Lala Lajpat Rai, ‘Punjab Kesari’

Lala Lajpat Rai (January 28, 1865 – November 17, 1928) was a prominent figure in the Indian national movement and left an indelible mark on the country’s history. He was famously known as the ‘Punjab Kesari’ or the ‘Lion of Punjab’ due to his exceptional intelligence, unwavering commitment to freedom, and resilience. In this article, we will delve into the life and achievements of this legendary person and explore the various aspects that make him a respected leader.

Also read: Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak  and Bipin Chandra Pal of ‘Lal-Bal-Pal’ triumvirate

Also read: Lala Lajpat Rai Quiz, Questions and Answers, MCQs, PYQs

Early Life, Education, and Career

Lajpat Rai was born in Dhudike, Faridkot, Punjab (presently in Moga district in Punjab) on January 28, 1865. His father was Munshi Radha Krishna, a government schoolteacher and his mother was Gulab Devi Aggarwal. After completing school education, he joined Government College in Lahore, to study Law. In college, while studying law he came in touch with members of the Arya Samaj and was inspired by their work. His study at Law shaped his future career as well he came to understand the importance of equality and justice. This education would later prove crucial to his role in the national movement.

After graduation, Lajpat Rai started to practice law. For 30 years, from 1884 to 1914, he practiced Law in Rohtak and Hisar and other cities of present-day Haryana. He was a distinguished lawyer. In 1914, he quit the practice and joined the Indian national movement. For the next four years, he extensively travelled to Britain and USA.

Lala Lajpat Rai Association with Bank and Insurance

Lala Lajpat Rai was associated with the management of Punjab National Bank and Lakshmi Insurance Company in their early stages in 1894.

Pagrhi Sambhaal Jatta Movement in 1907

In 1907, farmers of Punjab led an agitation against the British government to repeal farm laws. The three farm-related laws were the Punjab Land Alienation Act 1900, the Punjab Land Colonization Act 1906, and the Doab Bari Act. These acts would reduce farmers from owners to contractors of land and gave the British government the right to take back the allotted land if the farmer even touched a tree in his field without permission. Ajit Singh (uncle of Bhagat Singh) led the agitation and was supported by Lala Lajpat Rai. In March 1907, as a local Congress leader, Lajpat Rai participated in the agitation rally. This movement came to be known as the Pagrhi Sambhaal Jatta Movement.

In May 1907, Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh were arrested and exiled to Mandalay in Burma (present-day Myanmar) without trial. However, both were released within six months in October 1907.

While in exile in Mandalay, Lala Lajpat Rai wrote a book ‘The History of the Indian National Movement’ which described the history of the political campaigns and struggle,

Lal-Bal-Pal, the Triumvirate or ‘Trinity of Indian Politics’

Lala Lajpat Rai had a nationalist outlook. His vision found space in Congress with other leaders, particularly Bal Gangadhar Tilak from Maharashtra and Bipin Chandra Pal from Bengal. The triumvirate Lal-Bal-Pal became a symbol of assertive nationalists. They echoed the boycott of British goods and the adoption of Swadeshi after the partition of Bengal.

Also read: Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Indian Home Rule League of America (IHRLA), New York City, USA, October 1917

After quitting the Law practice in 1914, Lala Lajpat Rai travelled to Britain and the USA. Owing to the First World War, he was compelled to stay in the USA from 1917 to 1920.

While in the USA, Lala Lajpat Rai founded the Indian Home Rule League of America (IHRLA) in New York City, USA in October 1917. The Indian Home Rule League of America was inspired by the Home Rule Movement in India by Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The objective of IHRLA was to raise awareness and espouse the cause of self-rule in India.

In January 1918, Lala Lajpat Rai published “Young India” which was the official magazine of the Indian Home Rule League of America. The first issue contains several items, including a map of India, an overview of the organization and magazine, and a “Message to President Wilson,” a reprint of a letter sent by Subramanian Iyer, the President of the India Home Rule League, Madras, to US President, Woodrow Wilson, asking for support in the cause for Indian self-government.

Later, from 1919 to 1931, Mahatma Gandhi published ‘Young India’ weekly from India.

