Thakur Deshraj
Encyclopedia
Thakur Deshraj (1903–1970) was a social worker, journalist
, nationalist, freedom fighter and author of many books. He was from Rajasthan
state in India. He was revenue minister in the princely state
of Bharatpur
.
. The condition of the farmer
s in Rajasthan was bad. The farmers of the Rajasthan were exploited and oppressed by the Jagirdar
s during British Raj
. They were deprived of fundamental rights. They were given inhuman treatment when the Jagirdars did not get cesses known as “lag”(tax) or “begar”(forced work) in time, they were given hard punishments and their crop used to be destroyed. The farmers were tenants of the land and their condition was deplorable under the exploitation of landlords called Jajirdars, Zamindars and Bishwedars etc. The tenant had no right over the land cultivated by him. He was only the tiller of the soil, but was under the whimsical mercy of those landlords.
But the farmers as a class were awakening under the leadership of Thakur Deshraj and there was turmoil of the tiller demanding, “Land to tiller”. Thakur Deshraj united farmers of Rajasthan under the banner of Jat Mahasabha
. He led the movement of nonpayment of cesses to Jagirdars in 1000 villages of district Jhunjhunu
. He organized successful mass rallies of farmers of Sikar
and Jhunjhunu
districts in Shekhawati
region of Rajasthan. This hostile state of affairs led the newly formed state government to take immediate steps to reconcile the situation. The pressure of protection of the tenants was so immense that the government had to take immediate steps and with this aim “The Rajasthan Protection of Tenants Ordinance, 1949” was promulgated to meet the burning need of the time. Thus Thakur Deshraj was an instrument of change in the abolition of Jagirdars in Rajasthan.
, Rajasthan, there were 500 villages of the Jats
in one grouping, but in contrast to Haryana
, Uttar Pradesh
, Delhi
, Punjab
their condition was very backward during British rule. The condition was poor and destitute. The reason for this was the existence of the Rajput feudal Thakurs (Bikaner and Shekhawati). In this vast spread out region, there was not a single primary school. The farmer communities, including Jats, could not put Singh to their names. They were not allowed to wear gold ornaments. On his wedding day the their bridegroom was not allowed to ride a horse. Fifty-one kinds of taxes called ‘lagh’ were imposed on the farmers. There was no Law or Court. The only law was that of the Thakur. The Jats and other communities had totally suppressed by the continual atrocities committed by the feudal arrogant Rajput .
Thakur Deshraj wrote the Jat history in 1934 at the same time he also published local newspapers to promote the farmers to fight for their rights and awakened them to realize the self-respect. He started a newspaper named Rajasthan Sandesh in 1931 for this purpose. With his efforts the All India Jat Mahsabha could be associated with the farmer movement in Shekhawati.
in 1925 in the adhiveshan of All India Jat Mahasabha, which was presided over by Maharaja Kishan Singh
of Bharatpur
. Sir Chhotu Ram, Madan Mohan Malviya, Chhajju Ram etc. farmer leaders had also attended. This function was organized with the initiative of Master Bhajan Lal Bijarnia
of Ajmer-Merwara
. The farmers from all parts of Shekhawati had come namely, Chaudhary Govind Ram, Kunwar Panne Singh Deorod, Ram Singh Bakhtawarpura, Chetram Bhadarwasi, Bhuda Ram Sangasi, Moti Ram Kotri, Har Lal Singh etc. The Shekhawati farmers took two oaths in Pushkar namely,
in 1929 to take part in ‘Arya Samaj
’ function and realized the social problems of Jats in Shekhawati region. He published a series of articles in ‘Jatveer’ on the acts of oppression on farmers, which awakened them. Later ‘Jatveer’ paper was also published from Jhunjhunu
. The paper ‘Ganesh’ published by him from Agra
also played an important role in farmers’ movement. Thakur Deshraj along with Pundit Tarkeshwar Sharma circulated hand written newspaper called ‘Gram Samachar’ started in 1929. Later he also published newspaper ‘Kisan’. All these papers created a revolutionary change in the farmers.
was organized at Delhi in 1931 under the chairmanship of Rana Udaybhanu Singh
of Dholpur
state. Large number of farmers from Shekhawati took part in it. At this adhiveshan Thakur Deshraj constituted ‘Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha’.
