Guru Radha Kishan
Encyclopedia
Guru Radha Kishan was born in the year 1925 on Krishna Janmashtami in Bid village of district Harda (previously in Hoshangabad district
Hoshangabad District
Hoshangabad District is one of the districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India, and Hoshangabad town is the district headquarters.-Geography:...

 ) of Madhya Pradesh in a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

 family of farmers. He has to experience the hardships of the life very early as his father was expired while he was a kid. It was the passion for studies and firm belief that education is a must for progress in life that he get himself enrolled for studies in a school at Chipawad near Khirkiya which was miles away from his native village.

There he read a book authored by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin on the freedom struggle of Russia and an article about Indian revolutionaries Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of...

, Sukhdev Thapar, Bhagat Singh and Chandra Shekhar Azad. He began his revolutionary career influenced by the martyrdom of these revolutionaries and hoisted the tricolour in his school and was sent to a reformatory school by the colonial authorities. It was the period Mahatma Gandhi visited Harda
Harda
Harda is a town and a municipality in Harda district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Harda is the administrative headquarters of Harda District.During the 'Mughal' rule a prosperous village Handiya was situated west of Harda....

 in December, 1933 when he listened Mahatma Gandhi and decided to leave his native place for the freedom struggle of India.

Dream of an Independent India

Independence movement had acquired momentum in Indore when a young firebrand activist Guru Radha Kishan publicly challenged a British Police official and slapped him in front of a large gathering while the officer started abusing the activists at a freedom movement rally in Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...

. He was imprisoned in the notorious Mahidpur jail where he was in solitary confinement in terrible conditions. Social reformist, philosopher and member of Constituent Assembly of India, Shankar Trimbak Dharmadhikari popularly known as Dada Dharmadhikari
Dada Dharmadhikari
Shankar Trimbak Dharmadhikari , better known throughout the world as Acharya Dada Dharmadhikari was an Indian freedom fighter, and a leader of social reform movements in India...

 sent a patriotic message to young Guru Radha Kishan when he came to know about the immense courage shown by him during a protest rally against colonial government.

As one of the youngest activist from Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

 he spent months in prison after being under grounded for more than two years. This social movement against British government got easy sustenance and firm roots between the public as issues of economic and social deprivation were also highlighted by these young activists. His colleagues includes Comrade Homi F Dazi, former MP from Indore and General Secretary of All India Trade Union Congress
All India Trade Union Congress
-External links:**...

, freedom fighters Ram Chandra Sarvate, Prof. Mahesh Dutt Mishr, Member of Constituent Assembly of India Vinayak Sarvate, Vinayakrao Sahasrbudhe, Sarjoo Pandey
Sarjoo Pandey
Sarjoo Pandey was an Indian politician, Indian independence activist and a leader of the Communist Party of India.-Life:...

, eminent painter N S Bendre, Comrade Anant Laagu and award winning writer from Malwa region Shivnarain Shrivastava, author of ek sair gehun.
In an address Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Mohammad Shafi Qureshi said about him that " Freedom fighter and social worker of unconditional integrity Guruji is a noble soul with a pious heart. People like him are extremely rare in the society today, it's an honour to facilitate such a selfless individual."

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congressman Prakash Chandra Sethi
Prakash Chandra Sethi
Prakash Chandra Sethi an Indian National Congress politician was a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.He was twice the chief minister of the state from 29 January 1972 to 22 March 1972 and 23 March 1972 to 22 December 1975. Ideologically he always appreciated people like Shankar Dayal...

 once requested him to accept the Freedom Fighter Pension which he strongly denied. He was entirely not interested to accept any pension for his participation in the freedom struggle of India. This sets him apart from many other freedom fighters who held high offices in independent India is his complete insulation from material desire. He refused to accept any pension and never applied for the same till it was declared as Sammaan Nidhi by the government. Only after being declared as Samman Nidhi he accepted the recognition from the government for being a freedom fighter even when he had no source of income and would not accept any favours from any well wisher.

Despite serious political differences former president of BJP Kushabhau Thakre
Kushabhau Thakre
Kushabhau Thakre was a political leader in India.-Biography:He was born in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India to parents Dr. Sundar Rao Shripati Rao Thakre and Smt. Shantabhai Sundar Rao Thakre . He was educated at Dhar and Gwalior. In 1942 he was inducted as a Pracharak by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh...