Lala Lajpat Rai Returns to India, February 1920

After the end of the First World War, Lala Lajpat Rai returned to India in February 1920. He received a heroic welcome in Bombay by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Annie Besant, and M.A. Jinnah. While in India, he continued the cause of home rule. He led fiery demonstrations against the British in Punjab in protest of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13, 1919, and Rowlatt Act.

President of the Special Session of Congress, Calcutta, September 1920

Meanwhile, the Non-Cooperation Movement was formally launched on August 1, 1920. On September 4, 1920, a Special Session of Congress was convened at Calcutta to pass the resolution on the Non-Cooperation Movement. Lala Lajpat Rai was elected as President of this Special Session of Congress. In the session, he opined that,

“There is no life without freedom and there is no Freedom without ‘Swarajya’ or self–government”.

Later, in the annual session of Congress held in December 1920 at Nagpur, Maharashtra, presided by C Vijayaraghavachariar, passed the main resolution of the Non-Cooperation Movement.

First President of the All-India Trade Union Congress, October 1920

The All-India Trade Union Congress was founded on October 31, 1920, in Bombay with 101 delegates from 64 unions. Lala Lajpat Rai was elected as the first president of the All-India Trade Union Congress.

Lala Lajpat Rai and Non-Cooperation Movement, 1920

Lala Lajpat Rai fully supported the Non-Cooperation Movement. He organized agitations and gave speeches. Rai’s unwavering commitment to peaceful protests and civil disobedience inspired a multitude of others to join the cause. The movement was a grand success, largely due to Rai’s outstanding leadership skills that enabled him to rally large crowds and effectively voice their demands. Both his allies and opponents admired him for his exceptional leadership throughout the entire period.

However, the British Government arrested him on December 3, 1921, and sentenced him to 18 months’ rigorous imprisonment.

After the Chauri Chaura incident that took place on February 4, 1922, at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Mahatma Gandhi suspended the Non-Cooperation Movement. This surprised many nationalist leaders including Lala Lajpat Rai.

Servants of the People Society, Lahore, 1921

In 1921, Lala Lajpat Rai founded the Servants of the People Society in Lahore. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. The object of the Society was to enlist and train national missionaries for the service of the motherland for the educational, cultural, social, economic, and political advancement of the country under the supervision of the Society.

It is to be noted that earlier a society with similar name Servants of the India Society (note the difference People and India) was founded by Gopal Krishna Gokhale in 1905.

Lala Lajpat Rai Joins Swaraj Party, 1926

After the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement, post Chauri Chaura incident, there was a sense of resentment among the nationalist leaders. In December 1922, the annual session of Congress was held at Gaya, Bihar. Two groups emerged in the session, ‘pro-changers’ who wanted to contest the proposed legislative elections, enter the assembly, and raise their voices within the government for self-rule. The other group, ‘no-changers’ wanted to maintain the status quo of the boycott of all government offices and posts which was started during the Non-Cooperation Movement.

On January 1, 2023, immediately after the Gaya session, the ’pro-changers’ led by Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party. Lala Lajpat Rai after release from prison, also joined the Swaraj Party Later in August 1926, he resigned from the Swaraj Party.

Lala Lajpat Rai Elected to Central Legislative Assembly, 1926

In October-November 1926, general elections were held for the Central Legislative Assembly. Lala Lajpat Rai was elected from the Jullunder, Punjab seat.

Lala Lajpat Rai was active in the discussions in the Central Legislative Assembly. On March 19, 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai spoke in the Central Legislative Assembly during the general discussion of the Indian Finance Bill. He gave a speech which was known as ‘Economic Distress in India – Warning to the Government’.

On February 16, 1928, he moved the resolution in the Central Legislative Assembly refusing cooperation with the Simon Commission as the latter had no Indian member.

Lala Lajpat Rai and Simon Commission, 1928

The Government of India Act 1919 introduced the system of diarchy to govern the provinces of British India. The Act also laid provisions that a commission would be appointed after ten years to investigate the progress of the government scheme and suggest new steps for reform. British government apprehending defeat in the soon-to-be-held general elections in the UK, appointed in November 1927, the Indian Statutory Commission, as provided in the Act.

