Lala Lajpat Rai Essay Example

Lala Lajpat Rai Essay Example Lala Lajpat Rai Essay Lala Lajpat Rai Essay Ashely Newsome Period 7 Avid Mrs. McGough Lala Lajpat Rai Thesis: Lala Lajpat Rai was an all around freedom fighter for India. He wanted them to be free from British rule. He protested openly and was arrested several times, and eventually killed during a protest. He fought bravely and faithfully for what he believed in, he fought for what he thought was wrong and the ways to make it right. India for a long time had grown tired of British rule, and they wanted to run their own country. They fought hard and protested with little to no success, until one man came onto the scene, his name was Lala Lajpat Rai. His goal was to reform Indian Policy through political tactics and through his writings. Lala focused on peaceful movements to create successful demonstrations for Indian Independence. The nickname he was given was Punjab Kesari, which meant The Lion of Punjab. Lala Lajpat Rai was born in 1865 into an Aggarwal, or trader family. His birth took place at his mothers grand-parents home in a village called Dhudike in Ferozpur District, while his mother was visiting there. His father, Munshi Radha Krishna Azad, a religious and educated man, was at the time receiving education at Normal School, Delhi after serving as a teacher for three years. Lalas mother, Shrimati Gulab Devi, a strict religious lady, tauhgt her children strong morals values. Lala received his education, until his Entrance Examination, in places where his father was assigned as a teacher. Lala joined the Government College in 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. The three became fast friends and joined the Arya Samaj, a hindu reform movement, founded by Swami Daya Nanda. Lala passed his Mukhtiarship, or junior pleader, examination and started his legal practice in Jagraon. He passed his Vakilship Examination in Second Division from Government College in 1885. He started his practice in Rohtak, but moved it to Hissar where some of his friends were also practicing the Law. Lalas early legal practice at Hissar was very successful. Besides practicing, Lala collected funds for the Daya Nand College, attended Arya Samaj functions and participated in some Congress activities. He was elected to the Hissar district as a member and later as secretary. Lala shifted to Lahore in 1892. Soon after settling in Lahore, the Arya Samaj suffered a vertical split into two partys, the College Party and the Gurukul Party. Lala supported the College Party which favored teaching English along with Sanskrit in schools, while the Gurukul Party wanted the exclusion of English from the curriculum. The Arya Samaj managed to maintain its unity owing to the efforts of Lala and many other experienced leaders who realized that a split would hurt the nation. Lala started the Anglo-Sanskrit High School at Jullundur and assumed the responsibility as the Secretary of the Management Committee. He was an advocate of self- reliance and refused to take Government aid for the D. A. V College. Lala also became the General Secretary of the first Hindu orphanage, established at Ferozepur by the Atya Samaj. Lala provided immense services toward the famine relief efforts during the famines of 1897 and 1899. He mobilized D. A. V. college students and went to Bikaner and other areas of Rajasthan to rescue poor children and bring them to Lahore. He believed that A nation that does not protect its own orphan children, cannot command respect at the hands of other people. When the people fleeing from the famine reached Lahore, they spent their first night at Lalas house. When the Kangra district of Punjab suffered destruction in the earthquake of 1905, Lala was there once again, organizing relief for extricating people from the debris. In 1898, Lala reduced the time he put into his legal practice, and vowed to devote all his energy to his nation. Lala was opposed to the recommendations of the University Education Commission. The commission, recommended Government control of education and set forth difficult standards for starting private schools. Punjab was adversely affected by the commission because the Arya Samaj was extremely ctive in the field of education. After the commission, it became impossible for the people to have any say in their childrens education. Lala declared that The Government, by these new regulations, has made it almost impossible for the Private Education Societies to start schools or improve them. People are compelled to conclude that the Government does not want to spend money for educational work, nor can they endure that I ndians should voluntarily undertake this work by spending money, unless the Indians hand over their money and efforts to the Government. It would have been impossible for institutions like the Metropolitan College, Calcutta College, Fergusson College, Poona and D. A. V. College to come into existence under the present policies. Lala dove headlong in the struggle against division of Bengal. Along with Surendra Nath Banerjea, Bipin Chandra Pal and Arvinda Ghosh, he aroused Bengal and the nation in a vigorous campaign of swadeshi. The British Government claimed that partition would make administering the region easier. The leaders saw through this excuse as the age old British policy of divide and rule at work. Lala was arrested on May 3, 1907 for creating turmoil in Rawalpindi. Lala went there when he learned that five prominent Indian lawyers had been served notices by the Deputy Commissioner. The District Magistrate banned any public meetings or speeches. Lala was to give a speech at Rawalpindi in connection with the served notices. The Magistrate declared the congregation that had come to hear Lalas speech seditious. When Lala could not stop their arrest, he returned to Lahore to move the Chief Court for the bail of the lawyers. The Government