, always praised Guru Radha Kishan as Narmada ke Sacche Sapoot mentioning his selfless social work and dedication for the underprivileged class. Thakre also known for his simple lifestyle in political circles once stated about Guru Ji that he was a gandhian in politics with no ambitions for himself or his family at all.

Mass Organisations and Communist Party

After India gained independence Guru Radha Kishan undertook a fast unto death
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...

 for 24 days to promote the cause of textile workers in Delhi prior to became the youngest member of Delhi Municipal Committee. The first elected mayor of Delhi and noted Freedom Fighter Bharat Ratna
Bharat Ratna
Bharat Ratna is the Republic of India's highest civilian award, awarded for the highest degrees of national service. This service includes artistic, literary, and scientific achievements, as well as "recognition of public service of the highest order." Unlike knights, holders of the Bharat Ratna...

 Aruna Asaf Ali was so impressed by his simplicity and selflessness that she started calling him Guru Bhai. He always protested against insane British laws. Before independence he was involved in mobilising youth and organising trade union activities in textile mills and unorganised sectors at various locations for All India Trade Union Congress
All India Trade Union Congress
-External links:**...

 primarily in Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...

, Kota
Kota, Rajasthan
Kota , formerly known as Kotah, is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located south of state capital, Jaipur. Situated on the banks of Chambal River, the city is the trade centre for an area in which millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries...

 and Gwalior. This was continued in 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...

 during 1948-50 where he worked prominentely to unite the workers in textile, municipal and unorganised sectors when there was a crackdown on communists nationwide.

In fact the idea of uniting unskilled labour of unorganised sector and his exceptional organising capabilities made him so popular in political and social circles that workers and colleagues started calling him Guruji. He was arrested many times for social causes, for leading under privileged class, textile employees, during general strikes and even for a strike of Delhi Police. He worked with prominent communists and social activists of that era like Aruna Asaf Ali, Mukimuddin Farooqui, Devdutt Atal, H L Parwana, Nuruddin Ahmed, Yagya Dutt Sharma, Vimla (Kapoor) Farooqui, Premsagar Gupta, Pandit Madan Mohan, Ram Chandra Sharma, N N Manna, Shaadi Lal, Janardan Sharma, B D Joshi, Shakeel Ahmad, Sarla Sharma and educationists like Prof. Nand Lal Gupta to erect and lead the communist movement in Delhi.

As first state president of the youth wing of Communist Party Guru Radha Kishan always encouraged young political and social activists and nurtured them to be in forefront throughout his life. When Comrade P K Vasudevan Nair and Balraj Sahani conveyed him about the idea of All India Youth Federation
All India Youth Federation
All India Youth Federation is the youth wing of Communist Party of India. AIYF is a member of World Federation of Democratic Youth. AIYF was started by Balraj Sahni and P.K. Vasudevan Nair, among others, in 1959.The All India Youth Federation came into being in 1959...

 he actively participated in organising the first national conference of AIYF in Delhi. About 250 delegates and observers representing several youth organizations of eleven states of India attended this six-day session and the event was a huge success. His wholehearted sincere efforts were visible when strong presence of the organisation was noticed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad, Telangana hero Chandra Rajeswara Rao
Chandra Rajeswara Rao
Chandra Rajeshwara Rao is an Indian freedom fighter . He was one of the top leaders of the Telengana Rebellion . He also worked as Communist Party of India general secretary for 28 years until he gave up the job in 1992 for health reasons..-Family:His son and grandson, Chandra Chandrasekhar and...

 and other prominent leaders.

Independent and Secular India

He worked for communal harmony during his six decades long eventful political life, when violence in Delhi was triggered by the assassination of Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

 on 31 October 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Guru Radha Kishan came out on the streets of Delhi to save innocent sikhs in the worse affected regions of Delhi. He work tirelessly to protect sikh families even when his office caught fire in Delhi during that period. Later he organised the first Peace March in Delhi with a noticeable participation of sikhs and their families demanding immediate relief for sikh community and severe prosecution for the killers. Several human rights organizations along with the media applauded this humanitarian act.

A powerful speaker and voracious reader himself Guru Radha Kishan continued to read and analyze on several social issues, secularism, political extremism and communist ideological issues till his death. He was against communalism and worried by the rise of the communal forces in our secular state. He always stood firm in fighting against any kind of terrorism to counter the threat from the divisive forces. He was first to criticise the extremism and applauded the glorious chapter of sacrifice made by Communists in fighting extremism in Punjab under the leadership of his colleague and Punjab MLA Darshan Singh Canadian
Darshan Singh Canadian
Darshan Singh Canadian was a Sikh trade union activist and Communist organizer in Canada and India.- Canada :...

