
December14, 1923, in The Tribune, met with major controversy.
Political Career
Lajpat Rai gave-up his legal practice
and put all his efforts towards freeing his Motherland from the shackles of the
British Imperialism. He recognized the need for presenting the state of affairs
in the Indian Freedom struggle to prominent countries in the world in order to
highlight the atrocious nature of the British rule in India. He went to Britain
in 1914 and then to the USA in 1917. In October 1917, he founded the Indian
Home Rule League of America in New York. He stayed in the USA from 1917 to
1920.
In 1920, after his return from America,
Lajpat Rai was invited to preside over the special session of the Congress in
Calcutta, (now Kolkata). He led fiery demonstrations against the British in
Punjab in protest for their brutal actions at Jallianwallah Bagh. When Gandhi
launched the non-cooperation movement in 1920, he plunged into action leading
the movement in Punjab. When Gandhi decided to suspend the movement post Chauri
Chaura incident, Lajpat Rai criticized the decision and went on to form the
Congress Independence Party.
The Simon Commission visited India in
1929 with the aim to discuss constitutional reforms. The fact that the
Commission was comprised solely of British delegates greatly angered the Indian
leaders. The country erupted in protest and Lala Lajpat Rai was in the
forefront of such demonstrations.
Death
On October 30, 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai led
a peaceful procession to oppose the arrival of the Simon Commission in Lahore.
Intercepting the march, Superintendent of Police, James A.Scott ordered his
police force to 'lathi-charge' at the activists. The police targeted Lajpat
Rai, in particular, and hit him on the chest. This action left Lala Lajpat Rai
with severe injuries. He died of a heart attack on November 17, 1928. His
followers squarely placed the blame on the British and vowed to avenge his
death. Chandrasekhar Azad along with Bhagat Singh and other associates plotted
the assassination of Scott but the revolutionaries shot J.P. Saunders,
mistaking him as Scott.
Role as an Influencer
Not only Rai was this heavyweight leader
of the Indian Nationalist Movement, his views on patriotism and nationalism
earned him the status of a venerated leader. He inspired young men of his
generation and kindled latent spirit of patriotism in their hearts. Young men
such as Chandrasekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh were driven to dedicate their lives
for the sake of freedom of their Motherland following his example.
Legacy
Lala Lajpat Rai made lasting impression in the minds of his countrymen not only by his leadership abilities, but made his presence felt in fields of education, commerce and even healthcare. He was a follower of Dayanand Saraswati and helped establish the nationalistic Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School. He initiated the established of a bank which later evolved as the ‘Punjab National Bank’. He established a trust in his mother Gulabi Devi’s name in 1927 and oversaw the opening of a tuberculosis hospital for women named Gulabi Devi Chest Hospital.
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