. It was attended by famous revolutionist Vijay Singh Pathik
, Baba Nrisingh Das, Chaudhary Laduram (Gordhanpura). It was resolved in this meeting that –
With these objectives ‘Shekhawati Kisan Jat Panchayat’ was established in 1931 in Jhunjhunu.
on 11–13 February 1932. 60000 Jat farmers attended it. Thakur Deshraj camped at Jhunjhunu for 15 days to make it a success. The farmers from all parts of India attended it. It was presided by Rao Sahib Chaudhary Rishal Singh Rayees, who was escorted from station to the place of meeting on elephant accompanied by a carvan of camels. This program was of Jats but all the communities cooperated and welcomed. Kunwar Panne Singh Deorod welcomed this rally where as Vidyadhar Singh Sangasi did the welcome of ‘Jaipur Prantiya Jat Kshatriya Sabha’ rallies. Though the Jagirdars did all attempts to make it a failure, but it proved a success. On the appeal of fund collection the participant farmers donated their gold ornaments, which they were wearing. This was the first opportunity of awakening the Shekhawati farmers and proved a grand success. Sardar Harlal Singh and Chaudhary Ghasi Ram had traveled a lot for its publicity and spread its message. Some of the competent people were awarded Kshatriya titles. For example Chaudhary Har Lal Singh was awarded as ‘Sardar’, Ratan Singh of Bharatpur as ‘Kunwar’ and Chaudhary Ram Singh as ‘Thakur’. Thus the Rajput monopoly over these titles vanished.
As the tenth guru of Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh
made Sikh
s as ‘Singh’, Thakur Deshraj made the farmers of Shekhawati as ‘Singh’. Thakur Deshraj floated three slogans in this function namely,
The Jhunjhunu
adhiveshan brought wonderful changes in the life and culture of the farmers of Shekhawati. Their morals were boosted up and other classes accepted the Jats as noble Aryan
s and Kshatriya
s. The success of Jhunjhunu adhiveshan not only changed the life of Shekhawati farmers but those of Jaipur and Bikaner princely states also. After this there were programmes started to improve the social life of the Jat community.
adhiveshan in 1932, a deputation of Jats from Sikar district
, under the leadership of Prithvi Singh Gothra met Thakur Deshraj and requested him to do a similar adhiveshan in Sikar
also. After long discussions Thakur Deshraj proposed to have a yagya at Sikar. A meeting for discussing this issue was called in Palthana
village in October 1933. This was attended by all activists from Shekhawati and one member was invited from each family in Sikar district. About 5000 people gathered in the meeting. The Sikar
thikana wanted to make this meeting a failure. For this, the thikanedar sent hundreds of handcuffs loaded on camels along with the police force to terrorize the people taking part in the meeting. Thakur Deshraj addressed the people that
These words of Thakur Deshraj played a lightening effect amongst the people and they all were energized for further struggle with the Jagirdars. People listened the leaders very calmly and meeting was a great success. Police could do nothing. The leaders who attended the meeting were Sardar Harlal Singh, Chaudhary Ram Singh Kunwarpura, Chaudhary Ghasi Ram, Kunwar Net Ram Singh, Panne Singh Deorod's elder brother Bhoor Singh etc. There was a speech by Master Ratan Singh Pilani. A resolution was passed in this meeting to conduct a seven day "Jat Prajapat Mahayagya" (Prayer ceremony for the Lord of Universe) in Sikar on next basant in 1934, to spread the principles of Arya Samaj
and create awakening in Shekhawati. It was decided for this purpose to collect ghee and money from each household. A yagya committee was formed consisting of Chaudhary Hari Singh Burdak
of Palthana
village as its president, Master Chandrabhan Singh as minister. Deva Singh Bochalya, Thakur Hukum Sing and Bhola Singh were put in charge of publicity. The office of managing committee was earlier in Palthana
. In December 1933 this office was transferred to Sikar.
