Born - 1863
Died - 1927
A prominent leader of India's freedom struggle, it was Ajmal Khan who founded the prestigious Jamia Milia Islamia University at Delhi. He is also the sole person who has had the honor to be elected the President of the Indian National Congress, the Muslim League and the All India Khilafat Committee.
Ajmal khan was a prominent freedom fighter, respected physician and academician of India. It was he who founded the prestigious Jamia Milia Islamia University at Delhi. Ajmal Khan is also the sole person who has had the honor to be elected the President of the Indian National Congress, the Muslim League and the All India Khilafat Committee. He was born in the year 1863 at Delhi and belonged from an illustrious family of physicians said to be the lineage in Emperor Babur's army.
Keep reading to know more about the biography of Ajmal Khan. Khan was a religious man who read the holy Quran and other books based on the traditional Islamic knowledge. At the same time, he also studied the medicine at home under the guidance of their family members. After beginning his practice, Khan was elected as the main physician to the Nawab of Rampur from the time period 1892 to 1902. Here, he was introduced to Syed Ahmed Khan who chose him as the trustee of the Aligarh College, now called the Aligarh Muslim University.
The life history of Ajmal Khan changed its course from medicine towards politics after he started writing for an Urdu weekly 'Akmal-ul-Akhbar' that was launched by his family in 1865-70. Khan was also heading the Muslim team, who met the Viceroy of India in Shimla in the year 1906 to give him a memorandum made by them. The following year, he was present at Dhaka when the All India Muslim League was formulated. Dr Ajmal Khan also supported the British during the First World War and asked the Indian to do the same.
At a time when many Muslim leaders were arrested, Dr Ajmal Khan approached Mahatma Gandhi for help. As such, Gandhiji united with him and other Muslim leaders like Maulana Azad, Maulana Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali in the famous Khilafat movement. Ajmal Khan resigned from the Aligarh Muslim University when the authorities refused to accept the non-cooperation movement waged by Gandhiji and the Congress against the British government. He was elected the president of the Indian National Congress in the year 1921.
Tag :// Hakim Ajmal Khan
Jayaprakash Narayan was a freedom fighter and political leader of India. Popularly called JP, Narayan played a pivotal role in the Quit India movement and earned a lot of fame and respect for this. During the Quit India Movement too in 1942, JP was at the helm of the agitation.
Jayaprakash was an Indian freedom fighter and political leader of India. Popularly called JP by his allies, Narayan is remembered for spearheading the opposition to Indira Gandhi during the 1970s era. This biography traces out the political life history of Jayaprakash Narayan who was born in the Sitabdiara village in the Saran district of Bihar. Being a bright student, he went on to complete his BA and MA in politics and sociology from the United States in 1922.
Once in the United States, Jayaprakash Narayan studied the political science, sociology and economics at the Universities of Berkeley, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio State. He was really impressed by Marxism during his study at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The ideas and writings of M.N. Roy also equally impressed him. But financial problems and his mother's health caused him to give up his dreams of securing a PhD.
It was while Narayan was returning to India that he got the chance to meet revolutionaries like Rajani Palme Dutt in London on his way back to India. As such, he joined the Indian National Congress in 1929 upon receiving an invitation from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In the time to come, the great Mahatma Gandhi turned out to be the mentor and guide of Jayaprakash Narayan. Narayan was jailed and tortured by the British forces several times during the war for Independence.
Jayaprakash Narayan played a crucial role in the Quit India movement and earned a lot of fame and respect for this. JP wedded freedom fighter Prabhavati Devi, who was a follower of Kasturba Gandhi. She resided at the Sabarmati Ashram while Jayaprakash Narayan was studying abroad. Though she nurtured viewpoints that contradicted JP's, yet her husband always respected her independence.
Jayaprakash Narayan met Ram Manohar Lohia, Minoo Masani, Ashok Mehta, Yusuf Desai and other national leaders when he was put behind bars in 1932 because of the civil disobedience movement. After JP came out of jail, the Congress Socialist party was set up. While Acharya Narendra Deva was elected as its President, JP was chosen its general secretary. During the Quit India Movement in 1942, JP was again at the helm of the agitation.
Post independence and death of Gandhiji, Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Dev and Basawon Singh directed the CSP out of Congress to create the first opposition Socialist Party. This unit later on took the title Praja Socialist Party. Basawon Singh became the first leader of the Opposition in the state and assembly of Bihar, whereas Acharya Narendra Deva became the first leader of opposition in the state and assembly of U.P.
As was only to be hoped that being a British colony India was slowly gearing to the adoption of English as the national language during the pre-Independent era. Even after the attainment of freedom by India in 1947, Hindi has having a tough time in achieving its due place in the country. Against this backdrop, Purushottam Das Tandon, also known as Rajarshi, is remembered for his yeomen’s service in the achievement by Hindi its due place as the National Language.
Sometimes his enthusiasm for Hindi was resented by some who accused him being communal and chauvinistic. It was by his efforts that Hindi began to be written in Devanagari script.
One of the foremost leaders during India’s struggle for independence, Purushottam Das Tandon was also a journalist, orator and social worker. He was born on 2nd August, 1882, at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. After receiving his primary education in the local City Anglo Vernacular School, he got a degree in law and started practising in the Allhabad High court. During his student days he joined Indian National congress in 1899. After being expelled from Mayor Central College of the Allahabad University for his revolutionary activities, he completed his studies in 1903 from a different college in Allahabad. He was one of the members of Congress Party Committee formed to look into the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Responding to the call of Mahatma Gandhi, he joined the freedom struggle by giving up his law practice in 1921.
In 1946, Purushottam Das Tandon was elected to the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Indian constitution. He served as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh and remained in the post for thirteen years.
Though Tandon contested unsuccessfully against Pattabhi Sitaramayya for the position of the President of Congress in 1948 but was able to defeat Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani popularly known as Acharya Kriplani, in 1950 to be the president of Nagpur session. Jawaharlal Nehru was opposed to the candidacy of Tandon and he even threatened to resign. During his tenure there was a lack of co-ordination between the party and the government. Since then it has been the norm in the Congress party to have the same person as the president and head of the government or at least a pliable candidate for the post of either of the two. Purushottam Das Tandon won the Lok Sabha poll in 1952 and went to the Rajya Sabha in 1956.
On 23rd April, 1961, Purushottam Das Tandon was awarded Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. He breathed his last on 1st July 1962.
Sukhdev Thaparwas also a famous Indian revolutionary who sacrificed his life for the cause of India’s independence.He was born on may 15,1907 in Naughara in ludhiana. Since childhood, he had witnessed the brutal behavior of British authorities on Indians and grew up with a firm decision and an earnest desire to set India free from British dominion.
Sukhdev was a member of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and took active part in various revolutionary activities. He along with other revolutionaries founded the Naujawan Bharat Sabha with the aim to aware and gear up Indian youth for the freedom struggle showing them an imaginary picture of India’s future.