The Indian Statutory Commission was a 7-person commission headed by John Simon, a Member of Parliament of the UK and barrister. Hence, the commission is also known as the Simon Commission. None of the 7 members were Indian. The commission was strongly opposed by Congress and the Muslim League as it contained only British members and no Indians. The Simon Commission arrived in India in February 1928.

On October 30, 1928, in Lahore, Punjab, Lala Lajpat Rai led a protest against the Simon Commission with slogans and a banner of ‘Simon Go Back’. The police superintendent in Lahore, James A. Scott, ordered the police to lathi-charge the protesters and personally assaulted Rai, who suffered serious head injuries. Subsequently, despite being injured he addressed fellow protestors and said,

“I declare that the blows struck at me today will be the last nails in the coffin of British rule in India”.

This became one of the famous words and inspired many to revenge and act against the police forces.

Lala Lajpat Rai Death, Lahore, November 17, 1928

Lala Lajpat Rai could not recover from the injuries he suffered during the ant-Simon Commission protests in Lahore. At Lahore, on November 17, 1928, he succumbed to the injuries. With his death, India lost a nationalist leader.

Lala Lajpat Rai died as a martyr. Paying tribute to him Mahatma Gandhi wrote in Young India under the caption ‘Long Live Lalaji’:

“Men like Lalaji cannot die so long as the sun shines in the Indian sky.”

When the matter of brutal force against Lala Lajpat Rai was raised in the British Parliament, the British government denied any role in Rai’s death.

Bhagat Singh, who was a witness to the event, swore to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. He joined other revolutionaries, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar, and Chandra Shekhar Azad, in a plot to kill James A. Scott. However, in a case of mistaken identity, they shot John P. Saunders an assistant superintendent of the Lahore Police on December 17, 1928,

Lala Lajpat Rai Books and Magazines

Lala Lajpat Rai was a prolific author and wrote many books. He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna. He also founded and edited newspapers and journals. He launched three English weeklies, The Regenerator of Aryavarta (1883), The Panjabee (1904), and The People (1925); an Urdu weekly Deshopkarak (1883) and an Urdu daily Bande Mataram (1920).

He authored several works like “Unhappy India”, “Young India: An Interpretation”, “History of Arya Samaj”, “England’s Debt to India” and a series of popular biographies on Mazzini, Garibaldi, and Swami Dayanand.

The book ‘England’s Debt to India’ was written by Lala Lajpat rai and published in 1917. The book is a critique and historical narrative of Britain’s fiscal policy in India particularly during the First World War.

Lala Lajpat Rai and Arya Samaj

Lala Lajpat Rai was greatly influenced by the Arya Samaj and its founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati. He wrote his biography (1899) and a book on the history of Arya Samaj (1915). In collaboration with Mahatma Hans Raj, he founded the DAV School at Lahore, in 1886.

Lala Lajpat Rai Contributions Towards Education

Lala Lajpat Rai vouched for education. He established Punjab Shiksha Sangh (1911) and set up the Radha Kishan High School at Jagraon (1913). He established at Lahore the ‘Tilak School of Politics’ in 1920 and the Quami Vidyapeeth in 1921. In collaboration with Mahatma Hans Raj, he founded the DAV School at Lahore, in 1886.

Lala Lajpat Rai ‘Punjab Kesari’

Lala Lajpat Rai was a great patriot and man of the masses. He was a stalwart of the Indian national movement who ranks among India’s most outstanding leaders. He was popularly known as ‘Punjab Kesari’.

Lala Lajpat Rai and Historians

R.C. Mazumdar, the doyen of Indian historians explains,

“The ideals of new nationalism preached by its high priests like Tilak, Arabinda and Lajpat Rai assumed concrete shape, which may be regarded as the precursor of the Civil Disobedience Movement of Mahatma Gandhi”.

For modern Indian history and the Indian National Movement, also read the book ‘Comprehensive Modern Indian History : From 1707 to The Modern Times’ by Brijesh Singh and published by S Chand.

Also visit: https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/