The Jat Prajapati Maha-Yagya took place at Sikar from 20–29 January 1934. Kunwar Hukam Singh Rahees Angai (Mathura) was made Yagyapati or Chairman of the Yagya. Chaudhary Kaluram of village Kudan
was the Yagyaman. Acharya Shri Jagdev Sidhanthi received an invitation for this Yagya at his Gurukul at Kirttal, In that invitation was he requested to attend the Yagya and bring twenty Bhramcharis and disciples with him. Volunteers went to all the households in all the villages in the region and collected material that would be needed. They collected Ghee, Flour, Gur, and invited all the householders to participate. Hundreds of cans of Ghee
and hundreds of sacks of flour were collected.
During the Yagya 3000 men and women adopted the Yogyopavit, which was a symbol of "Kisan sangathan"(farmers' organization). Sheetal Kumari daughter of Kunwar Netram Singh adopted yagyopavit. Chaudhary Chimana Ram of Sangasi brought his wife wearing salwar-kurta. The unity of Jat farmers in this Yagya had terrified the Jagirdars of Sikar. The role played by Sardar Har Lal Singh
and Thakur Deshraj was unparallel which made this yagya a grand success.
In December 1934, ‘All India Jat Students Federation Conference’ was organized at Pilani
; the coordinator of it was Master Ratan Singh. Sir Chhotu Ram, Kunwar Netram Singh, Chaudhary Ram Singh, Thakur Jhumman Singh, Thakur Deshraj and Sardar Har Lal Singh
, along with large number of farmers from various states, attended it. This conference gave a great strength to the Jat youth.
were used in the sacrificial flame. The function concluded with a triumphal elephant ride hitherto prohibited by the rules of Sikar Thikana. The success of this movement encouraged the Jats to hold more meetings on local levels and print literature to glorify Jat history. The Yagna became a dominant symbol of folklore, which glorified it as the beginning of an anti-feudal struggle. The peasants demanded remissions in taxes and finally a Jat-Sikar Thikana Agreement was signed on August 23, 1934, by which the Thikana authorities conceded to abolish various lags (taxes) and agreed to provide for a mobile dispensary. The following year, the Kisan Sabha formally came into existence and
Under its aegis the famous Sikar Andolan of 1935 was launched. With outside mediation efforts of Jamnalal Bajaj
, Sir Chhotu Ram-a renowned Jat leader of Punjab and Ratan Singh of All India Jat Mahasabha, a settlement was arrived at and the Jats were promised remissions of rent, abolition of internal cesses and an introduction of fixed rent tenure.
any more. After this in 1938 he joined Bharatpur Rajya Praja Mandal, Zamindar Kisan Sabha, Braj-jaya Pratinidhi Sabha. He joined Bharatpur state cabinet also as revenue minister. After Independence he left politics and concentrated on Jat History.
. The paper Ganesh was published by him from Agra
. Deshraj along with Tarkeshwar Sharma circulated hand written newspaper called ‘Gram Samachar’ started in 1929. Later he also published newspaper Kisan. All these papers created a revolutionary change in the farmers. He published History of Jats of Marwar in 1954 and 'Sikh Itihas' in 1954.
As a journalist he wrote about the oppressive measures of the Jagirdars in Shekhawati region in Rajasthan and the Nawabs of Loharu in Haryana. His voice through these news papers reached up to House of Commons in England.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, nationalist, freedom fighter and author of many books. He was from Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
state in India. He was revenue minister in the princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Bharatpur
Bharatpur, India
Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and...
.
Condition of farmers in Rajasthan before independence
The state of Rajasthan came into existence on 30 March 1949. Earlier it was a union composed of several princely states of RajputanaRajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
. The condition of the farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s in Rajasthan was bad. The farmers of the Rajasthan were exploited and oppressed by the Jagirdar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s during British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. They were deprived of fundamental rights. They were given inhuman treatment when the Jagirdars did not get cesses known as “lag”(tax) or “begar”(forced work) in time, they were given hard punishments and their crop used to be destroyed. The farmers were tenants of the land and their condition was deplorable under the exploitation of landlords called Jajirdars, Zamindars and Bishwedars etc. The tenant had no right over the land cultivated by him. He was only the tiller of the soil, but was under the whimsical mercy of those landlords.