As a active participant of Lahore Conspiracy Case in 1928 and Prison Hunger Strike in 1929, Sukhdev shook the established foundation of British Government. On 1929, he along with his accomplice Bhagat Singh and Shivram Rajguru was arrested for assassinating Deputy Superitendent Saunder in 1928, thus avenging the death of Lalaji. The three brave revolutionaries were sentenced to death, as per the verdict, on March 23, 1931 and their bodies were secretly cremated on the banks of River Sutlej
Tag :// Sukhdev
The real name of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin. Popularly known as Maulana Azad, he was one of the foremost leaders of Indian freedom struggle. Maulana Azad was not just a prominent freedom fighter. He was also a renowned poet and scholar. He was highly educated and travelled to different countries to understand the true meaning of freedom, struggle and culture. His proficiency in many languages like Hindi, Bengali, Arabic, English, Urdu and Persian made him a leading figure in intellectual arena. Azad was his pen name that he had adopted later in his life. It represented his liberation from a narrow view of religion and life.
Born on November 11, 1888 in Mecca, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad received his primary education at home. He was first taught by his father and then eminent scholars. His family had left India during the Sepoy Mutiny but came back to India in 1890 and settled in Calcutta. His father ensured, he received best of traditional Islamic education. His visit to diverse countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq had taught him valuable lessons about freedom struggle and Pan-Islamic spirit. His meeting with political members, freedom fighters and scholars of great repute left an indelible mark on his life. His return to India found him converted into a nationalist revolutionary. He met similar minded freedom fighters in Calcutta and decided to devote his life to freedom struggle of India.
His biggest contribution was in convincing Islamic revolutionaries to fight for India’s freedom struggle. Maulana Azad explained the futility of fighting for anti-Muslim causes and urged his community to present a united front for the freedom struggle of India. His idea of freedom was based on Hindu-Muslim unity and for that he started a weekly journal which later became a big threat to British rule. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was an active participant of Non-Cooperation Movement, Khilafat Movement and Salt Satyagraha movement. British rulers kept putting him into prison every now and then and yet his spirit found him coming back to freedom struggle.
He was appointed president of Congress party in 1940 and he continued in that post till 1946. He was a staunch supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity and partition of the country left him devastated. Maulana Azad was appointed as independent India's first education minister. He died on February 22, 1958 of a stroke. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in 1992 for his invaluable contribution to the nation.
Chakravarty Rajagopalachari, affectionately known as Rajaji, was an ardent patriot, clever politician, pioneering social reformer, keen thinker, profound scholar, accomplished author, outstanding administrator and wise statesman. Above all, he was a moral giant and a crusader for freedom, democracy and human rights.
Born on December 10, 1878, in Hosur taluk of Salem district in Tamil Nadu, Rajaji had his early education in his village of Thorapolli. He received his high school and collegiate education in Bangalore and Madras. He qualified himself for the bar and started legal practice at Salem in 1900, when he was just 22. He built up a lucrative practice and also started taking active interest in municipal affairs.
Even before he started his legal practice, Chakravarty Rajagopalachari’s mind was getting ready for his eventual participation in the national struggle for freedom. He attended the Surat session of the Congress in 1907. He first met Gandhiji in 1919 and had the first experience of jail life in 1921. Deeply interested in tackling social evils, he first directed his attention to Prohibition. He also popularized khadhi through his speeches and writings. He also led the salt Satyagraha in South India and was eventually jailed for that.
Rajaji was gifted with a rare talent of re-telling stories from the epics and Puranas and applying their morals to the needs of the modern time. His books on the Upanishads, Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. have almost become classics. Rajaji was a karmayogi. He was never afraid of standing alone, and whenever national interest demanded he put himself in her service.
Rajaji became the Prime Minister of Madras Presidency in 1937. He resigned from the congress in 1942 on the issue of Quit India Movement. He rejoined it in 1946 and served in the interim government. After the independence, he became the first Governor of West Bengal. In 1948 he became the Governor General after Mountbatten. In 1951 he became the minister of Home Affairs and was subsequently given the Bharat Ratna in 1954.
Rajagopalachari drifted away from the Congress and formed the Swtantra party which was against socialism involving state planning and control of various economic activities. He went to the U.S. in 1962 as the leader of an Indian delegation to plead against the piling up of nuclear weapons of destruction. He passed away in Madras on Christmas Day, December 25, 1972 at the age of 94.
Bhikaji Cama is also known as Madam Cama and is considered as the mother of Indian revolution because of her contributions to Indian freedom struggle. Madam Cama holds an important place in the annals of Indian freedom movement. Her name symbolised courage, integrity and perseverance. Fearlessness was the hallmark of her personality. She gave it all so that India could secure its freedom. She was one of the initial freedom fighters. Born on September 24, 1861 in a rich Parsi family at Bombay, Bhikaji Cama received her formal education from Alexandra native Girl’s English Institution. She was a bright student and mastered many languages.
After her marriage to British lawyer Rustom Cama did not work as she had wanted, she devoted herself to various social activities and worked tirelessly for the upliftment of weaker sections of society. Madam Cama did great many socially relevant works and her contributions to Indian society have become a subject of legends. She was also a passionate nationalist. A turning point in her life came when Bombay Presidency was hit by deadly Plague in 1896. She rose to the occasion and devoted herself to the services of plague victims. Her involvement was so complete that she herself fell victim to this dreadful disease. Her condition deteriorated badly and she was advised to go to England for rest and further treatment. She reluctantly left for Britain in 1902. Even in an alien land, Madam Cama worked for promoting India’s freedom struggle. She also worked as a private secretary to great Indian nationalist Dadabhai Navaroji. She learned a lot from the legend and that further made her resolver stronger to work for the welfare of the people.
Bhikaji Cama soon became very popular in Britain. The rulers became so scared of her effects on people that they planned her assassination but she survived that and escaped to France. Her efforts did not slow down in France and in fact, she became a leading inspiration for revolutionaries. She sheltered several freedom fighters and kept sending help in form of cash and materials across the sea. British came to know of her movements and asked French Government for her extradition but France refused. Madam Cama is also credited with designing India’s first tricolour flag with green, saffron and red stripes bearing the immortal words – Vande Matram. After fighting tirelessly for India’s freedom struggle on foreign land for several years, she came back to India and left for heavenly abode on August 13, 1936.
