News: Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid tribute to Swami Shraddhanand on his Balidaan Diwas, highlighting his role in Swaraj and social reform.
About Swami Shraddhanand
- Swami Shraddhanand, originally named Munshi Ram, was a social reformer, educationist, religious leader, and freedom activist associated with the Arya Samaj tradition.
- Birth: He was born on February 22, 1856, in Talwan village of Jalandhar district, Punjab.
- Embraced Sanyasa : In 1917 he embraced Sanyasa and came to be known as Swami Shraddhanand.
- He later came into contact with Swami Dayanand Saraswati in the early 1880s, which shaped his reformist outlook.
- Key Contributions
- Educationist: He established Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya near Haridwar in 1902, promoting education based on Vedic traditions.
- He also founded Gurukul Indraprashtha in the Aravali region near Faridabad.
- Independence activist: He led an anti-Rowlatt act procession at Chandni Chowk in Delhi.
- He invited the Indian National Congress to hold its 1919 session at Amritsar.
- He joined the Non-cooperation movement but later resigned due to disagreement with Gandhi.
- Social reformer: He strongly opposed untouchability and described it as a curse on Hindu society.
- He also organised the Delhi Suddhar Sabha for the upliftment of the oppressed class.
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar called him the greatest and most sincere champion of the untouchables.
- Religious leadership: He played a leading role in the Shuddhi movement to reconvert people to Hinduism.
- His sympathy with the Gurdwara Sudhar agitation won the hearts of the Sikhs.
- In 1922, he became the first Hindu sanyasi to address a gathering from the minarets of Delhi’s Jama Masjid.
- Educationist: He established Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya near Haridwar in 1902, promoting education based on Vedic traditions.
- Key Works
- Kalyan Marg Ka Pathik: His autobiography, detailing his life and transformation.
- Hindu Sangathan: Saviour of the Dying Race: An influential English work advocating for Hindu consolidation and revival.
- Inside Congress: A series of articles published in The Liberator, offering his perspective on the Indian National Congress.
- Hindu Sangathan – Kyon Aur Kaise? (Why and How to Organize Hindus?): The Hindi version of his call for Hindu unity.
- Aryapathik Pandit Lekhram: A biography of martyr Pandit Lekhram, another key figure in the Arya Samaj movement.
- Other writings
- Vedic Literature: He wrote on Vedic subjects and published works like Presentation of Vedic Literature.
- Social & Religious Reform: His writings, including articles on Shuddhi(purification) and Sangathan (organization), were central to his activism.
- Death: Swami Shraddhanand was assassinated on December 23, 1926, at his Delhi residence, and the day is observed as Balidaan Diwas.