.

Guru Radha Kishan was a man of principles and impeccable integrity throughout his life and insisted others to follow the same course in public life. He severely criticised HKL Bhagat and MP from Karol Bagh Dharam Das Shastri for their alleged role in anti-sikh riots even when they were very closely associated with him personally. Till he passes away he strongly believed and condemned 1984 anti-Sikh riots
1984 anti-Sikh riots
The 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms / riots or the 1984 Sikh Massacre was a sikh genocide there was four days of violence in northern India, particularly Delhi, during which armed mobs killed Sikhs, looted and set fire to Sikh homes, businesses and schools, and attacked gurdwaras, in response to the...

 along with Babri Masjid demolition as according to him they were the worst incidents in independent India and any such incidents should not have happened at any cost.

Social and Public Representation

As an opposition stalwart and leader of the CPI, Guru Radha Kishan's speeches in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi
Municipal Corporation of Delhi
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is a municipal corporation, an autonomous body that governs 9 Districts of Delhi, in the state of Delhi, India. It is one of three municipal corporations in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the others being New Delhi Municipal Council, and Delhi...

 were marked with positive criticism and earned him the admiration of even his political opponents. Never enamoured of office, he was severely blunt about government's failures and raised many an eyebrow among the benches with his frank observations and constructive reasoning.

Guru Radha Kishan was very close to the masses and a known champion of the causes of underprivileged people while serving as Municipal Councillor of Delhi. He also served as member of various administrative committees for state and central government with equal distinction. That was the impact of Guruji between the masses of his area that even in 1977 when Janta Party swept away the polls almost everywhere he won the civic body elections from his constituency and being the senior most in the house he presided over the house as protem Mayor of Delhi.

Guru Radha Kishan represented India in Germany leading a delegation to Düsseldorf. He discussed about the welfare plans for working class in Germany and briefed about Indian Civic System to his counterparts from other countries. Returning back from Europe he enforced Delhi administration and MCD officials to adapt many of those welfare schemes for a better life of working class in Delhi. People from all walks of life come out to support Guru Radha Kishan when Communist Party of India announced his candidature from Delhi Sadar Parliamentary Constituency in 1977, the same year he successfully contested the civic body polls also.

He was the firm believer of the fact that only the education can bring the changes in the underprivileged people of the society, he took the initiative to bring the first Janta Library in his constituency which was inaugurated by Sh. Balraj Sahni
Balraj Sahni
Balraj Sahni , born Yudhishthir Sahni , was a famous Hindi film actor. He belonged to a Punjabi Khatri family from Bhera now in Punjab, Pakistan...

, an eminent film personality in the presence of the writers Amrita Pritam, Bhishm Sahani, Santosh Anand, painter Narayan Shridhar Bendre
Narayan Shridhar Bendre
Narayan Shridhar Bendre was one of India's celebrated artists of the 20th century.-Life and career:...

 and social activist Aruna Asaf Ali
Aruna Asaf Ali
Aruna Asaf Ali , born Aruna Ganguli, was an Indian independence activist. She is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942.She was 87 years old at the time of her death.-Early life:Aruna Asaf Ali was...

. This study centre cum library is still running with a social centre at Guru Radha Kishan Smarak Bhavan, Clock Tower, Delhi.

Alas! he is a history

Guru Radha Kishan never deviated from the decent self conduct throughout his public life and opted to live in a rented premises of one room and shunned many of the facilities he was entitled to. His family was arrested so many times for social and political reasons but his wife, herself a prominent NFIW activist eventhough came from a rich family of landowners neither regretted nor complained about this lifestyle and always supported him.

The Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....

 wrote in an article about him that despite being a prominent politician of Delhi he was always accessible to public, a man of masses loved by every class of the society. Guru Radha Kishan fought valiantly for the economic deprivation for the poor and the issues of social deprivation in Delhi. He was so selfless that he rides a bicycle, he has no house and bank balances to mention. Being an honest representative of society he was widely respected for his integrity, honesty and transparency cutting across party lines. He was a true social worker, a man who deserves to be respected and loved Alas! he is a history.

Remembering a simple man

Addressing a large gathering at ghantaghar chowk in Delhi after his death on January 10, 1996 Madan Lal Khurana
Madan Lal Khurana
Madan Lal Khurana is an Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Delhi. He has also served as the Governor of Rajasthan.-Early life:...

