Lala Lajpat Rai

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Indian History 

Why in News?

Recently, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai on his birth anniversary.

• Born in – 28 January 1865, Ludhiana district, Punjab.
• Parents – Father Shri Radha Kishan, teacher of Urdu and Persian, and mother Smt. Gulab Devi.
• Early Activism – Showed leadership qualities from school days.
• In 1882, joined the Arya Samaj, founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati; worked for social and national revival.
• Ideology – Advocated militant nationalism.
• Believed in self-reliance, self-help, Swadeshi, and Swaraj as India’s birthright.
• Freedom Struggle – He was a part of the Lal-Bal-Pal trio.
• Swadeshi Movement – Promoted Swadeshi in Punjab, encouraging local goods and self-reliance.
• Opposed British economic policies like the Punjab Colonisation Act and irrigation rate hikes.
• Political Representation – Represented Indian grievances before the British public in England (1905) with Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
• Highlighted the plight of “half-starving and half-dying people of India.”
• Exile & International Advocacy – During WWI, in the USA, countered British propaganda and raised awareness about colonial oppression.
• Founded the Indian Home Rule League of America (1916) to support Home Rule and promote Indo-American relations.
• Congress Leadership – Elected as President of the Indian National Congress (1920, Calcutta session).
• Advocated the Non-Cooperation Movement after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
• Anti-Simon Commission – Led boycott and protest against the all-white Simon Commission (1928).
• Injured during a lathi-charge in Lahore; injuries led to his death, making him a martyr.
• Social Reform – Arya Samaj – Became a leading member; made it a platform for social service.
• Famine & Disaster Relief – Provided relief during famines (1896, 1899–1900, 1907–08) and the Kangra earthquake (1905).
• Untouchability Abolition – Supported Harijan upliftment and abolition of untouchability.
• Funded schools and purchased land to establish homes and schools for the depressed classes.
• Education – Strong advocate for education as a tool for social progress and freedom.
• Associated with DAV College; emphasized education as a foundation for national development.
• Women & Child Welfare – Worked for women’s upliftment and orphanages for destitute children.
• Title – He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari (Lion of Punjab) and Sher-e-Punjab.
• Literary works – It includes Unhappy India, Young India, England's Debt to India, and The Story of My Deportation.

References

1. PIB | Lala Lajpat Rai
2. INDIAN CULTURE | Lala Lajpat Rai
3. Sansad | Lala Lajpat Rai