Lala Lajpat Rai BiographyLala Lajpat Rai was a prominent Indian freedom fighter who actively participated in the Indian freedom struggle against the British rule. Check out this biography to know in details about his childhood, life, profile and timeline. Quick Facts Nationality Indian Born on 28 January 1865 AD Zodiac Sign Aquarius Born in Dhudike, India Died on 17 November 1928 AD Father Munshi Radha Krishna Azad Mother Gulab Devi Popularly known as Punjab Kesari or the Lion of Punjab, Lala Lajpat Rai was one of the greatest leaders of India, who actively took part in the Indian fight for independence from the British He also travelled to the US to propagate the cause of Indian freedom.rule. Young Rai attained his elementary educational training from the Government Higher Secondary School in Rewari where his father was posted as an Urdu teacher. set up by the British government. However. he instigated in Indian youth the seed for Indian Independence. he helped . he was brutally assaulted by the police while protesting against the arrival of Simon Commission. Upon completing his basic education. His father was a scholar of Persian and Urdu language. Along with the latter. 1865. he completed his study of law and started his legal practice in Hissar. a non-profit welfare organization. He founded Servants of the People Society. and that ultimately led to his death. It was while at college that he befriended Indian patriots and future freedom fighters like Lala Hans Raj and Pandit Guru Dutt. to report on the political situation in India. Childhood & Early Life Born as Lajpat Rai to the Munshi Radha Krishna Azad and Gulab Devi at the Dhudike village of Punjab on January 28. unlike other lawyers from his fraternity. he enrolled at the Government College at Lahore in 1880 to attain a degree in law. It was during this time that he became an ardent follower of Dayananda Sarasvati. the founder of the conservative Hindu society Arya Samaj. Blessed with exceptional organizing abilities and oratorical skills. he belonged to the Aggarwal Bania community. A prominent member of the Indian National Congress. he was deeply impressed by the ideals of Arya Samaj movement founded by Dayananda Saraswati. he did not aim at making legal practise his preferred profession and instead wanted to devote his life to social service. He was one of the leaders of famous 'Lal Bal Pal' trio who were a thorn in the flesh of British administration. Educated in law. Care e r In 1885. he was one of the eighty delegates whose heroic speech made waves in the Congress circle and uplifted his popularity by leaps and bounds. His name resounded in the emergence of the new leadership at the Indian National Congress as he became part of the famous LalBal-Pal trio. His active measures in creating a tide of revolution caused riots in Lahore and Rawalpindi in 1907 which resulted in his imprisonment in Mandalay jail for six months until November. he decided to shift from the small town of Hissar.establish the nationalistic Dayananda Anglo-Vedic School. In 1888. qualifying to practice as an advocate. Two years later. T he outbreak of the First World War in 1914 however disrupted his plan for staying in England for six months . To serve the cause of the country better. he along with his associates worked hard to develop the Anglo-Vedic colleges and educational institutes. he served as one of the delegates of the Congress in England. At the Congress session in Allahabad. he entered politics and made impressive contribution in the country’s struggle for independence by working as a freedom fighter. After being out of Congress for a couple of years. he reentered the Indian National Congress in 1912. eventually becoming its secretary. As such. he moved to Lahore where he took up legal practice at the Punjab High Court. It was due to his impartial and unbiased attitude that he was elected to the Hissar municipality as a member first. He was unaffected by the repressive measure adopted by the government and constantly worked to infuse in people national pride and self-respect. 1907. He constantly juggled between legal duties and social service. After the death of Swami Dayanand. He actively participated against the partition of Bengal and launched Swadeshi campaign. In 1925. introducing a legislative assembly resolution for completely boycotting the latter and demanding that they return to their own country. which aimed at discussing Constitutional reforms needed in India but without having any Indian member on its panel. he founded the ‘Servants of the People Society’. a non-profit welfare organization. in Lahore. he understood the need for Hindu Muslim unity and actively worked for it. he was imprisoned from 1921 to 1923. T hough he was a devout Hindu and strongly was influenced by Arya Samaj. Infuriated. T he year 1928 proved to a curtain puller in the life of this freedom fighter who voiced strongly against the British’s Simon Commission. It was through the paper that he initiated a movement that made him popular worldwide. Unable to contain his growing popularity and his potential threat to the British Raj. Freed from jail.and resulted in him moving to America on a self-imposed exile. In America. he established the Indian Home Rule League and initiated a journal called. His surging popularity made him a national hero as people blindly accepted and followed him. he took over as the President of the National Congress at the Special Session held in September. ‘Young India’ which dealt with the significance of Indian culture and necessity for Indian freedom. British response in the form of lathi charge gravely injured him from which he . Following year. It was in America that he strongly raised his voice about the pitiable state of India and Indians through his revolutionary speeches and books. he led a peaceful protest against the Commission. Returning to India in 1920. he turned his attention to the communal problem which became a rising threat to India. he presided over the Hindu Mahasabha held in Calcutta where his inspiring speech instigated numerous Hindus to join the national movement for Independence. never completely recovered. He served as a father figure to the orphans. 1928. he made lasting contribution in the field of commerce and journalism as well. Triv ia T his great Indian political leader and freedom fighter was referred to as Punjab Kesari or Lion of Punjab. markets and localities also bear his name to mark his relentless contribution in the freedom struggle. Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy He breathed his last on November 17. Lala Lajpat Rai’s legacy continues to thrive in the country in the form of various schools. Additionally. . While he is responsible for the establishment of the Punjab National Bank and the Lakshmi Insurance Company. His death is celebrated as Martyrs Day in India. journals and weeklies played a dominant role in instigating Indian youth to join in the freedom struggle. his newspapers. His statues adorn various roads. His contribution as a social worker and member of the Arya Samaj has been invincible. squares and lanes in numerous towns and metropolis of India. due to heart attack. helped set up numerous orphanages which function till date and toiled tirelessly to improve the working condition of the working class. Popularly referred to as the Lion of Punjab. colleges and educational institutes which bear his name. In his life.