Tag :// Bhikaji Cama
So long as I can serve India, I shall continue to do so. I love the Indian people as I love none other, so wrote Annie Besant, in her paper ‘New India’. Born of Irish parents in London on October 1, 1847, Annie Besant made India her home since the day in November, 1893, when she landed at Tuticorin in Tamilnadu. Mahatma Gandhi once said about her that she awakened India from her deep slumber. Few women of her generation had done so much to change people’s minds, beliefs, and attitudes. Till her 46th year when she came to India, Dr. Besant passed through several phases of life including, housewife, and propagator of atheism, trade unionist, feminist leader and Fabian socialist. By 1889, there was scarcely any modern reform in England for which she had not written, spoken, worked, and suffered. In 1908 Annie Besant became President of the Theosophical Society and began to steer the society away from Buddhism and towards Hinduism. Once in India she totally involved herself with the country’s problem. With the theosophical society at Adyar in Madras (now Chennai) as her headquarters, she worked with tireless zeal for the freedom of the country. She named her movement ‘Home Rule’. She started a paper called ‘New India’ for carrying on her furious agendas. She attended for the first time the 1914 session of the Indian national congress and later on became its first woman president in 1917. In the meantime she launched the home rule league but failed to get the support of Balgangadher Tilak who has also started his own home rule league. She was opposed to the Satyagraha movement of Gandhiji as she was a constitutionalist. Dr. Besant was associated with the scouts, movement from 1917 and the women’s Indian association from the same year. She started many educational institutions including the national college at Madanappalli and Hindu college at Banaras. She delivered the kamala lectures of the Calcutta University in 1925. “She tried to follow truth”, she wanted these words to be her epitaph. With her passing away on September 21, 1933 the life of a great political leader, a social reformer and a standard- bearer of Indian culture came to an end. |
Tag :// Annie Besant
Sri Aurobindo (August 15, 1872-December 5, 1950) was a great scholar, mystical poet, yogi and an aggressive Indian nationalist. He was actively involved in the politics of India. He is well known for his incredible contribution in the freedom struggle of our country. He came up with an entirely new system of spirituality. He called his pathway to spirituality the 'integral yoga.
The basic objective of his teachings was to increase the level of consciousness of people and make them aware about their true self. His literary works include the writings on varied subjects like the Indian culture, socio political development of the country, spirituality etc. Well, in this article, we will provide you with the biography of Sri Aurobindo. Read on to know the complete life history of Aurobindo Ghosh.Sri Aurobindo was born as the son of Dr K. D. Ghose and Swarnalata Devi. Dr Ghose on the 15th of August in the year 1872 in Kolkata, India. He was named Aurobindo Akroyd Ghose. His parents wanted his upbringing to be in the European style. So, they got him enrolled in the Loreto Convent School at Darjeeling.
When he was seven years old, he was sent to England for the completion of education. He did his schooling from St. Paul's School in London and graduation from King's College, Cambridge. Side by side, he learnt several foreign languages like Greek, French, Italian German, Latin, and Spanish. He came back to India when he was 21 years old.
At the time of partition of Bengal, during the period between 1905-1912, he leaded the group of Indian nationalists. Later, he became the editor of a nationalist Bengali newspaper named Vande Mataram.
As time passed by, Sri Aurobindo began losing interest in politics and started concentrating on spirituality. He came across a yogi named Vishnu Bhaskar Lele, who showed him the path of Hindu practice of yoga. He went into the state of deep meditation for a period of four years in Pondicherry. Then, he launched a 64 page monthly review "Arya". In the year 1920, his close spiritual collaborator named Mirra Richard joined him. She was more popularly known as 'The Mother'. It is in the companionship of the Mother that Aurobindo Ghosh came up with the idea of establishing an ashram in Auroville.
Sri Aurobindo philosophy is based on the concept of 'reality of Being and consciousness' amidst the big universe in which we live. The philosophies of Aurobindo Ghosh were very simple and clear cut. He taught people to become aware of their true self and feel the presence of divinity lying within them. More…
The early writings of Aurobindo Ghosh consist of the poems that he penned down when he was a student in England. He wrote quite a number of plays and poems, during his thirteen years of stay in Baroda. If you want to have a look at Sri Aurobindo works, you can check out the volumes titled Collected Plays that contain the short stories and plays written by him. His poetry is published in the volume Collected Poems. More…
Founded in the year 1926, Sri Aurobindo ashram has witnessed tremendous growth over the years. From a small group consisting of 124 disciples, today, the Aurobindo ashram has more than 2000 members. Since it is situated in the busy Pondicherry city of India, it is not a very peaceful place. Infact, it can be said about the ashram that, it is a very vibrant center that is always abuzz with activities. More…
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July 31 is the Martyrdom Day of Sardar Udham Singh who is well-known as the Tiger of Punjab. This article pays obeisance to his memory.5th June 1940. The Old Bailey Court in London, Judge Atkinson is read out an appeal by a sturdy Hindustani accused. The man is in his 40s and holds his head high. It was his last speech before the Judge could declare the punishment. He said,” I have seen many children dying due to malnutrition in India under British rule. I have witnessed with my own eyes the massacre committed by General Dyer under the command of O’Dwyer. These events made me a sworn enemy of the British Empire. Had I not assassinated O’Dwyer in revenge, it would have been a blot on Hindustan’s reputation. I am not bothered about the 10, 15, 20 years imprisonment or death sentence that you may give. What use is it to remain alive till old age? The real credit is to die young. I want to be a martyr of my nation!”
He spoke for 20 minutes. The judge could not tolerate this narration about the British Government’s complete exploitation of Hindustan. By the time the accused had completed reading his appeal, the judge was mighty enraged. He even forgot to wear the mandatory black hat while announcing the death sentence. He banned the accused’s speech from being recorded or reproduced. An orderly in the court was alert to the occasion and placed the black hat on the judge’s head, just before he announced the death sentence. This accused was Udham Singh. Tiger of Punjab, Sardar Udham Singh was born in the Princely state of Patiala. He was born in Sunam village on the 28th December, 1899. In 1919 he was one of the witnesses of the Jallianwala massacre. He was a volunteer at this meeting. He was serving people water. Even he was hit by a bullet and collapsed to the ground. But when he heard the pitiable cries of his countrymen, he got up and continued to serve them water. 373 innocent people were killed and more than 500 injured in this massacre. The orders for the same had been issued by the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Michael O’Dwyer. Since then Udham Singh’s mind was yearning for revenge.Sardar Udham Singh was associated with Bhagat Singh for some time. During this period he was caught with weapons and ammunition and sentenced to a 5 year jail term. After his release from jail, he went to England, in 1933. He was firmly determined to kill O’Dwyer, who had returned to England. He got -acquainted with O’Dwyer and became more and more familiar with him. In 1940, O’Dwyer even invited him for Tea at his Devonshire residence. Udhamsingh accepted the invitation. He could have killed O’Dwyer then and there. Yet he avoided it, so that he could kill O’Dwyer in full public view.
13th March 1940. A meeting was to be held in the Caxton Hall, where earlier Madanlal Dhingra had assassinated Curzon Wyllie. Presiding over the meeting was the Minister for Bharat, Lord Zetland. The eminent speakers were Percy Sykes, Michael O’Dwyer etc. After everyone had spoken Udham Singh came forward. He fired from just three yard distance at O’Dwyer, who was seating on the left in the first row. O’Dwyer died in two shots. The next two injured Lord Zetland and another two wounded Lord Lamington and Sir Luis Dane.
