Ram Manohar Lohia

Ram Manohar Lohia ( 23 March 1910 – 12 October 1967) was an Indian political activist of the Indian independence movement and a socialist politician. As a nationalist, he worked actively to protest against colonialism, raising awareness of the same. He founded multiple socialist political parties and later won elections to the Lok Sabha.

thumb|View of Lohia Chowk in [[Benipatti town - "A legacy attributed to his name".]]

Early life

thumbnail|Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, [[Mani Ram Bagri, Madhu Limaye, S. M. Joshi]]

Ram Manohar Lohia was born on 23 March 1910 in a Marwari Bania family at Akbarpur, Ambedkar nagar in modern-day Uttar Pradesh.

In 1929, Lohia went to England for further studies. However, the political environment in London did not align with Lohia's nationalist feelings, leading him to leave the country. Lohia then decided to join the Frederick William University in Berlin, Germany. He then learnt German and won a scholarship to pursue a doctorate in economics from 1929 to 1933. focusing on Gandhi's socio-economic theory. However, he never completed the degree. Lohia was greatly influenced by the events that took place in Germany during his stay there, including the rise of Hitler and Nazism. He also studied the works of Marx and Engels during this time. In 1930, during the session of the League of Nations, Lohia and Menezes, who were present on the occasion, threw bundles of leaflets from the visitors' gallery. These leaflets denounced Ganga Singh, the then Maharaja of Bikaner (now Rajasthan), and an Indian representative sent by the British Crown to present to the League of Nations.

1934–1938: Congress Socialist Party

Lohia helped found the Congress Socialist Party in 1934. He was also the editor of its publication, the Congress Socialist. In 1936, Jawaharlal Nehru chose Lohia as the secretary of the Foreign Department of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). In 1938, Lohia resigned as the secretary. and the Communists who had joined the CSP.

1940–1942: Anti-war efforts

As World War II intensified, Lohia began anti-war propaganda. He was critical of the Congress Party leadership's decision to support the British government in the war, stating that the British would not grant India freedom if the Congress cooperated with them. After the Cripps Mission was sent to India, Gandhi and Lohia together opposed it. Lohia stated that Britain would not grant India freedom on its own. Nehru, however, desired independence but refused to take an anti-war stand. Subsequently, Lohia criticized Nehru at the May 1942 session of the AICC, held in Allahabad. In his words, he intended to "disseminate the much needed information to the masses to sustain a leaderless movement". He was then captured and imprisoned in Lahore Fort in 1944. Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan, who had assembled a guerilla force during the same movement, were then released on 11 April 1946.

1946: Goa Revolution Day

thumb|Statue of Lohia in [[Margao, Goa, at the location where he delivered his speech on 18 June 1946.]]

Following his release, Lohia met his friend Julião Menezes in Bombay for a medical consultation in April 1946. Menezes then invited Lohia to recuperate with him at his home in Goa. They reached Menezes' Goa home on 10 June 1946. After the news of Lohia's arrival spread, the general public and other local freedom fighters began visiting Lohia in large numbers. Menezes and Lohia then began planning a civil disobedience movement. Over the next few days, they addressed people around Goa, informing people that they would defy the ban on public meetings and address an audience of Goans on 18 June in the city of Margao.

On 18 June 1946, Menezes and Lohia arrived at the designated maidan in Margao, evading and defying the Portuguese police. They were greeted by a large crowd that was chanting slogans. About 600–700 people gathered before the duo was physically escorted to the police station, just as Lohia had begun addressing the audience. The police resorted to a baton charge to disperse the crowd. However, everyone regrouped at the police station and only left after Lohia addressed them briefly. The location of the gathering is today known as Lohia Maidan, and the date, 18 June, is celebrated as Goa Revolution Day. Lohia arrived back to Goa in September 1946 but was immediately arrested and jailed for 10 days at Aguada fort.

Early political career (1948–1962)

1948–1950: Split from INC, Hind Kisan Panchayat, support for Nepali Congress

Following the assassination of Gandhi in 1948, the Socialists Party grew apart from the Indian National Congress (INC). At the INC session at Nashik in March 1948, the Socialists decided to leave the INC. Further, they resolved to protest for the immediate integration of the princely states into India. This protest led to Lohia's arrest in January 1950 at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.

In 1954, he led a farmers' protest in Uttar Pradesh. This was to protest the high tax rates for water. As the protest intensified, Lohia was arrested under the Special Powers Act, 1932.

In 1964, he toured the United States, launching a satyagraha against racism there. After he entered a hotel which had denied entry to the Blacks, he was briefly arrested. The US Administration later apologized for this. This coalition was referred to as the Samyukta Vidhayak Dal.

However, soon after, Lohia realised that the newly elected ministers from his Party were seeking power instead of implementing socialist principles. While this affected him, he continued to guide them.

Death

In 1978, former Union Health Minister Raj Narain reported that Lohia may have died due to medical negligence. Lohia was a diabetic and a hypertensive patient. A commission appointed by the Union government to inquire into the cause of his death found that he had undergone an operation, during which one of the stitches was not properly done. This led to excessive bleeding, leading to his death at the age of 57 on 12 October 1967.

Lohia was a bachelor when he died and had no personal wealth. He also had no house. At his funeral, Jayaprakash Narayan stated that "Dr Lohia was the messiah of the poor in India".

In 1963, Lohia proposed the idea of Saptakranti (). He stated that mankind is revolting for:

Equality between man and woman;
The abolition of inequalities based on colour;
Elimination of inequalities of birth and caste;
National freedom or ending of foreign influence;
Economic equality through increase in production;
Protecting the privacy of individual life from all collective encroachments; and
Limitations on armaments

Also in 1963, he spoke about the unity of Hindus and Muslims, requesting them to rethink the last 800 years of India's history.

Lohia believed that for the country to progress, caste inequality must be abolished. To implement this, he proposed the idea of "roti and beti", stating that people must first be willing to break caste barriers and eat the same roti, and then let their daughters (beti) marry people from other castes. Lohia also believed in the empowerment of women.

Works

Major writings in English

The Caste System: Hyderabad, Navahind [1964] 147 p.
Foreign Policy: Aligarh, P.C. Dwadash Shreni, [1963?] 381 p.
Fragments of 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.
Bandh Samrat - Tales of Eternal Rebel George Fernandes: Chris Emmanuel Dsouza, Bangalore, Cleverfox Publications[2022] 27 p.

Writings in Kannada Translation

The complete works of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia were translated and published in six volumes by the Government of Karnataka at the subsidized price.
There were lot of books available in Kannada about Lohia and also many private publications published the works of Lohia.

Legacy

Memorials

Avadh University in Faizabad was renamed as "Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University".
The Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University in Lucknow, one of India's top National law schools, is named after him.
18th June Road, in Panjim, Goa, is named after him. It was that date in 1946 where he launched an agitation against colonial rule.
The Willingdon Hospital of New Delhi was renamed Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the 1970s. Ram Manohar Lohia died in this hospital due to health complications following a surgery.
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences is a medical institute for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Lucknow.
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya Bhawan is a community hall in his hometown of Akbarpur, Ambedkar Nagar and is the only memorial in his name.
Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya Bhawan is an academic block of commerce department in Maharaja Ganga Singh University Bikaner.

Ram Manohar Lohia

Early life

1934–1938: Congress Socialist Party

1940–1942: Anti-war efforts

1946: Goa Revolution Day

Early political career (1948–1962)

1948–1950: Split from INC, Hind Kisan Panchayat, support for Nepali Congress

Death

Works

Major writings in English

Writings in Kannada Translation

Legacy

Memorials

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links