Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya
Encyclopedia
Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya (10 May 1914 - 26 October 1995) was a freedom fighter, parliamentarian
and popular leader of farmers in Rajasthan
, India
.
Hindu family of Sunda
gotra
. His father's name was Bhairaram and mother's name was Jivani. His family migrated to village Saudanpur and finally to village Fefana of Nohar
Tehsil of princely state Bikaner. He received primary education at village school Fefana and joined Forest department Hanumangarh
at the age of 14 years. Arya Samaj
was spreading its activities in rural areas in those days. Brahmanical dominance and untouchability prevalent in the society forced him to follow the principles of Arya Samaj
. He became strong follower of Swami Dayananda. He took part in the Lahore
Congress Adhiveshan in 1930, due to which he was removed from service of Forest department. Later on he joined Police department . He came in contact with two politicians of democratic thinking namely Mukta Prasad Vakil and Raghuvar Dayal Goyal. With their help he founded a political organization “Praja Parishad”. He resigned from police service to support the freedom movement started by Mahatma Gandhi
. He became active in politics and started taking part in political movements. He took part in “Akhil Bharatiy Deshi Rajya Parishad Adhiveshan” in 1945.
s. He was arrested by the ruler of Bikaner and imprisoned until independence. The Jagirdars in Bikaner state were exploiting farmers. Before independence the state of Rajasthan was a union composed of several princely states of Rajputana
, which came into existence on 30 March 1949. The farmers were tenants of the land and their condition was deplorable under the exploitation of landlords called Jagirdars, Zamindar
s 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 in Bikaner state under the leadership of Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya and there was turmoil of the tiller demanding, “Land to tiller”. 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. The Rajasthan Land Reforms and Resumption of Jagirs Act, 1952 was the landmark in the legal history of land reforms in Rajasthan. The pressure of farmers united under the leadership of Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya forced the state government to promulgate The Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 which became applicable to the whole of Rajasthan. The overriding effect of this Act provided relief to the existing tenants and the rights accrued to tenants accordingly. He also amended the rules of felling trees in favour of farmers. Farmers were not allowed to fell trees from his land. This caused great difficulty. It was he who pressurized the state government to amend the rules and permit the farmer to fell trees from land of his ownership for his own use.
was formed in 1949 under the leadership of Hiralal Shastri. A new government was formed in 1951 under the leadership of Jaynarayan Vyas. Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya was made home minister in it. Later on in Mohanlal Sukhadia government in 1954 and in 1964 also he was made twice health minister. He formed Panchayat Raj Federation of which he was chairman from 1957-1958. He is the founder member of Panchayat Raj in Rajasthan. The rules of Panchayat Raj of Rajasthan are considered to be ideal ones in the country. He was member of Rajya Sabha from 1960-1964. In 1966 he resigned from the Congress
government and formed a new political party “Janata Party
”. In 1968 he was elected to Rajya Sabha
and was member of Rajya Sabha from 1968-1974. He was Member of Parliament elected from Sikar
(1980–1984) from Lok Dal Party.
Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya formed Kisan Union in the interest of farmers in 1974. He believed that the key to success of rural development was in Panchayat Raj and the cooperative movement. He was founder of the cooperative movement in Rajasthan. He was Chairman of Rajasthan Apex Cooperative bank and the Rajasthan Marketing Federation “RAJFED”. He was Chairman of Rajasthan Cooperative Federation. His role in the cooperative movement in Rajasthan was unparalleled.
. He tried all his life to remove social evils from the society. He opposed untouchability. His butler was a Harijan
by caste. His bodyguard was a Rajput
. He arranged marriage of his Rajput bodyguard with a Muslim
woman after adopting her as a sister. He was author of two books namely Kisan Union Kyon and Varg Chetana. He started a weekly magazine Kisan in Hindi in 1978. He started number of schools and hostels for girls in Bikaner region. He served for about 50 years in various capacities starting from Lok Parishad, National Congress, Janata Party, Bhartiy Krantidal, Bhartiy Lokdal and Janata Party
with the interest of a common man in mind. Arya died on 26 October 1995.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and popular leader of farmers in 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...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Early political movements
Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya was born in the village Khaira-Chhota of princely state Patiala on 10 May 1914 in a JatJat 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,...
Hindu family of Sunda
Sunda (clan)
Sunda , classically called the Sondreans , is a gotra of Jats found in Rajasthan state of India. Sunda people are found dwelling in villages...
gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
. His father's name was Bhairaram and mother's name was Jivani. His family migrated to village Saudanpur and finally to village Fefana of Nohar
Nohar
Nohar is a city and a municipality in Hanumangarh district in the Indian state of Rajasthan.- Geography :Nohar is located at . It has an average elevation of 186 metres . Nohar is known for its history, old hawelies and poets....
