Lala Lajpat Rai

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• published: 14 Aug 2014
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Popularly known as Punjab Kesari, Lala Lajpat Rai was born on 28 January 1865 in Jagraon town in Ludhiana. He was the eldest son of Munshi Radha Kishan Azad and Gulab Devi. Lalaji was proud of the ancient values and rich heritage of India. The session of the Indian National Congress at Allahabad in December 1888 marked the beginning of his political career. At the next session of Congress at Bombay in 1889 he spoke in support of Tilak's amendment. Bipin Chandra Pal and Gokhale too supported Tilak. Though his name was linked with Tilak and Pal as the leaders of the extremists, he always made efforts to reconcile the differing elements. The year 1905 was important for the emergence of a new leadership in the Indian National Congress of Lal-Bal-Pal, as they were popularly known. The partition of Bengal in 1905 aroused their robust nationalism. The repressive measures of Government against the growing nationalist movement inspired them to infuse national pride and self-respect among people. Lalaji emerged as the undisputed leader of this new spirit. Lalaji presided over the first session of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1920. He also went to Geneva to attend the eighth International Labour Conference in 1926 as a representative of Indian labour. He had an opportunity to watch the labour movement in the USA and England where he was required to prolong his stay for political reasons. He was not only a good orator but also a prolific and versatile writer. His journal Arya Gazette concentrated mainly on the subjects related to the Arya Samaj. Bande Mataram and People, full of fiery essays mirrored the unrest and zeal in him to free his country from the clutches of foreign rule. He founded the Servants of the People Society, which worked for the freedom movement as well as for social reform movement in the country. Following in the footsteps of revolutionaries who had not hesitated to sacrifice their lives, he led a procession to demonstrate against the Simon Commission. He was made the target of a brutal lathi charge in which he was injured badly. A meeting was held the same evening at which Lalaji, - wounded and aching - spoke with such vigour that his words, 'Every blow aimed at me is a nail in the coffin of British imperialism', became historic. Though he recovered from the fever and pain within three days yet his health had received a permanent setback and on 17 November 1928, he passed away.