Born On: March 23, 1910
Born In: Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh
Died On: October 12, 1967
Career: Freedom Fighter, Socialist, Political Leader
Nationality: Indian
An honored freedom fighter, a maverick socialist and an esteemed political leader are phrases that have long been and still are synonymous to Ram Manohar Lohia. Having been born in 1910 in the pre-independence era to a nationalist-at-heart father, it didn't take him long before he entered the freedom movement. And with Mahatma Gandhi as his mentor, he never shied away from the truth and worked his way wonderfully through India's freedom struggle for independence to post-independence social and economic issues with an unswayed enthusiasm and dedication. Be it organizing a small strike on the death of Lokmanya Tilak or providing support to India's freedom struggle by participating in the Satyagraha Movement at the age of ten; raising his voice to the social evils like rich-poor divide, elimination of caste system, and man-woman inequality; summoning the youth on the topics of politics, literature, and arts during his last few years; he did it all. At the age of 57 he passed away, but not before making an applaud-worthy contribution to both, India's history and future. It's only respectful that many colleges, universities, hospitals, and roads have been named after him in his remembrance.
Early Life
Son of Hira Lal and Chanda, Ram Manohar was born on 23rd March 1910 in Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh in the British India. His mother, who was a teacher by profession, passed away while he was still very young. At a young age, Ram's father, who was a nationalist, introduced him to India's freedom movement through various rallies and protest assemblies. The turning point in his life came when his father, an impassioned follower of Mahatma Gandhi, took him along on a meeting with Mahatma Gandhi. Deeply inspired by Gandhi's personality and beliefs, Ram took his values and principles to heart which helped him come through the testing times and supported him in many of his endeavors in future. At the age of ten, he participated in the Satyagraha march and proved both, his loyalty to Mahatma Gandhi and his metal as a significant freedom fighter in the time to come.
In 1921, he met Jawaharlal Nehru, with whom he developed a deep bond over the years. However, the two had clash of opinions over various issues and political beliefs. At the age of 18, in the year 1928, young Lohia organized a student protest to object the all-white Simon Commission which was to consider the possibility of granting India dominion status without requiring consultation of the Indian people. However, in midst of all this, Lohia did not give up on his education. He attended the Banaras Hindu University to complete his intermediate course work after standing first in his school's matric examinations. He, then, completed his graduation in B.A from Calcutta University in 1929 and went to Berlin University, Germany to pursue his PhD and completed it in 1932. He soon learned German and received financial assistance based on his outstanding academic performance.
His Idealisms
Ram Manohar Lohia always preferred Hindi over English as the official language of India as he believed that English creates a distance between the educated and the uneducated public. He stated that the usage of English acts as a hindrance in the way of original thinking and creates a sense of un-belongingness among the uneducated class. He believed that using Hindi would promote a spirit of unity and will foster new nation changing ideas. "Caste restricts opportunity. Restricted opportunity constricts ability. Constricted ability further restricts opportunity. Where caste prevails, opportunity and ability are restricted to ever-narrowing circles of the people". These words from Ram Manohar truly project what he thought of ever existent caste system in India.
He believed that caste system impairs the thought processes and robs the country of fresh ideas. He suggested for a nullification of the caste system through "Roti and Beti (bread and daughter)". He believed that the only way to annihilate the caste barrier is by baking bread (roti) together as one (eating together) and by being willing to marry the girls (beti) despite of what caste the boy belongs to. For the same, he handed out electoral tickets to the higher positions in his United Socialist Party to the lower caste candidates and even promoted them. He also wanted to establish better government schools which would provide equal learning opportunities to everyone despite of the class.
Indian Freedom Movement
His spirit and role in the freedom movement did not end with his stint while he was young. In fact, while his stay in Europe, he also organized a club Association of European Indians, the purpose of which was to expand and preserve Indian nationalism outside India. He also attended the League of Nations assembly in Geneva. Though India was represented by the Maharaja of Bikaner, an ally of the British Raj, Lohia took exception to this. Further, he launched a protest from the visitors' gallery and later fired several letters to editors of newspapers and magazines to clarify the reasons for his protest. The whole incident made Ram Manohar Lohia a superstar in India, overnight. Immediately after his return to the home country, he joined the Indian National Congress party and laid the base for Congress Socialist Party formed in 1934. In 1936, Jawahar Lal Nehru appointed him as the first secretary of the All India Congress Committee which led to the formation of the foreign affairs department for the first time, in giving shape to India's foreign policy.
On 24th May, 1939, Lohia was arrested for the first time for making provocative statements and urging Indian people to boycott all government institutions but was released by the authorities on the very next day because of the fear of youth uprising. However in June 1940, he was arrested yet again under charges of writing the article "Satyagraha Now" and was sent for two years of imprisonment where he was mentally tortured and interrogated, before being set free in December 1941. During the Quit India Movement in 1942, Ram Manohar was among many other secondary leaders who made tremendous effort to keep the fire of an independent India burning inside the commoners; when many top leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Maulana Azad, and Vallabhbhai Patel were imprisoned.
Lohia got arrested twice after that, once in Bombay from where he was taken to a prison in Lahore and was brutally tortured; and once in Goa, where upon learning that the Portuguese government had restricted people's freedom of speech and assembly, he decided to make a speech against Portuguese government's policy. And as India was getting closer to being independent, he strongly opposed partition of the country into two through his writings and speeches. Being a hardcore follower of Mahatma Gandhi and adopting his philosophy of non-violence, he pleaded the nation against the acts of violence that had engulfed the country because of partition. On 15th August 1947, when all of the India assembled in Delhi, he stood by his mentor mourning the after-effects of an unwanted partition.
Post Independence
The post independence work that he indulged in to rebuild the nation and make it stand firm was no less ordinary than his contribution as a freedom fighter in India's struggle for independence. He urged for a more personal involvement and contribution from the general public to reconstruct the nation by constructing wells, canals, and roads in their respective local and neighborhood areas. The Janavani Day, a day to listen to the grievances and opinions of people from across the nation by the parliament members; is still persistent today. The controversy of "teen anna pandrah anna", when Ram Manohar wrote a pamphlet "25000 rupees in a day" stating that the amount of money spent on prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru was way more than our country could afford when majority of the population lived on 3 annas a day, is famous even today. In reply, Nehru had snapped stating that India's planning commission's statistics reflected that the average income was close to 15 annas a day.
Lohia brought many issues at surface that had long been eating away the nation and its capacity to succeed. He worked hard through speech and writing in creating awareness and bringing forth the problems like rich man-poor man gap, caste inequalities, man-woman inequalities, and yet not giving away individual privacy. Since agriculture was India's primary source of GDP at that time, Lohia formed Hind Kisan Panchayat, whereby farmers of the country could resolve their problems. He even made an effort to provide more power into the hands of general public by planning to centralize the government. During his last few years, he spent most of his time in discussing the topics of politics, Indian literature, and arts with the younger generation of the nation.
Death
On 12th October, 1967; at the age of 57 Ram Manohar Lohia died in New Delhi.