Tehsil of princely state Bikaner. He received primary education at village school Fefana and joined Forest department Hanumangarh
Hanumangarh
Hanumangarh is a city in northern Rajasthan state in western India, situated on the banks of the river Ghaggar, located about 400 km from Delhi. It is the administrative seat of Hanumangarh District...
at the age of 14 years. 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...
was spreading its activities in rural areas in those days. Brahmanical dominance and untouchability prevalent in the society forced him to follow 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...
. He became strong follower of Swami Dayananda. He took part in the Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
Congress Adhiveshan in 1930, due to which he was removed from service of Forest department. Later on he joined Police department . He came in contact with two politicians of democratic thinking namely Mukta Prasad Vakil and Raghuvar Dayal Goyal. With their help he founded a political organization “Praja Parishad”. He resigned from police service to support the freedom movement started by Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. He became active in politics and started taking part in political movements. He took part in “Akhil Bharatiy Deshi Rajya Parishad Adhiveshan” in 1945.
Reformist moves for farmers
Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya united farmers of princely state Bikaner against the exploitation by JagirdarZamindar
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. He was arrested by the ruler of Bikaner and imprisoned until independence. The Jagirdars in Bikaner state were exploiting farmers. Before independence the state of Rajasthan was a union composed of several princely states of Rajputana
Rajputana
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...
, which came into existence on 30 March 1949. The farmers were tenants of the land and their condition was deplorable under the exploitation of landlords called Jagirdars, Zamindar
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 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 in Bikaner state under the leadership of Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya and there was turmoil of the tiller demanding, “Land to tiller”. 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. The Rajasthan Land Reforms and Resumption of Jagirs Act, 1952 was the landmark in the legal history of land reforms in Rajasthan. The pressure of farmers united under the leadership of Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya forced the state government to promulgate The Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 which became applicable to the whole of Rajasthan. The overriding effect of this Act provided relief to the existing tenants and the rights accrued to tenants accordingly. He also amended the rules of felling trees in favour of farmers. Farmers were not allowed to fell trees from his land. This caused great difficulty. It was he who pressurized the state government to amend the rules and permit the farmer to fell trees from land of his ownership for his own use.
Panchayat Raj and cooperative movement
The first popular government in RajasthanRajasthan
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...
was formed in 1949 under the leadership of Hiralal Shastri. A new government was formed in 1951 under the leadership of Jaynarayan Vyas. Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya was made home minister in it. Later on in Mohanlal Sukhadia government in 1954 and in 1964 also he was made twice health minister. He formed Panchayat Raj Federation of which he was chairman from 1957-1958. He is the founder member of Panchayat Raj in Rajasthan. The rules of Panchayat Raj of Rajasthan are considered to be ideal ones in the country. He was member of Rajya Sabha from 1960-1964. In 1966 he resigned from the Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
government and formed a new political party “Janata Party
Janata Party
The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...
”. In 1968 he was elected to Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
and was member of Rajya Sabha from 1968-1974. He was Member of Parliament elected from 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...
(1980–1984) from Lok Dal Party.
Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya formed Kisan Union in the interest of farmers in 1974. He believed that the key to success of rural development was in Panchayat Raj and the cooperative movement. He was founder of the cooperative movement in Rajasthan. He was Chairman of Rajasthan Apex Cooperative bank and the Rajasthan Marketing Federation “RAJFED”. He was Chairman of Rajasthan Cooperative Federation. His role in the cooperative movement in Rajasthan was unparalleled.
Radical thinker
Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya was a social reformer and radical thinker. His ideology was not based on traditions. He was strong follower of Arya SamajArya 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...
. He tried all his life to remove social evils from the society. He opposed untouchability. His butler was a Harijan
Harijan
Harijan was a term used by Gandhi for Dalits. Gandhi said it was wrong to call people 'untouchable', and called them Harijans, which means children of God...
by caste. His bodyguard was a Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
. He arranged marriage of his Rajput bodyguard with a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
woman after adopting her as a sister. He was author of two books namely Kisan Union Kyon and Varg Chetana. He started a weekly magazine Kisan in Hindi in 1978. He started number of schools and hostels for girls in Bikaner region. He served for about 50 years in various capacities starting from Lok Parishad, National Congress, Janata Party, Bhartiy Krantidal, Bhartiy Lokdal and Janata Party
Janata Party
The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...
with the interest of a common man in mind. Arya died on 26 October 1995.