But the farmers as a class were awakening under the leadership of Thakur Deshraj and there was turmoil of the tiller demanding, “Land to tiller”. Thakur Deshraj united farmers of Rajasthan under the banner of Jat Mahasabha
Jat Mahasabha
Jat Mahasabha or All India Jat Mahasabha is the premier organization of Jats in India. Its aim is to raise awareness about the social and economic problems faced by Jats. Many of its officers are politically active and influential. The Jat Mahasabha spearheaded the community's struggle for...
. He led the movement of nonpayment of cesses to Jagirdars in 1000 villages of district Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis, a special artistic feature of this region.- Etymology...
. He organized successful mass rallies of farmers of Sikar
Sikar
Sikar is a city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. It is the administrative headquarter of Sikar District. Sikar is a historical city and contains many old Havelis which are a huge tourist attraction. The best way to reach the city is to use road transport from Jaipur...
and Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis, a special artistic feature of this region.- Etymology...
districts in Shekhawati
Shekhawati
Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India got its name from Shekhawat Rajputs....
region of Rajasthan. This hostile state of affairs led the newly formed state government to take immediate steps to reconcile the situation. The pressure of protection of the tenants was so immense that the government had to take immediate steps and with this aim “The Rajasthan Protection of Tenants Ordinance, 1949” was promulgated to meet the burning need of the time. Thus Thakur Deshraj was an instrument of change in the abolition of Jagirdars in Rajasthan.
Background
In Sikar districtSikar district
Sikar District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The town of Sikar is the district headquarters.-Location:The district is located in the north-eastern part of the state of Rajasthan. It is bounded on the north by Jhunjhunu District, in the north-west by Churu district, in...
, Rajasthan, there were 500 villages of the Jats
Jat people
The Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...
in one grouping, but in contrast to Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
their condition was very backward during British rule. The condition was poor and destitute. The reason for this was the existence of the Rajput feudal Thakurs (Bikaner and Shekhawati). In this vast spread out region, there was not a single primary school. The farmer communities, including Jats, could not put Singh to their names. They were not allowed to wear gold ornaments. On his wedding day the their bridegroom was not allowed to ride a horse. Fifty-one kinds of taxes called ‘lagh’ were imposed on the farmers. There was no Law or Court. The only law was that of the Thakur. The Jats and other communities had totally suppressed by the continual atrocities committed by the feudal arrogant Rajput .
Thakur Deshraj wrote the Jat history in 1934 at the same time he also published local newspapers to promote the farmers to fight for their rights and awakened them to realize the self-respect. He started a newspaper named Rajasthan Sandesh in 1931 for this purpose. With his efforts the All India Jat Mahsabha could be associated with the farmer movement in Shekhawati.
Pushkar adhiveshan (conference) 1925
Thakur Deshraj came to PushkarPushkar
Pushkar is a town in the Ajmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated at 14 km North West from Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 metres , and is one of the five sacred dhams...
in 1925 in the adhiveshan of All India Jat Mahasabha, which was presided over by Maharaja Kishan Singh
Maharaja Kishan Singh
Maharaja Sir Kishan Singh, KCSI was the ruling Maharaja of princely state Bharatpur and successor of Maharani Girraj Kaur....
of Bharatpur
Bharatpur, India
Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and...
. Sir Chhotu Ram, Madan Mohan Malviya, Chhajju Ram etc. farmer leaders had also attended. This function was organized with the initiative of Master Bhajan Lal Bijarnia
Vijayrania
Vijayrania or Bijarnia is a clan or gotra of Jats found in Rajasthan and Haryana in India. The existence of this clan is known from the time of Alexander the Great. Greek historians have clarified about the meaning of Vijayrania. Vijayrania is derived from Vijay + Ran...
of Ajmer-Merwara
Ajmer-Merwara
Ajmer-Merwara is a former province of British India in the historical Ajmer region. The territory of the province was ceded to the British by Daulat Rao Sindhia by a treaty on June 25, 1818....
