28 January: Lala Lajpat Rai's birth anniversary today, read 10 special things
1. Lala Lajpat Rai (Lalaji) was born on 28 January 1865 in Dhudiki village of the Ferozepur district of Punjab. After completing his schooling, to obtain a law degree, he joined the Government College in Lahore in 1880. During this time he joined the movement of Arya Samaj.
2. After completing legal education, Lalaji started practicing law in Jagraon. After this, he started practicing law in Rohtak and then in Hisar. Being an active worker of Arya Samaj, he also did the work of collecting funds for Dayanand College.
3. Lalaji was elected as a member of the Hisar Municipal Corporation and later the Secretary was also elected. In Hisar, Lalaji also started attending Congress meetings and became an active worker of Congress.
4. After the death of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Lalaji along with his associates started making efforts for the development of Anglo Vedic College. He also did many things for the welfare of children.
5. When there was a famine in many parts of the country in 1897 and 1899, Lalaji appeared at the forefront of relief work. When the famine victims have left their homes and reached Lahore, many of them were accommodated by Lala Lajpat Rai in his house.
6. When the earthquake caused tremendous destruction in Kangra, Lala Lajpat Rai was at the forefront of relief and rescue operations even at that time.
7. When the British partitioned Bengal in 1905, Lalaji joined hands with the agitators like Surendranath Banerjee and Bipin Chandra Pal and strongly opposed this decision of the British. He campaigned for the adoption of indigenous goods across the country. On 3 May 1907, the British government arrested him in Rawalpindi. Even after his release, Lala Lajpat Rai continued to fight for freedom.
8. After reaching America, Lalaji established an organization named Indian Home Rule League of America in October 1917 in New York City there. Lalaji continued to work for the upliftment of his country and countrymen even after living abroad. When he returned to India on 20 February 1920, by that time he had become a hero for the countrymen.
9. Lalaji attended a special session of the Congress in Calcutta in 1920. He jumped into the non-cooperation movement launched by Gandhiji against the British, which was being conducted in principle in opposition to the Rowlatt Act. Under the leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai, this movement spread like wildfire in Punjab and soon they came to be known as 'Lion of Punjab' or 'Punjab Kesari'. Lalaji made his supreme sacrifice during the time of the Simon Commission.
10. On 3 February 1928, the commission reached India in protest against which fire broke out all over the country. A major incident took place in Lahore on 30 October 1928, when youths opposing Simon under the leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai were brutally beaten up. The police mercilessly pelted sticks on the chest of Lala Lajpat Rai. He was badly injured and died on 17 November 1928. Lala Lajpat Rai was not only a voter of independence, but also a great social reformer and great social worker. This was the reason that as much respect for him was in the hearts of Gandhians, as much respect was for him in the hearts of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad.
