Ram Manohar Lohia

62
Ram Manohar Lohia bigraphy, stories - Activists

Ram Manohar Lohia : biography

23 March 1910 – 12 October 1967

Ram Manohar Lohia ,(23 March 1910 – 12 October 1967) was an activist for the Indian independence movement and a Nationalist political leader.http://www.lokniti.org/pdfs_dataunit/…/on_remembering_lohia.pdf

Experiment with Non-Congressism

In 1963, he propounded the strategy of Anti-Congressism. He was of the opinion that since in the past three general elections the Congress had won with a thumping majority, there was a feeling among the masses that the Congress could not be defeated and it had come to stay in power for ever. Lohia invited all the Opposition parties to field a single candidate against Congress nominees so that the masses could be disabused of this illusion. This formula of Dr Lohia saw success in the 1967 general elections with the Congress party defeated in nine States and Samyuktha Vidhayak Dal governments formed by the Opposition parties of the time.

Lohia was a socialist and wanted to unite all the socialists in the world to form a potent platform. He was the General Secretary of Praja Socialist Party. He established the World Development Council and eventually the World Government to maintain peace in the world.

During his last few years, besides politics, he spent hours talking to thousands of young adults on topics ranging from Indian literature to politics and art.

Lohia, who was unmarried, died on 12 October 1967 in New Delhi. He left behind no property or bank balance.

Awards and honours

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, one of the premier law institutes in India, is located at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The Willingdon Hospital of New Delhi, was renamed Dr.Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital a few decades after independence, Dr. Ram manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences is an upcoming medical institute for postgraduate studies in Lucknow Uttar Pradesh

  • The Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University,one of India’s select National law Schools, is named after him.
  • "18 June Road", in Panjim, Goa is named after him. It was that date in 1946 where he launched an agitation against colonial rule.

Freedom Fighter

While in Europe, Lohia attended the League of Nations assembly in Geneva. India was represented by the Maharaja of Bikaner, an ally of the British Raj. Lohia took exception to this and launched a protest then and there from the visitors gallery. He fired several letters to editors of newspapers and magazines to clarify the reasons for his protest. The whole incident made Lohia a recognized figure in India overnight. Lohia helped organize the Association of European Indians and became secretary of the club. The main focus of the organization was to preserve and expand Indian nationalism outside of India

Lohia wrote his PhD thesis paper on the topic of Salt Satyagraha, focusing on Gandhiji’s socio-economic theory.

Major writings in English

  • The Caste System: Hyderabad, Navahind [1964] 147 p.
  • Foreign Policy: Aligarh, P.C. Dwadash Shreni, [1963?] 381 p.
  • Fragments of a World Mind: Maitrayani Publishers & Booksellers ; Allahabad [1949] 262 p.
  • Fundamentals of a World Mind: ed. by K.S. Karanth. Bombay, Sindhu Publications, [1987] 130 p.
  • Guilty Men of India’s Partition: Lohia Samata Vidyalaya Nyas, Publication Dept.,[1970] 103 p.
  • India, China, and Northern Frontiers: Hyderabad, Navahind [1963] 272 p.
  • Interval During Politics: Hyderabad, Navahind [1965] 197 p.
  • Marx, Gandhi and Socialism: Hyderabad, Navahind [1963] 550 p.
  • Collected Works of Dr Lohia” A nine volume set edited by veteran Socialist writer Dr Mastram Kapoor in English and published by Anamika Publications, New Delhi.

Quit India

See Also: Quit India Movement, Indian National Congress

"Do or Die" Inquilab

Lohia then went to Calcutta to revive the movement there. He changed his name to hide from the police who were closing in on him. Lohia fled to Nepal’s dense jungles to evade the British. There he met, among other Nepalese revolutionaries, the Koirala brothers, who remained Lohia’s allies for the rest of their lives.