. The farmers from all parts of Shekhawati had come namely, Chaudhary Govind Ram, Kunwar Panne Singh Deorod, Ram Singh Bakhtawarpura, Chetram Bhadarwasi, Bhuda Ram Sangasi, Moti Ram Kotri, Har Lal Singh etc. The Shekhawati farmers took two oaths in Pushkar namely,
- They would work for the development of the society through elimination of social evils and spreading of education.
- ‘Do or Die’ in the matters of exploitation of farmers by the Jagirdars.
Visit to Mandawa
Thakur Deshraj came to MandawaMandawa
Mandawa is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. It is part of Shekhawati region. Mandawa is situated 190 km off Jaipur in the north. The town lies between latitude 28°.06’ in the north and longitude 75°.20’ in the east. Mandawa is known for its fort and havelis...
in 1929 to take part in ‘Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
’ function and realized the social problems of Jats in Shekhawati region. He published a series of articles in ‘Jatveer’ on the acts of oppression on farmers, which awakened them. Later ‘Jatveer’ paper was also published from Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis, a special artistic feature of this region.- Etymology...
. The paper ‘Ganesh’ published by him from Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
also played an important role in farmers’ movement. Thakur Deshraj along with Pundit Tarkeshwar Sharma circulated hand written newspaper called ‘Gram Samachar’ started in 1929. Later he also published newspaper ‘Kisan’. All these papers created a revolutionary change in the farmers.
Formation of Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha
In the series of Pushkar function next adhiveshan of All India Jat MahasabhaJat Mahasabha
Jat Mahasabha or All India Jat Mahasabha is the premier organization of Jats in India. Its aim is to raise awareness about the social and economic problems faced by Jats. Many of its officers are politically active and influential. The Jat Mahasabha spearheaded the community's struggle for...
was organized at Delhi in 1931 under the chairmanship of Rana Udaybhanu Singh
Rana Udaybhanu Singh
Udaibhanu Singh, Lokendra Bahadur, Diler Jang Jai Deo was the Jat ruler of Dholpur state in Rajasthan, India. He was from the Bamraulia gotra of Jats...
of Dholpur
Dholpur
Dholpur is a city in eastern-most parts of the Rajasthan state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dholpur District and was formerly seat of the Dholpur princely state, before Independence....
state. Large number of farmers from Shekhawati took part in it. At this adhiveshan Thakur Deshraj constituted ‘Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha’.
Establishment of ‘Shekhawati Kisan Jat Panchayat’
With the efforts of Thakur Deshraj a sabha of Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha took place at Badhala village in PalsanaPalsana
Not to be confused with the Palsana located north of Jaipur in Rajasthan.Palsana is a city and a Municipality in Surat district in Gujarat, India. It is situated on National highway-8 at a distance of 25 km from Surat. Palsana connects Surat with NH8 by Outer Ring Road also known as Hazira-Sachin...
. It was attended by famous revolutionist Vijay Singh Pathik
Vijay Singh Pathik
Vijay Singh Pathik alias Bhop Singh Gurjar , popularly known as Rashtriya Pathik, was born in a Gurjar family in Gulawathi, District Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India. His father's name was Hamir Singh Gurjar and mother's name Kamal Kunwari...
, Baba Nrisingh Das, Chaudhary Laduram (Gordhanpura). It was resolved in this meeting that –
- Jat Panchayats be established to prevent the excesses of Jagirdars,
- The sons of farmers be given education and fight with Jagirdars with the organizational support.
- Efforts are made for the economical, social and cultural development of farmers.
- The farmers are given the khatoni parcha after the settlements of their lands.
With these objectives ‘Shekhawati Kisan Jat Panchayat’ was established in 1931 in Jhunjhunu.
