LALA LAJPATRAI

Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 — 17 November 1928) was a British Indian author, revolutionary, and politician. He played a pivotal role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as “PUNJAB KESARI”.

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The

Punjab

Kesari

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His Early Life:

Rai was born on 28 January 1865 in Agarwal Jain family as a son of Urdu and Persian government school teacher Munshi Radha Krishna Agarwal and his wife Gulab Devi at Dhudike in Ludhiana district of Punjab Province.

Career:

In the late 1870s, his father was transferred to Rewari, where he had his initial education in Government Higher Secondary School, Rewari, Punjab province, where his father was posted as an Urdu teacher. In 1880, Lajpat Rai joined Government College at Lahore to study law.

Motivation:

He was very inspired by Arya Samaj, which is formed by Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

Death:

After leaving his Law practice he joined the independence movement against British Empire. In 1928, British Government formed simon commission in view of better governance. Lalaji led a non-violent movement against this commission in Lahore. Where he was critically injured in the “Lathee Charge”. On 17th November, 1928 he died.

Simon Go Back !

In 1928, the United Kingdom established the Simon Commission, headed by Sir John Simon, to prepare a report on the political situation in India. The Commission was boycotted by Indian political parties because it did not include Indian members, and nationwide protests ensued. When the commission visited Lahore on October 30, 1928, Lajpat Rai led a nonviolent protest march against it, raising the slogan "Simon Go Back." The protesters chanted the slogan and carried black flags.

The police chief in Lahore, James A. Scott, ordered the police to attack the protesters with batons and personally attacked Rai. Although seriously injured, Rai addressed the crowd afterwards and said, "I declare that the blows that have been struck at me today will be the last nails in the coffin of British rule in India.