was informed that Lala was responsible for the uproar in Rawalpindi and was arrested. When he arrived at the Commissioners office, Lala was told that he was under arrest in pursuance of a warrant issued by the Governor General who had decided to deport him. At about 4 a. m. Lala was put on a special train that left for Calcutta. Lala reached the Diamond Harbor railway station and was put on a ship which sailed for Mandalay fort. Lala remained in Mandalay for six months. Lala was released on November 11, 1907. While in Manadalay, two British newspapers charged Lala of conspiring with the Amir of Kabul for overthrowing the British Raj in India. On his release Lala filed law suits against the newspapers for making false statements and won both cases. Fearing prosecution from the Government for having contacts with Lali, the College Party of Arya Samaj issued a statement which read that the D. A. V. College had no connections with Lala Lajpat Rai. Lala was deeply hurt by this statement but he continued to support the College and the Samaj from outside. Lala believed that it was important for the national cause to organize propaganda in foreign countries to explain Indias position because the freedom struggle had taken a militant turn. He left for Britain in April 1914 for this purpose. Lala wrote numerous articles and delivered many speeches. A couple of months later, World War I broke out between England and Germany and Lala was not allowed to return to India. Lala immediately made plans to go to U. S. A. to arouse more political support for Indias cause. He founded the Indian Home League Society of America and wrote a book called Young India with a preface written by Col. Wedgewood, a member of the British Parliament. The book constituted the most damaging parts of British rule in India. The book was banned in Britain and India even before it was published. While Lala was in America, the British press churned out propaganda against Lala, charging him with taking ten thousand dollars from Germany. Lalajwas able to return to India only after the war was over in February 1920. On his return, the Congress invited him to preside over the special session in Calcutta in 1920. Lala supported the non-cooperation movement, which was being launched in response to the Rowlatt (Black) Act. He was skeptical if such a mass boycott that was comprising educational institutions, jobs, law courts and foreign goods was truly achievable. Lala nevertheless exhorted the nation to answer the Congresss demand for complete non-cooperation. The Congress started the Tilak Swarajya Fund to raise more money for the effort. Lala collected nine thousand dollars within two weeks for the fund. Lala was arrested on December 3, 1921 in Lahore for his activities related to the non-cooperation movement and was imprisoned for a year and a half. The British began to employ the tried and tested Divide and Rule policy once again by harping on communal discord between Hindus and Muslims. Riots were justified by Muslim leaders as a fight for equal political rights if and when India became free. The Muslim leaders assured that the squabbles would stop if they were granted political rights according to their wishes. To cater to this request, the Congress appointed Lala and Dr. Ansari for bringing Hindu- Muslim unity. Chittranjan Das submitted his own proposal while Lala and Dr. Ansari were holding deliberations. C. R. Dass efforts failed to achieve their goal and Hindu-Muslim discord persisted. Gandhiji ended the non-cooperation movement when riots broke out at Bardoli. Lala diverted his attention again to social and educational projects. He reopened the Jagaraon High School and started a newspaper called People. He started the Lok Sewak Society, whose member toured from place to place and started new schools for the depressed classes. He donated a thousand dollars toward the construction of the Gulab Devi Memorial Hospital in memory of his deceased mother. Lala was disgusted at the arrogance of the British for sending the Simon Commission comprised of Britishers only. On February 16, 1927, Lala moved a resolution in the Central Legislative Assembly, refusing cooperation with the Simon Commission at any stage or in any form. He spoke with such emotion that he carried the house and got the resolution adopted in the Assembly. The Government imposed section 144 to restrain people from protesting against the commission. Lala joined a demonstration against the Simon Commission. The police lathi-charged the assembled (lath-charge is when they use a giant stick and thrust it into crowds violently only done in India). While L ala tried his best to keep the demonstration peaceful, the police targeted and wounded him in his chest. The people were enraged at this insult and held a meeting the same evening. Lala, though in intense pain, gave a speech and declared Every blow aimed at me is a nail in the coffin of British Imperialism. He recovered from the wounds left by the British but he remained emotionally scarred at the brutality of the civilized British. Why had he been specifically targeted by the British? Why had they lathi- charged against a peaceful gathering. These thoughts racked his spirit until the very end of his time. Lala died on November 17, 1928 of heart failure. Lala appealed to the people I do not know whether I shall remain, but you should never worry. My spirit after me will go on exhorting you to make more sacrifices for liberty. Lala was a brave feedom fighter who constantly put himself in harms way for others. He was an extrordinary leader and he fought hard and diligently, he backed down from no challenge. Lala Lajpat Rai is one of the greatest leders the world will ever know. Cite Page iloveindia. com/indian-heroes/lala-lajpat-rai. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Lala_Lajpat_Rai culturalindia. net/leaders/lala-lajpat-rai. html