Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai[a] (28 January 1865 — 17 November 1928) was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of the Lal Bal Pal trio.[1] He died of severe head trauma injuries sustained 18 days earlier during a baton charge by police in Lahore, when he led a peaceful protest march against the British Simon Commission Indian constitutional reforms.
"The Lion of Punjab" redirects here. For other uses, see The Lion of Punjab (disambiguation).
Lala Lajpat Rai
28 January 1865
17 November 1928 (aged 63)
Injuries sustained during a lathi charge
Punjab Kesari
Radha Devi Aggarwal
Education[edit]
Lajpat Rai had his initial education in Government Higher Secondary School, Rewari, Punjab province, where his father was posted as an Urdu teacher. In 1880, he joined Government College at Lahore to study law, where he came in contact with patriots and future freedom fighters, such as Lala Hans Raj and Pandit Guru Dutt. While studying at Lahore he was influenced by the Hindu reformist movement of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, became a member of the existing Arya Samaj Lahore (founded 1877) and founder-editor of Lahore-based Arya Gazette.[7]
Death[edit]
Rai did not fully recover from his injuries and died on 17 November 1928. Doctors thought that James Scott's blows had hastened his death.[18] However, when the matter was raised in the British Parliament, the British government denied any role in Rai's death.[20] Bhagat Singh, an HSRA revolutionary who was a witness to the event,[21] swore to avenge the death of Rai, who was a significant leader of the Indian independence movement.[20] He joined other revolutionaries, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar and Chandra Shekhar Azad, in a plot to kill Scott to send a message to the British government.[22] However, in a case of mistaken identity, Singh was signalled to shoot on the appearance of John P. Saunders, an assistant superintendent of the Lahore Police. He was shot by Rajguru and Singh while leaving the District Police Headquarters in Lahore on 17 December 1928.[23] Chanan Singh, a head constable who was chasing them, was fatally injured by Azad's covering fire.[24]
This case did not stop Singh and his fellow-members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association from claiming that retribution had been exacted.[22]
In popular culture[edit]
Homi Master directed a 1929 Indian silent film, titled Punjab Kesari (or The Lion of Punjab), about Lala Lajpat Rai.[30] Vande Mataram Ashram a 1927 silent film by the Indian filmmaker Bhalji Pendharkar, was inspired by Rai's and Madan Mohan Malaviya's opposition to the Western-style educational system introduced by the British Raj; it was censored by the colonial government's regional film censorship board.[31]
A documentary film about Lajpat Rai, directed by K. Viswanath, was produced by the Government of India's Films Division.[32]
A protest is brewing and threatening to become a full-fledged rebellion in the aftermath of the arrest of Lala Lajpat Rai is referenced at the starting scene of 2022 released movie 'RRR'.[33]
Lala Lajpat Rai is also showcased in 2022 released movie 'Dasvi", The protagonist tries to say Lalaji.[34]
In S. S. Rajamouli's period fiction film RRR protest for his arrest at Calcutta (only name mentioned) in Ram Charan introduction with 1000 people, historically, Lalaji was arrested on 3 December 1921 in Lahore for his activities related to the non-cooperation movement and was imprisoned for a year and a half.[35]
Along with founding Arya Gazette as its editor, he regularly contributed to several major Hindi, Punjabi, English and Urdu newspapers and magazines. He also authored the following published books. He also wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shri Krishna.