Posthumously
Ram Manohar Lohia's contribution did not go in vain, as people realized his efforts for a united and free India. Post his death; he was bestowed with numerous nobilities. Dr. Rammanohar Lohiya National Law University, one of the premier law institutes in India, located at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has been named after him. Apart from this, there is a hospital in New Delhi by the name of Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Hospital that has been established in his memory. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences is an upcoming medical institute for postgrauade studies in Lucknow Uttar Pradesh. To add on, the Dr. Rammanohar Lohia College of Law, affiliated with Bangalore University, has been named after him. Also, "18 June Road", in Panjim, Goa is named after himmarkign his agitation against colonial rule in the year 1946.
Tag :// Ram Manohar Lohia
Born: February 13, 1879
Died: March 2, 1949
Achievements: She was the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the governor of a state in India.
Sarojini Naidu was a distinguished poet, renowned freedom fighter and one of the great orators of her time. She was famously known as Bharatiya Kokila (The Nightingale of India). Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the governor of a state in India.
Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879. Her father Aghoranath Chattopadhyaya was a scientist and philosopher. He was the founder of the Nizam College, Hyderabad. Sarojini Naidu's mother Barada Sundari Devi was a poetess and used to write poetry in Bengali. Sarojini Naidu was the eldest among the eight siblings. One of her brothers Birendranath was a revolutionary and her other brother Harindranath was a poet, dramatist, and actor.
Sarojini Naidu was a brilliant student. She was proficient in Urdu, Telugu, English, Bengali, and Persian. At the age of twelve, Sarojini Naidu attained national fame when she topped the matriculation examination at Madras University. Her father wanted her to become a mathematician or scientist but Sarojini Naidu was interested in poetry. She started writing poems in English. Impressed by her poetry, Nizam of Hyderabad, gave her scholarship to study abroad. At the age of 16, she traveled to England to study first at King's College London and later at Girton College, Cambridge. There she met famous laureates of her time such as Arthur Simon and Edmond Gausse. It was Gausse who convinced Sarojini to stick to Indian themes-India's great mountains, rivers, temples, social milieu, to express her poetry. She depicted contemporary Indian life and events. Her collections "The golden threshold (1905)", "The bird of time (1912)", and "The broken wing (1912)" attracted huge Indian and English readership.
At the age of 15, she met Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu and fell in love with him. a non-brahmin, and a doctor by profession. After finishing her studies at the age of 19, she married him during the time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed. It was a revolutionary step but Sarojini's father fully supported her in her endeavour. Sarojini Naidu had a happy married life and had four children: Jayasurya, Padmaj, Randheer, and Leilamani.
Sarojini Naidu joined the Indian national movement in the wake of partition of Bengal in 1905. She came into contact with Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Annie Besant, C.P.Rama Swami Iyer, Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru. She awakened the women of India. She brought them out of the kitchen. She traveled from state to state, city after city and asked for the rights of the women. She re-established self-esteem within the women of India.
In 1925, Sarojini Naidu presided over the annual session of Indian National Congress at Kanpur. Sarojini Naidu played a leading role during the Civil Disobedience Movement and was jailed along with Gandhiji and other leaders. In 1942, Sarojini Naidu was arrested during the "Quit India" movement and was jailed for 21 months with Gandhiji. She shared a very warm relationship with Gandhiji and used to call him "Mickey Mouse".
After Independence, Sarojini Naidu became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She was India's first woman governor. Sarojini Naidu died in office on March 2 ,1949.
Died: March 2, 1949
Achievements: She was the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the governor of a state in India.
Sarojini Naidu was a distinguished poet, renowned freedom fighter and one of the great orators of her time. She was famously known as Bharatiya Kokila (The Nightingale of India). Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the governor of a state in India.
Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879. Her father Aghoranath Chattopadhyaya was a scientist and philosopher. He was the founder of the Nizam College, Hyderabad. Sarojini Naidu's mother Barada Sundari Devi was a poetess and used to write poetry in Bengali. Sarojini Naidu was the eldest among the eight siblings. One of her brothers Birendranath was a revolutionary and her other brother Harindranath was a poet, dramatist, and actor.
Sarojini Naidu was a brilliant student. She was proficient in Urdu, Telugu, English, Bengali, and Persian. At the age of twelve, Sarojini Naidu attained national fame when she topped the matriculation examination at Madras University. Her father wanted her to become a mathematician or scientist but Sarojini Naidu was interested in poetry. She started writing poems in English. Impressed by her poetry, Nizam of Hyderabad, gave her scholarship to study abroad. At the age of 16, she traveled to England to study first at King's College London and later at Girton College, Cambridge. There she met famous laureates of her time such as Arthur Simon and Edmond Gausse. It was Gausse who convinced Sarojini to stick to Indian themes-India's great mountains, rivers, temples, social milieu, to express her poetry. She depicted contemporary Indian life and events. Her collections "The golden threshold (1905)", "The bird of time (1912)", and "The broken wing (1912)" attracted huge Indian and English readership.
At the age of 15, she met Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu and fell in love with him. a non-brahmin, and a doctor by profession. After finishing her studies at the age of 19, she married him during the time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed. It was a revolutionary step but Sarojini's father fully supported her in her endeavour. Sarojini Naidu had a happy married life and had four children: Jayasurya, Padmaj, Randheer, and Leilamani.
Sarojini Naidu joined the Indian national movement in the wake of partition of Bengal in 1905. She came into contact with Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Annie Besant, C.P.Rama Swami Iyer, Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru. She awakened the women of India. She brought them out of the kitchen. She traveled from state to state, city after city and asked for the rights of the women. She re-established self-esteem within the women of India.
In 1925, Sarojini Naidu presided over the annual session of Indian National Congress at Kanpur. Sarojini Naidu played a leading role during the Civil Disobedience Movement and was jailed along with Gandhiji and other leaders. In 1942, Sarojini Naidu was arrested during the "Quit India" movement and was jailed for 21 months with Gandhiji. She shared a very warm relationship with Gandhiji and used to call him "Mickey Mouse".
After Independence, Sarojini Naidu became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She was India's first woman governor. Sarojini Naidu died in office on March 2 ,1949.
Tag :// Sarojini Naidu
Born: August 20, 1944
Martyrdom: May 21, 1991
Achievements: Became Prime Minister of India at the age of 40. Led Congress to its greatest victory in the Lok Sabha elections, winning about 80 per cent of seats. Played a key role in the introduction of computers in India.
Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest Prime Minister of India. He became Prime Minister at the age of 40. Rajiv Gandhi came from a family that had great political lineage. He was the eldest son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi. Her mother Indira Gandhi and grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru were Prime Ministers of India. As a Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made a valuable contribution in modernizing Indian administration. He had the vision and foresight to see that information technology will play a key role in the 21 century and worked actively to develop India's capacity in this realm.
Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944 in Bombay (Mumbai) in India's most famous political family. His grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru played a stellar role in India's freedom struggle and became independent India's first Prime Minister. His parents lived separately and Rajiv Gandhi was raised at his grandfather's home where her mother lived. Rajeev Gandhi did his schooling from the elite Doon school and then studied at the University of London and at Trinity College, Cambridge in Britain. At Cambridge, Rajiv Ghandi met and fell in love with an Italian student Sonia Maino and they got married in 1969.
