Lala Lajpat Rai

WHY IN NEWS?

Lala Lajpat Rai’s 155th birth anniversary celebrated on January 28, 2020.

ABOUT LALA LAJPAT RAI

• Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian freedom fighter. He played a pivotal role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari.
• He was one third of the Lal Bal Pal triumvirate. He was also associated with activities of Punjab National Bank and Lakshmi Insurance Company in their early stages in 1894.
• Rai is remembered for his role during the Swadeshi movement and for his advocacy of education.
• He became a follower of Dayanand Saraswati,the founder of the Arya Samaj, and went on to become one of the society’s leaders.
• He also helped found the Punjab National Bank.
• In 1885, Rai established the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School in Lahore and remained a committed educationist throughout his life.
• Rai, Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal (called Lal-Bal-Pal) fervently advocated the use of Swadeshi goods and mass agitation in the aftermath of the controversial Partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon.
• He founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York City in 1917.
• He was elected President of the Indian National Congress during its Special Session in Kolkata in 1920, which saw the launch of Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperation Movement.
• The patriot died at Lahore in 1928 after he was attacked by police during a protest rally against the Simon Commission.
• His important works include:‘The Arya Samaj’, ‘Young India’, ‘England’s Debt to India’, ‘Evolution of Japan’, ‘India’s Will to Freedom’, ‘Message of the Bhagwad Gita’, ‘Political Future of India’, ‘Problem of National Education in India’, ‘The Depressed Glasses’, and the travelogue ‘United States of America’.

Prelims Question

Q. Consider the following statements regarding Lala Lajpat Rai:
1.He was elected President of the Indian National Congress during its Special Session in Kolkata in 1920, which saw the launch of Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperation Movement.
2.He founded the Indian Home Rule League of America.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a)1 only
b)2 only
c)Both 1 and 2
d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question