Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

FREEDOM MOVEMENT

Lala Lajpat Rai (1865-1928)

The effect of the Swadeshi movement was remarkable as is evident from this 'States- man' chart showing comparative sales of foreign textiles:

Place

Textile

sold

Textile

sold

Sept. 1904

Sept. 1905

Jassore

Rs. 30,000

Rs22Rs. 2,000

Nadia

15,000

2,500

B. G. Tilak

Hazariabagh

10,000

500

Mahratta; he gave expression to his idea of nationalism through Kesari. In 1885 he wrote, “We are, at present, gradually being inspired by the spirit of patriotism. The birth of patriotism among us is due to English rule and English education has imparted to us knowledge of ancient and modern history; it has enabled us to know what were the fruits of patriotism they became among the ancient Greeks and Romans. We have also learned....when they lost their patriotism, they became subject to foreign domination and became ignorant and superstitious. English rule has made us realise the necessity of cul- tivating patriotism in our national concerns... Patriotism is not our national quality; it is the product of the influences to which we have been subjected after the introduction of the British rule.” He started the popular “ Ganesha ” festival and celebration of Mara- tha hero Shivaji to awaken the people of India; The credit of leavening Indian politics with national spirit belongs to Bal Gangadhar Ti- lak. He was the first to emphasise the four distinctive features of the nationalist move- ment : 1. Sincere faith in the glory and greatness of Indian culture. 2. Rely on own strength and assertion. 3. Political goals of India — Swaraj and 4. Awakening of political-consciousness among the people and political-agita- tion. Tilak’s role during the terrible Bombay famine (1896) was dominant; he undertook the task of educating the people about the provisions of the Famine Relief Code and boldly demanded the facilities offered by it. He made stirring appeals to the people; through Kesari he said, “When the Queen desires that none should die; when the Governor declares that all should live, will you ’’ , he exclaimed “kill yourself by timidity and starvation ? If you have money to pay the government...pay it...But if you have not...Can

Lala Lajpat Rai was bom in a small village of Ludhiana. He was also known as ‘Punjab Kesari’. He studied law and obtained his degree in Lahore (1880). He attended the Congress Session of 1888 at Allahabad. Speaking about the Indian National Congress he said, “The Congress movement was neither inspired by the people, nor devised or planned by them .lt was a movement not from within...the leaders had neither sufficient political .......... conscious- ness nor faith....they had political-opinions but not beliefs... ” The British treatment of Indian masses enraged him and he became a fiery leader. He opposed the exploitation of the British government. Lajpat Rai advocated liberty from foreign control. He passionately exclaimed, “Can the wealth of the whole world be put in the states over against liberty and honour? A subject people has no soul, just as a slave can have none... a man without a soul is a mere animal. A nation without a soul is only a herd of “dumb driven cattle”. In 1905 he visited England along with Gokhale to arouse public opinion on injustice done to Indians. Later he was deported to Burma as a consequence of his aggressive movement in Punjab. He was a follower of Gandhi and took active part in the movement against the Simon Commission which visited India in 1928; he took out a procession in Lahore against the Simon Commission’s visit under Simon but was lathi charged. He was injured and died of his injuries shouting, “Every blow aimed at me is a nail struck in the coffin of the British empire in India. ” spector of education; became an orphan at the age of 16. A self-reliant but physically weak youth he studied B.A. and later took law degree; started a school and two newspapers to spread Western knowledge; offered his help to start Deccan Education Society and Fergusson College; purchased the Lion, a Marathi weekly and renamed it as Kesari and helped to edit its English counterpart, The Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920) Born to a school teacher and deputy in-

The report also showed a gradual fall in the demand for foreign cigarettes, soap, perfumes, etc. The boycott and Swadeshi movement turned into an All India Movement before the close of 1905; by this time it had spread to 23 districts (UP), 15 towns (MP), 24 towns (of Bombay) 20 districts (of Punjab) and 13 districts (of Madras); the leaders of the movement were Bal Gangadhar (Bombay), Subrahmanya Aiyer and T. M. Nayar (Ma- dras); They declared, "This is the weapon of a weak nation in a fight against a strong na- tion”. Thus the ideas of Boycott and Swadeshi were brought about by the repressive meas- ures which were adopted by the Government to put down the Boycott movement, formally inaugurated on 7 August, 1905, a red-letter day in the annals of the struggle for India's freedom. "The agitation for boycott of Brit- ish goods and the use of indigenous products acquired a wider connota- tion and influence in national life and thought by transcending narrow eco- nomic considerations. So the thin stream of 1905, gradually widened into a mighty river of struggle for freedom to pour its waters into the sea of independence. New streams poured their water into the river between 1905 and 1947.... but the flow released by the anti-partition movement from the mountain peak, in its journey to the goal was never hindered". -R.C.M.

LAL, BAL, PAL Lala Lajpat Rai, Bala Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal: popularly known as “Lai, Bal, Pal’’ became the prominent trio- leaders of the Indian Freedom Struggle.