Returning to India, Rajeev Ghandi became a commercial airline pilot. His younger brother Sanjay Gandhi entered politics and became a trusted lieutenant of her mother Indira Gandhi. After Sanjay's death in a plane crash in 1980, Rajiv reluctantly entered politics at the instance of his mother. He won his first Lok Sabha election in 1981 from Amethi-the erstwhile constituency of his brother. Soon he became the General Secretary of the Congress Party. After the assassination of Indira Gandhi in October 1984 he became the Prime Minister of India at the age of 40. He called for general elections in 1984 and riding on a massive sympathy wave led Congress to a thumping victory. Congress garnered 80 percent of the seats in the lower house and achieved its greatest victory since independence.
In his initial days as Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi was immensely popular. During his tenure as Prime Minister of India, he brought a certain dynamism to the premiership, which had always been occupied by older people. He is credited with promoting the introduction of computers in India. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi began leading in a direction significantly different from Indira Gandhi's socialism. He improved bilateral relations with the United States and expanded economic and scientific cooperation. He increased government support for science and technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tariffs on technology-based industries, especially computers, airlines, defence and telecommunications. He worked towards reducing the red tape in the governance and freeing administration from bureaucratic tangles. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi announced a national education policy to modernize and expand higher education programs across India.
Rajiv Gandhi authorised an extensive police and army campaign against the militants in Punjab. Rajiv's government suffered a major setback when its efforts to broker peace between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE rebels backfired. As per the peace accords signed in 1987, the LTTE would disarm to the Indian Peace Keeping Force which was sent to Sri Lanka. But distrust and a few incidents of conflict broke out into open fighting between the LTTE militants and Indian soldiers. Over a thousand Indian soldiers were killed, and at last Rajiv Gandhi had to pull out Indian forces from Sri Lanka. It was a failure of Rajiv's diplomacy.
Although Rajeev Gandhi promised to end corruption, he and his party were themselves implicated in corruption scandals. The major scandal being Bofors Gun scandal involving alleged payoffs by the Swedish Bofors arms company. The scandal rapidly eroded his popularity and he lost the next general elections held in 1989. A coalition comprising government came to the power but it could not last its full term and general elections were called in 1991. While campaigning for elections in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991 by a suicide bomber belonging to LTTE.
Martyrdom: May 21, 1991
Achievements: Became Prime Minister of India at the age of 40. Led Congress to its greatest victory in the Lok Sabha elections, winning about 80 per cent of seats. Played a key role in the introduction of computers in India.
Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest Prime Minister of India. He became Prime Minister at the age of 40. Rajiv Gandhi came from a family that had great political lineage. He was the eldest son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi. Her mother Indira Gandhi and grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru were Prime Ministers of India. As a Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made a valuable contribution in modernizing Indian administration. He had the vision and foresight to see that information technology will play a key role in the 21 century and worked actively to develop India's capacity in this realm.
Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944 in Bombay (Mumbai) in India's most famous political family. His grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru played a stellar role in India's freedom struggle and became independent India's first Prime Minister. His parents lived separately and Rajiv Gandhi was raised at his grandfather's home where her mother lived. Rajeev Gandhi did his schooling from the elite Doon school and then studied at the University of London and at Trinity College, Cambridge in Britain. At Cambridge, Rajiv Ghandi met and fell in love with an Italian student Sonia Maino and they got married in 1969.
Returning to India, Rajeev Ghandi became a commercial airline pilot. His younger brother Sanjay Gandhi entered politics and became a trusted lieutenant of her mother Indira Gandhi. After Sanjay's death in a plane crash in 1980, Rajiv reluctantly entered politics at the instance of his mother. He won his first Lok Sabha election in 1981 from Amethi-the erstwhile constituency of his brother. Soon he became the General Secretary of the Congress Party. After the assassination of Indira Gandhi in October 1984 he became the Prime Minister of India at the age of 40. He called for general elections in 1984 and riding on a massive sympathy wave led Congress to a thumping victory. Congress garnered 80 percent of the seats in the lower house and achieved its greatest victory since independence.
In his initial days as Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi was immensely popular. During his tenure as Prime Minister of India, he brought a certain dynamism to the premiership, which had always been occupied by older people. He is credited with promoting the introduction of computers in India. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi began leading in a direction significantly different from Indira Gandhi's socialism. He improved bilateral relations with the United States and expanded economic and scientific cooperation. He increased government support for science and technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tariffs on technology-based industries, especially computers, airlines, defence and telecommunications. He worked towards reducing the red tape in the governance and freeing administration from bureaucratic tangles. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi announced a national education policy to modernize and expand higher education programs across India.
Rajiv Gandhi authorised an extensive police and army campaign against the militants in Punjab. Rajiv's government suffered a major setback when its efforts to broker peace between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE rebels backfired. As per the peace accords signed in 1987, the LTTE would disarm to the Indian Peace Keeping Force which was sent to Sri Lanka. But distrust and a few incidents of conflict broke out into open fighting between the LTTE militants and Indian soldiers. Over a thousand Indian soldiers were killed, and at last Rajiv Gandhi had to pull out Indian forces from Sri Lanka. It was a failure of Rajiv's diplomacy.
Although Rajeev Gandhi promised to end corruption, he and his party were themselves implicated in corruption scandals. The major scandal being Bofors Gun scandal involving alleged payoffs by the Swedish Bofors arms company. The scandal rapidly eroded his popularity and he lost the next general elections held in 1989. A coalition comprising government came to the power but it could not last its full term and general elections were called in 1991. While campaigning for elections in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991 by a suicide bomber belonging to LTTE.
Tag :// Rajiv Gandhi
Born: April 14, 1891
Died: December 6, 1956
Achievements: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was elected as the chairman of the drafting committee that was constituted by the Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution for the independent India; he was the first Law Minister of India; conferred Bharat Ratna in 1990.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is viewed as messiah of dalits and downtrodden in India. He was the chairman of the drafting committee that was constituted by the Constituent Assembly in 1947 to draft a constitution for the independent India. He played a seminal role in the framing of the constitution. Bhimrao Ambedkar was also the first Law Minister of India. For his yeoman service to the nation, B.R. Ambedkar was bestowed with Bharat Ratna in 1990.
Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 in Mhow (presently in Madhya Pradesh). He was the fourteenth child of Ramji and Bhimabai Sakpal Ambavedkar. B.R. Ambedkar belonged to the "untouchable" Mahar Caste. His father and grandfather served in the British Army. In those days, the government ensured that all the army personnel and their children were educated and ran special schools for this purpose. This ensured good education for Bhimrao Ambedkar, which would have otherwise been denied to him by the virtue of his caste.
Bhimrao Ambedkar experienced caste discrimination right from the childhood. After his retirement, Bhimrao's father settled in Satara Maharashtra. Bhimrao was enrolled in the local school. Here, he had to sit on the floor in one corner in the classroom and teachers would not touch his notebooks. In spite of these hardships, Bhimrao continued his studies and passed his Matriculation examination from Bombay University with flying colours in 1908. Bhim Rao Ambedkar joined the Elphinstone College for further education. In 1912, he graduated in Political Science and Economics from Bombay University and got a job in Baroda.