Jhunjhunu adhiveshan (conference) 1932
There was a grand gathering of farmers under the banner of Jat Mahasabha in JhunjhunuJhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis, a special artistic feature of this region.- Etymology...
on 11–13 February 1932. 60000 Jat farmers attended it. Thakur Deshraj camped at Jhunjhunu for 15 days to make it a success. The farmers from all parts of India attended it. It was presided by Rao Sahib Chaudhary Rishal Singh Rayees, who was escorted from station to the place of meeting on elephant accompanied by a carvan of camels. This program was of Jats but all the communities cooperated and welcomed. Kunwar Panne Singh Deorod welcomed this rally where as Vidyadhar Singh Sangasi did the welcome of ‘Jaipur Prantiya Jat Kshatriya Sabha’ rallies. Though the Jagirdars did all attempts to make it a failure, but it proved a success. On the appeal of fund collection the participant farmers donated their gold ornaments, which they were wearing. This was the first opportunity of awakening the Shekhawati farmers and proved a grand success. Sardar Harlal Singh and Chaudhary Ghasi Ram had traveled a lot for its publicity and spread its message. Some of the competent people were awarded Kshatriya titles. For example Chaudhary Har Lal Singh was awarded as ‘Sardar’, Ratan Singh of Bharatpur as ‘Kunwar’ and Chaudhary Ram Singh as ‘Thakur’. Thus the Rajput monopoly over these titles vanished.
As the tenth guru of Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
made Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s as ‘Singh’, Thakur Deshraj made the farmers of Shekhawati as ‘Singh’. Thakur Deshraj floated three slogans in this function namely,
- Keep your aims high
- Leave the social evils
- Change your dress and put Singh after your name.
The Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis, a special artistic feature of this region.- Etymology...
adhiveshan brought wonderful changes in the life and culture of the farmers of Shekhawati. Their morals were boosted up and other classes accepted the Jats as noble Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
s and Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
s. The success of Jhunjhunu adhiveshan not only changed the life of Shekhawati farmers but those of Jaipur and Bikaner princely states also. After this there were programmes started to improve the social life of the Jat community.
The Jat Prajapati Maha-Yagya 1934
After successful JhunjhunuJhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis, a special artistic feature of this region.- Etymology...
adhiveshan in 1932, a deputation of Jats from Sikar district
Sikar district
Sikar District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The town of Sikar is the district headquarters.-Location:The district is located in the north-eastern part of the state of Rajasthan. It is bounded on the north by Jhunjhunu District, in the north-west by Churu district, in...
, under the leadership of Prithvi Singh Gothra met Thakur Deshraj and requested him to do a similar adhiveshan in Sikar
Sikar
Sikar is a city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. It is the administrative headquarter of Sikar District. Sikar is a historical city and contains many old Havelis which are a huge tourist attraction. The best way to reach the city is to use road transport from Jaipur...
also. After long discussions Thakur Deshraj proposed to have a yagya at Sikar. A meeting for discussing this issue was called in Palthana
Palthana
Palthana is a village in tehsil Sikar of Sikar district in Rajasthan, India. It is located about 18 km from Sikar in a north direction.-Description:...
village in October 1933. This was attended by all activists from Shekhawati and one member was invited from each family in Sikar district. About 5000 people gathered in the meeting. The Sikar
Sikar
Sikar is a city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. It is the administrative headquarter of Sikar District. Sikar is a historical city and contains many old Havelis which are a huge tourist attraction. The best way to reach the city is to use road transport from Jaipur...
thikana wanted to make this meeting a failure. For this, the thikanedar sent hundreds of handcuffs loaded on camels along with the police force to terrorize the people taking part in the meeting. Thakur Deshraj addressed the people that
- "these handcuffs would get you independence. If you are afraid of these you would never get freed. We have gathered here for a religious purpose and we will complete".
These words of Thakur Deshraj played a lightening effect amongst the people and they all were energized for further struggle with the Jagirdars. People listened the leaders very calmly and meeting was a great success. Police could do nothing. The leaders who attended the meeting were Sardar Harlal Singh, Chaudhary Ram Singh Kunwarpura, Chaudhary Ghasi Ram, Kunwar Net Ram Singh, Panne Singh Deorod's elder brother Bhoor Singh etc. There was a speech by Master Ratan Singh Pilani. A resolution was passed in this meeting to conduct a seven day "Jat Prajapat Mahayagya" (Prayer ceremony for the Lord of Universe) in Sikar on next basant in 1934, to spread the principles of Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
and create awakening in Shekhawati. It was decided for this purpose to collect ghee and money from each household. A yagya committee was formed consisting of Chaudhary Hari Singh Burdak
Hari Singh Burdak
Hari Singh Burdak was a freedom fighter of Shekhawati region in Rajasthan, India. He was born in year 1884 in a Jat Hindu family of Burdak gotra in village Palthana of Sikar district in Rajasthan, India. He continued his struggle for farmers from 1930 to 1947 as a prominent leader of Prajamandal....
