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Contents
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Page
no.
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Preface
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Author's
Note
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v
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Lala
Hardev Sahai had served his fellow-countrymen on different fronts. He was not
much educated, yet knew well the significance of Education. Probably, he was
the 'first Haryanvi' who opened a school of Hindi medium in his native
village as early as 1912 and then 65 schools and a shilpashala in the rural
area of present districts of Hisar, Bhiwani, Sirsa and Fatehbad.
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Acknowledgements
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vii
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First
of all, I extend my heartfelt thanks to the following four promminent
personalities, who are now the departed souls-
(1)Sh. Balwant Rai Tayal, (2) Bhagat Rameshwar Das, (3) Pt. Jagat Sarup
Advocate and (4) Sh. O.P. Jindal-who took the initiative to highlight the
life and work of an illustrious son of the country i.e. Lala Hardev Sahai on
the occasion of his birth-centenary.
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Chronology
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ix
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1892:
Born on 26 November at Satrod village, near Hisar.
1912: Opened a primary school at Satrod village on 12 July.
1919-21: Stayed in Calcutta as a businessman.
1921: Joined the Indian National Congress, and was sentenced to one year's
R.I. while taking active part in the NonCo-operation Movement.
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Background
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51
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Lala
Hardev Sahai, popularly known as the father of rural education in Haryana and
the Sarvashrestha Go-rakshak of India, was born on 26 November 1892 at Satrod
Khurd village near Hisar city which was then a district headquarters of the
Punjab province of British India.
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Formative
Period
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54
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The
Child Hardev Sahai was born in a well-to-do Vaishya family of Satrod village
of Hisar District. A few decades before his birth, his forefather had
migrated to Satrod. They originally belonged to Tara Nagar. It was a small
town of the then Bikaner State, but now in Churu District of Rajasthan.
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Role
for Rural Education
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58
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Hisar
District was educationally backward. According to 1881 Census, literacy in
the district was only 2 per cent. In 1931, it could only reach 3.5 while the
all-India and Punjab (including present Haryana) average was 8% and 11%
respectively.
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Help
for the Victims of Famine
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67
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The
word 'Haryana' means green land. Before the completion of the Bhakra Dam
Scheme in 1954, it's major part was the land of famines. Hisar was worst
affected by famines.
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Opposing
the Vanaspathi Ghee
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78
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The
word 'Vanaspati' is a name given to the hydrogenated refined edible vegetable
oils. During its processing, hydrogen is made to combine with these oils in
the presence of a metal known as 'nickel'.
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Staunch
Faith in Cow's Greatness
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92
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For
Hindus, Cow is still known as go-mata (mother-cow). She does not enjoy such a
great status anywhere in the world. Unlike Europe and the West, Cow-stock is
meant for many purposes in India.
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Causes
of Cow-Salughter
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98
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Lala
Hardev Sahai rightly felt that the
noble cause of cow cannot be protected unless the causes responsible for its
slaughter are thoroughly known. He thus goes to the roots of the problem.
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Efforts
for Cow-Protection
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104
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Lala
Hardev Sahai had been serving the cause of cow-protection since the early
days of his public life as the Secretary of Go-rakshini Sabha (society for
cow-protection), Hisar.
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Tussle
with Nehru
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116
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As a
scholar of Indian culture and history, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru knew well the
importance of cattle-wealth especially the cow in Hindu eyes. How the people
of India, especially the Hindus, had imbibed their qualities of mildness and
non-violence from their sacred animal, the cow, Nehru points out in his
Autobiography.:
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Tussle
with Others
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124
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The
cause of Cow-protection was so dear to the heart of Lala Hardev Sahai that he
was ever ready to engage any individual or institution opposed to the cow.
His public life, especially after independence, was full of such tussels.
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As a
Soldier of the Congress
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131
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Since
the appearance of Gandhiji on the political scene of India, the Indian
National Congress was not only a political party, but also a freedom movement
in itself. As the days were rolling by, the public-spirited people became its
active members on a large scale.
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As a
Rival of the Congress
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139
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Having
served the cause of Indian National Congress for three decades, Lala Hardev
Sahai left it in 1951, just before the first general election of the
post-independence India. The Congress leadership was ready to offer him Party
ticket, but he flatly refused to accept it.
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His
Prosecution
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144
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Since
1951, Lala Hardev Sahai had taken a vow to oppose the Indian National
Congress till it completely stopped the evil practice of cow-slaughter
throughout the country.
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Conclusion
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152
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Lala
Hardev Sahai was trapped into a criminal case by the Delhi Police on the
instance of the Pradesh Congress in July 1961. It caused Lalaji a lot of
tension. In addition to it, he contested an election to the Lok Sabha in the
beginning of 1962.
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Appendics
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161
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(Date)
4.3.1931, (Visitor's Name) Ch. Mukhtiar Singh, M.L.A., Meerut
(Visitor's
Impression)
The
School is fulfilling a great need, and it is instrumental in creating an
interest in handicrafts. I hope that if the students can sell the carpet and
cloth made here, it will be a good source of income. A remarkable specialty
of the school building and the boarding house building is that they are made
of mud; and it teaches us a lesson that it would be far better to spend the
amount
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Bibliography
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197
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a)
Official Records:
The District Gazetteer of Hissar, Lahore, 1915
The Census of India, 1931, Lahore, 1933
Home Political Files, Fortnightly Report (Punjab), 1938
(National Archives of India, New Delhi)
Irrigation in Hissar District, Shimla, 1954
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