In 1913, Bhimrao Ambedkar lost his father. In the same year Maharaja of Baroda awarded scholarship to Bhim Rao Ambedkar and sent him to America for further studies. Bhimrao reached New York in July 1913. For the first time in his life, Bhim Rao was not demeaned for being a Mahar. He immersed himself in the studies and attained a degree in Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Columbia University in 1916 for his thesis "National Dividend for India: A Historical and Analytical Study." From America, Dr.Ambedkar proceeded to London to study economics and political science. But the Baroda government terminated his scholarship and recalled him back.
The Maharaja of Baroda appointed Dr. Ambedkar as his political secretary. But no one would take orders from him because he was a Mahar. Bhimrao Ambedkar returned to Bombay in November 1917. With the help of Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, a sympathizer of the cause for the upliftment of the depressed classes, he started a fortnightly newspaper, the "Mooknayak" (Dumb Hero) on January 31, 1920. The Maharaja also convened many meetings and conferences of the "untouchables" which Bhimrao addressed. In September 1920, after accumulating sufficient funds, Ambedkar went back to London to complete his studies. He became a barrister and got a Doctorate in science.
After completing his studies in London, Ambedkar returned to India. In July 1924, he founded the Bahishkrit Hitkaraini Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association). The aim of the Sabha was to uplift the downtrodden socially and politically and bring them to the level of the others in the Indian society. In 1927, he led the Mahad March at the Chowdar Tank at Colaba, near Bombay, to give the untouchables the right to draw water from the public tank where he burnt copies of the 'Manusmriti' publicly.
In 1929, Ambedkar made the controversial decision to co-operate with the all-British Simon Commission which was to look into setting up a responsible Indian Government in India. The Congress decided to boycott the Commission and drafted its own version of a constitution for free India. The Congress version had no provisions for the depressed classes. Ambedkar became more skeptical of the Congress's commitment to safeguard the rights of the depressed classes.
When a separate electorate was announced for the depressed classes under Ramsay McDonald 'Communal Award', Gandhiji went on a fast unto death against this decision. Leaders rushed to Dr. Ambedkar to drop his demand. On September 24, 1932, Dr. Ambedkar and Gandhiji reached an understanding, which became the famous Poona Pact. According to the pact the separate electorate demand was replaced with special concessions like reserved seats in the regional legislative assemblies and Central Council of States.
Dr. Ambedkar attended all the three Round Table Conferences in London and forcefully argued for the welfare of the "untouchables". Meanwhile, British Government decided to hold provincial elections in 1937. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar set up the "Independent Labor Party" in August 1936 to contest the elections in the Bombay province. He and many candidates of his party were elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly.
In 1937, Dr. Ambedkar introduced a Bill to abolish the "khoti" system of land tenure in the Konkan region, the serfdom of agricultural tenants and the Mahar "watan" system of working for the Government as slaves. A clause of an agrarian bill referred to the depressed classes as "Harijans," or people of God. Bhimrao was strongly opposed to this title for the untouchables. He argued that if the "untouchables" were people of God then all others would be people of monsters. He was against any such reference. But the Indian National Congress succeeded in introducing the term Harijan. Ambedkar felt bitter that they could not have any say in what they were called.
In 1947, when India became independent, the first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, invited Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who had been elected as a Member of the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, to join his Cabinet as a Law Minister. The Constituent Assembly entrusted the job of drafting the Constitution to a committee and Dr. Ambedkar was elected as Chairman of this Drafting Committee. In February 1948, Dr. Ambedkar presented the Draft Constitution before the people of India; it was adopted on November 26, 1949.
In October 1948, Dr. Ambedkar submitted the Hindu Code Bill to the Constituent Assembly in an attempt to codify the Hindu law. The Bill caused great divisions even in the Congress party. Consideration for the bill was postponed to September 1951. When the Bill was taken up it was truncated. A dejected Ambedkar relinquished his position as Law Minister.
On May 24, 1956, on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, he declared in Bombay, that he would adopt Buddhism in October. On 0ctober 14, 1956 he embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers. On December 6, 1956, Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar died peacefully in his sleep.
Died: December 6, 1956
Achievements: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was elected as the chairman of the drafting committee that was constituted by the Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution for the independent India; he was the first Law Minister of India; conferred Bharat Ratna in 1990.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is viewed as messiah of dalits and downtrodden in India. He was the chairman of the drafting committee that was constituted by the Constituent Assembly in 1947 to draft a constitution for the independent India. He played a seminal role in the framing of the constitution. Bhimrao Ambedkar was also the first Law Minister of India. For his yeoman service to the nation, B.R. Ambedkar was bestowed with Bharat Ratna in 1990.
Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 in Mhow (presently in Madhya Pradesh). He was the fourteenth child of Ramji and Bhimabai Sakpal Ambavedkar. B.R. Ambedkar belonged to the "untouchable" Mahar Caste. His father and grandfather served in the British Army. In those days, the government ensured that all the army personnel and their children were educated and ran special schools for this purpose. This ensured good education for Bhimrao Ambedkar, which would have otherwise been denied to him by the virtue of his caste.
Bhimrao Ambedkar experienced caste discrimination right from the childhood. After his retirement, Bhimrao's father settled in Satara Maharashtra. Bhimrao was enrolled in the local school. Here, he had to sit on the floor in one corner in the classroom and teachers would not touch his notebooks. In spite of these hardships, Bhimrao continued his studies and passed his Matriculation examination from Bombay University with flying colours in 1908. Bhim Rao Ambedkar joined the Elphinstone College for further education. In 1912, he graduated in Political Science and Economics from Bombay University and got a job in Baroda.
In 1913, Bhimrao Ambedkar lost his father. In the same year Maharaja of Baroda awarded scholarship to Bhim Rao Ambedkar and sent him to America for further studies. Bhimrao reached New York in July 1913. For the first time in his life, Bhim Rao was not demeaned for being a Mahar. He immersed himself in the studies and attained a degree in Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Columbia University in 1916 for his thesis "National Dividend for India: A Historical and Analytical Study." From America, Dr.Ambedkar proceeded to London to study economics and political science. But the Baroda government terminated his scholarship and recalled him back.
The Maharaja of Baroda appointed Dr. Ambedkar as his political secretary. But no one would take orders from him because he was a Mahar. Bhimrao Ambedkar returned to Bombay in November 1917. With the help of Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, a sympathizer of the cause for the upliftment of the depressed classes, he started a fortnightly newspaper, the "Mooknayak" (Dumb Hero) on January 31, 1920. The Maharaja also convened many meetings and conferences of the "untouchables" which Bhimrao addressed. In September 1920, after accumulating sufficient funds, Ambedkar went back to London to complete his studies. He became a barrister and got a Doctorate in science.