of Palthana
Palthana
Palthana is a village in tehsil Sikar of Sikar district in Rajasthan, India. It is located about 18 km from Sikar in a north direction.-Description:...
village as its president, Master Chandrabhan Singh as minister. Deva Singh Bochalya, Thakur Hukum Sing and Bhola Singh were put in charge of publicity. The office of managing committee was earlier in Palthana
Palthana
Palthana is a village in tehsil Sikar of Sikar district in Rajasthan, India. It is located about 18 km from Sikar in a north direction.-Description:...
. In December 1933 this office was transferred to Sikar.
The Jat Prajapati Maha-Yagya took place at Sikar from 20–29 January 1934. Kunwar Hukam Singh Rahees Angai (Mathura) was made Yagyapati or Chairman of the Yagya. Chaudhary Kaluram of village Kudan
Kudan
Koodan or Kudan is a village in Sikar district in Rajasthan, India. It is a well-developed village connected by road and with all forms of modern communication facilities. It is mainly a Jat village with Jat gotras Sunda, Maharia and Kajla. Other major castes are Harijan and Brahmin with a few...
was the Yagyaman. Acharya Shri Jagdev Sidhanthi received an invitation for this Yagya at his Gurukul at Kirttal, In that invitation was he requested to attend the Yagya and bring twenty Bhramcharis and disciples with him. Volunteers went to all the households in all the villages in the region and collected material that would be needed. They collected Ghee, Flour, Gur, and invited all the householders to participate. Hundreds of cans of Ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
and hundreds of sacks of flour were collected.
During the Yagya 3000 men and women adopted the Yogyopavit, which was a symbol of "Kisan sangathan"(farmers' organization). Sheetal Kumari daughter of Kunwar Netram Singh adopted yagyopavit. Chaudhary Chimana Ram of Sangasi brought his wife wearing salwar-kurta. The unity of Jat farmers in this Yagya had terrified the Jagirdars of Sikar. The role played by Sardar Har Lal Singh
Har Lal Singh
Sardar Har Lal Singh was a freedom fighter, social worker who played a leading role in the Shekhawati farmers’ movement for abolition of the Jagirdari system. He was from Duladon ka Bas village, presently known as Hanumanpura. His gotra was Dullar. He was born in 1901 in the family of Chaudhary...
and Thakur Deshraj was unparallel which made this yagya a grand success.
In December 1934, ‘All India Jat Students Federation Conference’ was organized at Pilani
Pilani
Pilani is a small town situated in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. It is in the Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, India. It notable for being the home of a large number of education institutes for its size.-Etymology:...
; the coordinator of it was Master Ratan Singh. Sir Chhotu Ram, Kunwar Netram Singh, Chaudhary Ram Singh, Thakur Jhumman Singh, Thakur Deshraj and Sardar Har Lal Singh
Har Lal Singh
Sardar Har Lal Singh was a freedom fighter, social worker who played a leading role in the Shekhawati farmers’ movement for abolition of the Jagirdari system. He was from Duladon ka Bas village, presently known as Hanumanpura. His gotra was Dullar. He was born in 1901 in the family of Chaudhary...
, along with large number of farmers from various states, attended it. This conference gave a great strength to the Jat youth.
