Lala Lajpat Rai was born on January 28, 1865. He was an Indian writer, freedom fighter and politician. He played a vital role in the Indian independence movement. Lala Lajpat Rai was a multifaceted personality and led a life of constant activity devoted to selfless service to the nation.
He was Born into an educated Aggarwal family in Punjab, he studied in Rewari and later in Lahore, the capital of undivided Punjab. He was drawn into one of India’s most creative revitalization movements of the 19th century, the Arya Samaj, founded and led by Swami Dayanand Saraswati. He later founded the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School in Lahore.
Contributions and achievements
1. Lalaji was remembered for his role during the Swadeshi movement and for his advocacy of education.
2. Born in 1865, he became a follower of Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, and became one of the leaders of the society.
3. In 1881, he joined the Indian National Congress at the age of 16.
4. He also helped establish the Punjab National Bank.
5. In 1885, Rai founded the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School in Lahore and remained a devoted educator throughout his life.
6. Rai, Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal (called Lal-Bal-Pal) ardently advocated the use of Swadeshi goods and mass agitation in the wake of the controversial partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon.
7. In 1917, he founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York.
8. He was elected President of the Indian National Congress during its special session in Calcutta in 1920, which launched Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement.
9. A patriot died in Lahore in 1928 after being assaulted by the police during a protest rally against the Simon Commission.
10. His major works include: ‘Arya Samaj’, ‘Young India’, ‘England’s Debt to India’, ‘Evolution of Japan’, ‘India’s Will to Freedom’, ‘The Message of the Bhagwad Gita’, ‘Political Future of India’, ‘The Problem of National Education in India’, ‘The Depressed Glasses’ and the travelogue ‘United States of America’.
The significance of his views for the freedom struggle is as follows:
1. His views helped to recognize the importance of a united front against the British.
2. British efforts to partition India on communal lines as seen in the Acts of 1909 and 1919 were clearly given to the Indian leadership.
3. His ideas on cultural diversity were given to Nehru after independence as ‘Unity in Diversity’.
4. His idea of people of all religions as true citizens of India combined with Gandhi’s ideas of an inclusive struggle against the British led to the Non-Cooperative movement associated with the Khilafat movement.
5. Rai’s understanding of social problems led him to form various social organizations like All India Trade Union Congress, Punjab National Bank which are still flourishing in India.
6. November 17 is the death anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai, the fiery Indian nationalist leader fondly called ‘Punjab Kesari’.
Written by : Vaishali Verma
