Ram Manohar Lohia
On March 23, 1910, a boy was born in Akbarpur, a remote village in Uttar Pradesh. He was later to become famous as the great socialist thinker, humanitarian and politician - Ram Manohar Lohia (1910 - 1967).
Ram Manohar, who lost his mother at a very young age, was brought up by his father, Hira Lal, a Congress party worker. When he was ten years old, the family moved to Bombay. Thus, in 1920, Ram Manohar was enrolled at Marwari High School in Bombay. His political career effectively started the same year. When Lokmanya Tilak passed away on August 1, the boy organized his fellow-students and led them in a hartal.
In 1925, Lohia completed his matriculation, standing first in his school. By now, he was deeply involved in the Swadeshi movement. He joined the Banaras Hindu university to do his Intermediate. Here, his leadership qualities blossomed and he developed into a fiery orator. He went on to graduate from Calcutta University.
In 1929, Lohia went to Berlin for higher studies. Here too, he was actively involved in the cause of Indian nationalism. In 1932, he got a doctorate for his brilliant thesis on the topic of the Salt Satyagraha in India. He then returned to India and joined the Indian National Congress, where he soon made his mark as an intellectual and an expert on foreign affairs.
When World War II broke out, Lohia opposed the British government's move to forcibly involve India in the war. For his anti-British propaganda, he was arrested in 1940 and sentenced to two years' rigorous imprisonment. He was locked up in Bareilly Central Jail, where he was subjected to torture. He bore everything with fortitude.
After his release, Lohia wrote many articles calling for nationwide agitation against the British. In 1942, the Quit India Movement started. In a bid to suppress the rebellion, the government imprisoned all the national leaders, including Lohia, went underground and took charge of the movement. Lohia took up the job of getting posters and pamphlets printed at a secret press. He also set up an underground radio station, broadcasting patriotic messages. His voice became familiar to many in the country. In 1944, the British finally captured Lohia. He was taken to a prison in Lahore, where he was tortured day and night. Finally, he managed to smuggle out a letter to a leader of the British Labour Party. This letter made the headlines of all the British and Indian newspapers. Yielding to public pressure, the British government was forced to transfer Lohia to Agra Central Jail, where the treatment was much more humane. While here, he lost his father - his only surviving relative. Although he was offered parole, he declined the favour. His father's last rites were performed by his friends and followers.
At last, under pressure from Mahatma Gandhi, the government was forced to release Lohia on April 11, 1946. He came out to a hero's welcome. But the tortures in prison had wrecked his health. On his friend's insistence, he went to Goa for a vacation. But there too, instead of resting, he got involved in the local liberation movement (Goa, in those days, was a Portuguese colony). After India attained independence, the socialists in the Congress, unhappy with the way it was functioning, left to form their own party. One of the leaders was Lohia. He soon proved that he was no power-seeker, but a man of people. He was a great visionary and a principled man, who would never compromise on certain basic issues.
In 1963, Lohia was elected to the Lok Sabha. He was so engrossed in public service that he remained a lifelong bachelor. He never owned any property. His house in Delhi was always open to party workers.
On October 12, 1967, Dr. Lohia passed away after a prolonged illness. He left behind no bank balance, but only a legacy of lofty ideas and unselfish service. The nation mourned his loss deeply. The Wellington Hospital, where he died, was later named Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital - in tribute to him.