Effect of Jat Prajapati Mahayagya
The Shekhawati Jat movement had its genesis in the Jat Praja Pati Maha-Yagna a socio-religious festival held in January 1934. It lasted ten days and was the biggest of its kind in Rajputana. It facilitated a widespread involvement of Jats in a community festival. Each Jat household attending it was to contribute some cash and an unspecified quantity of ghee. A total of two hundred maunds of gheeGhee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
were used in the sacrificial flame. The function concluded with a triumphal elephant ride hitherto prohibited by the rules of Sikar Thikana. The success of this movement encouraged the Jats to hold more meetings on local levels and print literature to glorify Jat history. The Yagna became a dominant symbol of folklore, which glorified it as the beginning of an anti-feudal struggle. The peasants demanded remissions in taxes and finally a Jat-Sikar Thikana Agreement was signed on August 23, 1934, by which the Thikana authorities conceded to abolish various lags (taxes) and agreed to provide for a mobile dispensary. The following year, the Kisan Sabha formally came into existence and
Under its aegis the famous Sikar Andolan of 1935 was launched. With outside mediation efforts of Jamnalal Bajaj
Jamnalal Bajaj
Jamnalal Bajaj was an Indian industrialist, a philanthropist, and Indian independence fighter. He was also a close associate and follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi is known to have adopted him as his son. Several institutions in India bears his name, including the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of...
, Sir Chhotu Ram-a renowned Jat leader of Punjab and Ratan Singh of All India Jat Mahasabha, a settlement was arrived at and the Jats were promised remissions of rent, abolition of internal cesses and an introduction of fixed rent tenure.
Jaysinghpura firing incident 1934
On 21 June 1934 brother of Dundlod thakur in Shekhawati ordered firing on farmers of Jaysinghpura when they were laughing their fields and attacked them with a force of 100 horsemen and camel riders. Chaudhary Tiku Ram was injured in firing and died. On the appeal of Thakur Deshraj, 21 July 1934 was celebrated as ‘Jaysinghpura golikand diwas’ at various places. Under heavy pressure of Jat farmers the resident and home member state council sent the I.G. Jaipur Mr F.S. Young himself for the enquiry. Mr. Young arrested 17 attackers on the farmers and sent them to Jail. Rajasthan Jat Kisan Panchayat pleaded the case and got punished Thakur Ishwar Singh and others. This was the first opportunity when Jaipur had punished a thikanedar and arrest warrants issued against a tajimi sardar. This was a great victory of Shekhawati farmers after which they did not look back till they got the Jagirs abolished.Expelled from Jaipur State
He was expelled from Jaipur State by the Jaipur Sarkar on 10 April 1935 due to which he could not guide the farmers of ShekhawatiShekhawati
Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India got its name from Shekhawat Rajputs....
any more. After this in 1938 he joined Bharatpur Rajya Praja Mandal, Zamindar Kisan Sabha, Braj-jaya Pratinidhi Sabha. He joined Bharatpur state cabinet also as revenue minister. After Independence he left politics and concentrated on Jat History.
As historian
Deshraj is author of the book on the History of the Jats in Hindi, Jat-Itihasa published in 1934. He also published local newspapers to promote the farmers to fight for their rights and awakened them to realize the self-respect. He started a newspaper named Rajasthan Sandesh in 1931 for this purpose. He published a series of articles in Jatveer on the acts of oppression on farmers, which awakened them. Later Jatveer paper was also published from JhunjhunuJhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis, a special artistic feature of this region.- Etymology...
. The paper Ganesh was published by him from Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
. Deshraj along with Tarkeshwar Sharma circulated hand written newspaper called ‘Gram Samachar’ started in 1929. Later he also published newspaper Kisan. All these papers created a revolutionary change in the farmers. He published History of Jats of Marwar in 1954 and 'Sikh Itihas' in 1954.
As a journalist he wrote about the oppressive measures of the Jagirdars in Shekhawati region in Rajasthan and the Nawabs of Loharu in Haryana. His voice through these news papers reached up to House of Commons in England.
Further reading
- Dr Gyan Prakash PilaniaGyan Prakash PilaniaGyan Prakash Pilania is an eminent person of Rajasthan in India. He is presently member of Rajya Sabha, Bharatiya Janta Party, from Rajasthan. He is a social reformer and leader of farmers in Rajasthan. He belonged to the Indian Police Service...
: Shekhawati Kisan Andolan ke Prernakunj – Thakur Deshraj, Jat Samaj, Agra, June 2005 - Jat Samaj: Agra, August 1991
- Dr Mahendra Singh Arya: Jat Gotra Shabdavali, Jaypal Agencies Agra,
- Thakur Deshraj: Jat Itihas (Hindi), Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi, 1934, 2nd edition 1992.