Lala Lajpat Rai Birth Anniversary, 28 January

 

 

Lala Lajpat Rai Birth Anniversary, 28 January 

Lala Lajpat Rai's contribution to the Indian Freedom struggle was invincible. During the independence movement, he was famous as the ' Lal Bal Pal' trio. He earned the title of 'Punjab Kesari' or the 'Lion of Punjab'.

 He was born on 28 January 1865 in Dhudike, India. He was a revolutionary, politician, Indian writer, a leader of the Hindu supremacy movement, and a powerful orator.

Born: January 28, 1865

Place of Birth: Dhudike, Punjab

Parents: Munshi Radha Krishna Azad (Father) and Gulab Devi (Mother)

Spouse: Radha Devi

Children: Amrit Rai, PyareLal, Parvati

Education: Government College, Lahore

Political Association: Indian National Congress, Arya Samaj

Movement: Indian Independence Movement

Political Ideology: Nationalism, Liberalism

Publications: The Story of My Deportation (1908), Arya Samaj (1915), The United States of                                    America: A Hindu's impressions (1916), Young India (1916), England's Debt to

                         India: India (1917)

Death: November 17, 1928

Early Life and Family

 He was the eldest son of his parents. His father was a scholar of two languages namely Persian and Urdu. His mother was a religious lady and inculcated the strong moral values in her children. From Government Higher Secondary School, Rewari (presently Haryana and previously Punjab) he did his initial education. In 1880, he joined the Government College at Lahore to study Law.

In college, he met the future freedom fighters like Lala Hans Raj, Pandit Guru Dutt, etc. After completing his law degree, he started his legal practice in Hissar, Haryana. In 1877, he married to Radha Devi. He participated as a delegate in the annual sessions of the National Congress during 1888 and 1889. In 1892, he practiced before High Court at Lahore.

Idea of Nationalism and Political Journey

Lala Lajpat Rai like reading and it is said that he was deeply impressed by the ideals of patriotism and nationalism outlined by Italian revolutionary leader Giuseppe Mazzini. He with some prominent leaders including Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosh, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak started seeing the negative aspects of moderate politics advocated by several leaders of the Indian National Congress. They voiced the demand for Dominion status to their strong opposition and need for complete independence or 'Purna Swaraj'. 

Writings

Some of the most important writings of Lala Lajpath Rai are:-

The Story of My Deportation (1908),

Arya Samaj (1915),

The United States of America: A Hindu's Impression (1916),

England's Debt to India: A Historical Narrative of Britain's Fiscal Policy in India (1917), and

Unhappy India (1928)