After completing his studies in London, Ambedkar returned to India. In July 1924, he founded the Bahishkrit Hitkaraini Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association). The aim of the Sabha was to uplift the downtrodden socially and politically and bring them to the level of the others in the Indian society. In 1927, he led the Mahad March at the Chowdar Tank at Colaba, near Bombay, to give the untouchables the right to draw water from the public tank where he burnt copies of the 'Manusmriti' publicly.
In 1929, Ambedkar made the controversial decision to co-operate with the all-British Simon Commission which was to look into setting up a responsible Indian Government in India. The Congress decided to boycott the Commission and drafted its own version of a constitution for free India. The Congress version had no provisions for the depressed classes. Ambedkar became more skeptical of the Congress's commitment to safeguard the rights of the depressed classes.
When a separate electorate was announced for the depressed classes under Ramsay McDonald 'Communal Award', Gandhiji went on a fast unto death against this decision. Leaders rushed to Dr. Ambedkar to drop his demand. On September 24, 1932, Dr. Ambedkar and Gandhiji reached an understanding, which became the famous Poona Pact. According to the pact the separate electorate demand was replaced with special concessions like reserved seats in the regional legislative assemblies and Central Council of States.
Dr. Ambedkar attended all the three Round Table Conferences in London and forcefully argued for the welfare of the "untouchables". Meanwhile, British Government decided to hold provincial elections in 1937. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar set up the "Independent Labor Party" in August 1936 to contest the elections in the Bombay province. He and many candidates of his party were elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly.
In 1937, Dr. Ambedkar introduced a Bill to abolish the "khoti" system of land tenure in the Konkan region, the serfdom of agricultural tenants and the Mahar "watan" system of working for the Government as slaves. A clause of an agrarian bill referred to the depressed classes as "Harijans," or people of God. Bhimrao was strongly opposed to this title for the untouchables. He argued that if the "untouchables" were people of God then all others would be people of monsters. He was against any such reference. But the Indian National Congress succeeded in introducing the term Harijan. Ambedkar felt bitter that they could not have any say in what they were called.
In 1947, when India became independent, the first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, invited Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who had been elected as a Member of the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, to join his Cabinet as a Law Minister. The Constituent Assembly entrusted the job of drafting the Constitution to a committee and Dr. Ambedkar was elected as Chairman of this Drafting Committee. In February 1948, Dr. Ambedkar presented the Draft Constitution before the people of India; it was adopted on November 26, 1949.
In October 1948, Dr. Ambedkar submitted the Hindu Code Bill to the Constituent Assembly in an attempt to codify the Hindu law. The Bill caused great divisions even in the Congress party. Consideration for the bill was postponed to September 1951. When the Bill was taken up it was truncated. A dejected Ambedkar relinquished his position as Law Minister.
On May 24, 1956, on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, he declared in Bombay, that he would adopt Buddhism in October. On 0ctober 14, 1956 he embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers. On December 6, 1956, Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar died peacefully in his sleep.
Tag :// Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
Born: May 28, 1883
Died: February 26, 1966
Achievements: Founded the Abhinav Bharat Society and Free India Society; brought out an authentic informative researched work on The Great Indian Revolt of 1857 called "The Indian War of Independence 1857"; founded Hindu Mahasabha.
Veer Savarkar occupies a unique place in the history of Indian freedom struggle. His name evokes controversy. While some consider him as one of the greatest revolutionaries in the Indian freedom struggle, others consider him a communalist and Machiavellian manipulator. Vir Savarkar was also a great orator, prolific writer, historian, poet, philosopher and social worker. He was an extraordinary Hindu scholar. He coined Indian words for telephone, photography, the parliament, among others.
Veer Savarkar’s original name was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. He was born on May 28, 1883 in the village of Bhagur near Nasik. He was one among four children born to Damodarpant Savarkar and Radhabai. Veer Savarkar had his initial education at the Shivaji School, Nasik. He lost his mother when he was only nine. Savarkar was a born rebel. He organized a gang of kids ,Vanarsena when he was just eleven.
During his high school days, Veer Savarkar used to organize Shivaji Utsav and Ganesh Utsav, started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak (whom Savarkar considered as his Guru) and used these occasions to put up plays on nationalistic themes. Savarkar lost his father during the plague of 1899. In March 1901, he married Yamunabai. Post marriage, in 1902, Veer Savarkar joined Fergusson College in Pune.
In Pune, Savarkar founded the “Abhinav Bharat Society”. He was also involved in the Swadeshi movement and later joined Tilak’s Swaraj Party. His instigating patriotic speeches and activities incensed the British Government. As a result the British Government withdrew his B.A. degree.
In June 1906, Veer Savarkar, left for London to become Barrister. However, once in London, he united and inflamed the Indian students in England against British rule in India. He founded the Free India Society. The Society celebrated important dates on the Indian calendar including festivals, freedom movement landmarks, and was dedicated to furthering discussion about Indian freedom. He believed and advocated the use of arms to free India from the British and created a network of Indians in England, equipped with weapons.
In 1908, brought out an authentic informative researched work on The Great Indian Revolt, which the British termed as "Sepoy Mutiny" of 1857. The book was called "The Indian War of Independence 1857". The British government immediately enforced a ban on the publication in both Britain and India. Later, it was published by Madame Bhikaiji Cama in Holland, and was smuggled into India to reach revolutionaries working across the country against British rule.
In 1909, Madanlal Dhingra, a keen follower of Savarkar shot Sir Wyllie after a failed assassination attempt on the then Viceroy, Lord Curzon. Savarkar conspicuously did not condemn the act. When the then British Collector of Nasik, A.M.T. Jackson was shot by a youth, Veer Savarkar finally fell under the net of the British authorities. He was implicated in the murder citing his connections with India House. Savarkar was arrested in London on March 13, 1910 and sent to India.
After a formal trial, Savarkar was charged with serious offences of illegal transportation of weapons, provocative speeches and sedition and was sentenced to 50 years' of jail and deported to the Kalapani (Blackwaters) at Andaman cellular jail.
In 1920, many prominent freedom fighters including Vithalbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak demanded the release of Savarkar. On May 2, 1921, Savarkar was moved to Ratnagiri jail, and from there to the Yeravada jail. In Ratnagiri jail Savarkar wrote the book 'Hindutva'. On January 6, 1924 he was h freed under the condition that he would not leave Ratnagiri district and abstain from political activity for the next five years. On his release, Veer Savarkar founded the Ratnagiri Hindu Sabha on January 23, 1924 that aimed to preserve India's ancient culture and work for social welfare.
Later Savarkar joined Tilak's Swaraj Party and founded the Hindu Mahasabha as a separate political party. He was elected President of the Mahasabha and toiled for building Hindu Nationalism and later joined the Quit India movement.
The Hindu Mahasabha opposed creation of Pakistan, and took exception to Gandhi's continued Muslim appeasement stances. Nathuram Godse, a volunteer of the Hindu Mahasabha, assassinated Gandhi in 1948 and upheld his actions till his hanging. Veer Savarkar was arrested and indicted by the Government of India in the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case. But he was acquitted by the Supreme Court of India, for reasons of lack of evidence.
Tag :// Veer Savarkar
