Shraddhanand | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Munshi Ram (1856-02-22)22 February 1856 |
| Died | 23 December 1926(1926-12-23) (aged 70) Delhi, India |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Known for | Social worker Freedom Fighter Independence Activist Teacher Religious Leader |
Munshi Ram, better known asSwami Shraddhanand (22 February 1856 – 23 December 1926)[1] was an Indian independence activist andArya Samajsannyasi who propagated the teachings ofDayananda Saraswati. This included the establishment of educational institutions, like theGurukul Kangri University, and played a key role on theSangathan (consolidation and organisation) and theShuddhi (purification), aHindu reform movement in the 1920s.
He was born on 22 February 1856 in the village of Talwan in theJalandhar District of thePunjab Province ofIndia. He was the youngest child in the family of Lala Nanak Chand, who was aPolice Inspector in theUnited Provinces (nowUttar Pradesh), then administered by theEast India Company. His given name was Brihaspati Vij, but later he was called Munshi Ram Vij by his father, a name that stayed with him till he tooksanyas in 1917, variously as Lala Munshi Ram Vij and Mahatma Munshi Ram.
He adoptedatheism after a few incidents, such as when he was prevented from entering the temple while a noble woman was praying. He also was witness to a "compromising" situation involving apriest with anun,[2] the attempted rape of a youngdevotee bypontiffs of theKrishnacult, and the suspicious death of a little girl at the home of aMuslim lawyer. All of these events cemented hisatheism. He eventually passed mukhtari exams and began studying law fromPunjab University Law College to become a lawyer.[2]
He first metDayanand Saraswati when Dayanand visitedBareilly to give lectures. His father was handling arrangements and security at the events, due to the attendance of some prominent personalities and British officers. Munshiram attend the lectures at his father's request. He originally went with the intent of spoiling the arrangements, then claimed to be strongly influenced by Dayanand's courage, skill, and strong personality. After completing his studies Munshiram started his practice aslawyer.[2][3]
In 1892Arya Samaj was split into two factions after a controversy over whether to makeVedic education the core curriculum at theDAV College Lahore. He left the organisation and formed the PunjabArya Samaj. The Arya Samaj was divided between the Gurukul Section and the DAV Section. Shraddhanand headed for Gurukuls. In 1897, whenPandit Lekh Ram was assassinated, Shraddhanand succeeded him. He headed the 'Punjab Arya Pratinidhi Sabha', and started its monthly journal,Arya Musafir.[4] In 1902 he established aGurukul inKangri, India near Haridwar. This school is now recognised asGurukul Kangri University.
In 1917, Mahatma Munshi Ram took sanyas as "Swami Shradhanand Saraswati".
Shraddhanand established Gurukul Indraprashtha inAravali near Faridabad, Haryana.[4]
In 1917, Shraddhanand left Gurukul to become an active member of theHindu reform movements and theIndian Independence movement.[3] He began working with theCongress, which he invited to hold its session at Amritsar in 1919. This was because of the Jalianwala massacre, and no one in the Congress Committee disagreed to have a session at Amritsar.Motilal Nehru presided over the session.
He also joined the nationwide protest against theRowlatt Act. The same year he protested in front of a posse of Gurkha soldiers at theClock Tower inChandni Chowk, then was allowed to proceed.[3] In the early 1920s he emerged as an important force in the Hindu Sangathan (consolidation) movement, which was a by product of the now revitalisedHindu Mahasabha.[5]
Swami Shradhanand was the onlyHinduSanyasi who addressed a huge gathering from the minarets of the mainJama Masjid New Delhi, for national solidarity andVedic dharma starting his speech with the recitation ofVedicmantras.[3]
He wrote on religious issues in bothHindi andUrdu. He published newspapers in the two languages as well. He promoted Hindi in theDevanagri script, helped the poor and promoted the education of women. By 1923, he left the social arena and plunged whole-heartedly into his earlier work of theshuddhi movement (re-conversion toHinduism), which he turned into an important force within Hinduism.[6] In 1922, Dr. Ambedkar called Shraddhanand “the greatest and most sincere champion of the Untouchables”.[7]
In late 1923, he became the president ofBhartiya Hindu Shuddhi Sabha, created with an aim of reconverting Muslims, specifically 'Malkana Rajputs' in the westernUnited Province. This brought him into direct confrontation with Muslim clerics and leaders of the time.[4][8] 1,63,000 Malkana Rajputs were converted back to Hindu fold due to this movement.[9]
On 23 December 1926, Shraddhanand was assassinated by anIslamic radical Abdul Rashid.[10] Rashid was hanged to death in 1927.
The 'Swami Shraddhanand Kaksha' at the archeological museum of theGurukul Kangri University inHaridwar houses a photographic journey of his life.[11]
A statue of him was placed in front ofDelhi Town Hall afterindependence, replacing a statue ofVictoria.[12] This location inOld Delhi is termedghantaghar because the old clock tower stood here until the 1950s.[13]
Shraddhanand and his wife Shiva Devi had two sons and two daughters. His wife died when Shraddhanand was only 36 years old. His granddaughterSatyavati was a prominent opponent of the British rule in India.[14]
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