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During the independence movement, he was a key component of the legendary ‘Lal Bal Pal’ firebrand three. He is commonly known as Punjab Kesari or the Lion of Punjab, and he was a pivotal figure in India’s freedom war. During India’s independence war, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal formed the Lal Bal Pal triad. His intense patriotism and outspoken opposition to British rule gave him the nickname ‘Punjab Kesari,’ or the Lion of Punjab. He also started the Punjab National Bank. In 1897, he created the Hindu Orphan Relief Movement to prevent Christian missionaries from gaining custody of these youngsters. He was severely hurt in a police lathi-charge on demonstrators opposing the entrance of the Simon Commission, and he died a few days later due to his injuries.
Early Life
On January 28, 1865, in Dhudike village, Ferozepur District, Lala Lajpat Rai was born to Munshi Radha Krishna Azad and Gulab Devi. Expert in both Persian and Urdu, Munshi Azad. The mother of Lala was a devout woman who raised her children with high moral standards. Lajpat Rai held many religious convictions thanks to his family’s principles.
Lala Lajpat Rai was raised in Jagraon, Punjab’s Ludhiana district. He met revolutionary freedom fighters and patriots Lala Hans Raj and Pandit Guru Dutt at Lahore College. After being encouraged by Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s Hindu reformist movement, he also joined the Arya Samaj Lahore. The Arya Samaj was formed in Lahore in 1877. Soon after, he launched the Arya Gazette (newspaper) and became its editor.
Education:
His primary education was completed at the Government Higher Secondary School in Rewari, where his father was a teacher. In 1880, Lajpat Rai enrolled in the Government College in Lahore to study law. During his undergraduate years, he met patriots and future liberation fighters such as Lala Hans Raj and Pandit Guru Dutt. He graduated from Government College in Lahore and began his legal career in Hisar, Haryana. He had a tremendous desire to serve his country since he was a child. Therefore he vowed to free it from foreign rule. His father was sent to Rohtak in 1884, and Lala Lajpat Rai joined him. In 1877, he married Radha Devi.
Family
- Siblings and Parents
His father’s name was Munshi Radha Krishan Agrawal, Mr. Agrawal, was an Urdu and Persian language teacher in a government school in Punjab province. Gulab Devi Agarwal is his mother’s name. Lala Dhanpat Rai was his brother.
- Wife and kids
In 1877, Lala Lajpat Rai married Radha Devi Agarwal. The couple had three children: two sons, Pyarelal and Amrit Rai Agrawal, and a girl, Parvati Agrawal.
Political Journey
Lajpat Rai gave up his law career and dedicated his life to rescuing his motherland from the clutches of British imperialism. He realised the need to convey the reality of the circumstances in the Indian Freedom fight to foreign leaders to emphasise the atrocities of British rule in India. He travelled to the United Kingdom in 1914 and subsequently to the United States in 1917. He established the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York in October 1917.
Lala Lajpat Rai was named President of the Indian National Congress in West Bengal during the Calcutta Special Session in 1920. Lala Lajpat Rai established the Servants of the People Society (a non-profit charity organisation) in Lahore in 1921. After India’s independence, this organisation was relocated to Delhi, and several branches were founded throughout the country. During his sojourn in the United States from 1917 to 1920, Lala Lajpat Rai established the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York.
Achievements and Contributions
Lala Lajpat Rai made an important contribution to the country’s liberation. He Played important role in the establishment of a few schools in the nation. He also played a leading role in the founding of the Punjab National Bank. He formed the Hindu Orphan Relief Movement in 1897 to prevent Christian missions from gaining custody of these youngsters.
Movements
Lala Lajpat Rai established the following movements:
- The Indian Nationalist Movement
- The Indian independence movement, which the Indian National Congress led
- Hindu reform movement
- Arya Samaj in Punjab
Lala Lajpat Rai Ji gives slogans. :
- Simon Go back
Lala Lajpat Rai gave this slogan to Sir John Simon to go back. The purpose of this slogan was to completely oppose the Simon Commission and end the repressive policies implemented in India. The Simon Commission was opposed because it was not considered in the interest of Indians.
- A single blow to my head would prove to be a nail in the coffin of British rule.
When Lala Lajpat Rai spoke against the Simon Commission, the British overlords began pelting him with sticks. When Lala Lajpat Rai was beaten in the head, he said this slogan, and this slogan proved to be true, and one day the British rulers ran away from their rule, and these slogans said by Lala Lajpat Rai will live forever.
Books :
In the past, Lala Lajpat Rai contributed articles to several publications in Hindi, Punjabi, English, and Urdu. In 1908, he published “The Story of My Deportation” as a book. He released the book “Arya Samaj” in 1915. He published a book in 1916 called The United States of America: A Hindu’s Impression. His well-known publications that are based on patriotism are The Problem of National Education in India (1920), Unhappy India (1928), and England’s Debt to India (1917). Young India: A History and Interpretation of the Nationalist Movement from Within, an autobiography by Lala Lajpat Rai, was released in 1916. Later, Lala Lajpat Rai penned the biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji, and Shrikrishna.
Death:
On October 30, 1928, a peaceful rally led by Lajpat Rai was started to protest the arrival of members of the Simon Commission in Lahore. Intercepting the march, Superintendent of Police Scott directed his officers to ‘lathi-charge’ the protesters. The cops specifically targeted Lajpat Rai and punched him in the chest. The event badly wounded and killed Lala Lajpat Rai.
Lala Lajpat Rai established the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York City in 1917. In 1907, he was banished to Burma without a trial for joining the Congress Party. He was imprisoned from 1921 to 1923, and upon his release, he was elected to the legislative assembly. He proposed a motion in 1928 calling for a boycott of the British Simon Commission on constitutional change.