, Delhi Chief Minister said " No house of his own to live, no money, simple lifestyle and total commitment for public life to serve selflessly the people, specially poor and deprived class makes Guru Radha Kishan a perfect example to follow in public life and politics. Kisi se koi man-bhaid nahin chhahe kitne bhi raajnaitik mat-bhaid hon. Guruji was a constant source of support for all progressive people of Delhi, a true saint in the politics."

The Leader of Opposition of Delhi Assembly Jagpravesh Chandra said " If you ask me to name any other politician like him in Delhi its extremely difficult for me because Guru Radha Kishan was a gandhian in approach and a true communist in ideas. He was a man of masses, a role model for integrity and honesty in public life." Former Union Minister and Delhi Sadar MP Jagdish Tytler
Jagdish Tytler
Jagdish Tytler is a controversial Indian National Congress politician, and former member of Indian Parliament...

 added " Guruji never asked for any personal favour from anyone ever, he will keep guiding us as he will survive in our hearts forever."

Home Minister of India Comrade Indrajit Gupta
Indrajit Gupta
Indrajit Gupta was a Communist leader who became Indias Union Minister for Home Affairs in the United Front government from 1996 to 1998...

, also present at his funeral ceremony called this as severely painful personal loss. He further added that it was a great loss for the underprivileged class and communist movement as a whole and for the members of All India Trade Union Congress in Delhi specially. Communist historian Anand Gupta wrote in a special mention about him " Guruji was always so involved with the people that often he had no time for the basic requirements of his own life." In short, he was always available for the general public and the underprivileged class of the society.

Comrade M Farooqui, National Secretary Communist Party of India, S. Ramachandran Pillai
S. Ramachandran Pillai
S. Ramachandran Pillai is a communist politician from Kerala, India, Politburo member of the Communist Party of India since 1992 and General Secretary of All India Kisan Sabha...

, Politburo Member CPM and MP, RSP General Secretary Comrade Abani Roy MP, National Secretary CPI, J Chittranjan MP, Comrade Sudhakar Reddy MP, President of Delhi State Congress and Member of National Congress Working Committee Deep Chand Bandhu, Film actor-wrestler Dara Singh
Dara Singh
Dara Singh Randhawa is a wrestler and Indian film actor. He was born in a Jat Sikh family of Punjabi background.He was a wrestler before he started acting in Hindi films in 1962....

 MP, Journalist Prabhash Joshi and E Srinivasan, Secretary Government of India were also present to give the final salute to this Swatantrata Sangram Sainik.

National Minorities Commission Member Harcharan Singh Josh remembered him as a man of principles and impeccable integrity with a pious soul, he added "Guruji always condemned any discrimination based on the religion or caste and worked for substantial improvements in the position of underprivileged people." Prominent Communist Prem Sagar Gupta said that " Guru was a man of masses and loved to be with them. Though not much has been said about him despite his exceptional service to the nation pertaining to his period, his dedication for red flag and communist movement, passion for social work and organisational capabilities will be remembered for a long time by communist cadre and masses."

Social activist Aruna Asaf Ali
Aruna Asaf Ali
Aruna Asaf Ali , born Aruna Ganguli, was an Indian independence activist. She is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942.She was 87 years old at the time of her death.-Early life:Aruna Asaf Ali was...

, Comrade P K Vasudevan Nair, Comrade Homi F Dazi, Loksabha Speaker PM Sayeed, Union Minister Chaturanan Mishra
Chaturanan Mishra
Chaturanan Mishra was an Indian politician and trade unionist. Mishra, who was born in Nahar, Madhubani District, was a key leader of the Communist Party of India in Bihar, and served as the Agriculture Minister of India in the United Front government.-Quit India Movement:Mishra took part in the...

, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh
Digvijay Singh
Digvijay Singh is an Indian politician, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress political party. He has been the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh state for two five-year terms...

, Sharad Yadav
Sharad Yadav
Sharad Yadav, a politician from the Janata Dal party, is currently a Member of the Parliament of India representing the Madhepura constituency of Bihar in the Lok Sabha...

, AITUC leader BD Joshi, Rajesh Pilot
Rajesh Pilot
Rajesh Pilot was an Indian politician and a minister in the Government of India. He belonged to the Indian National Congress party and represented the Dausa constituency in Lok Sabha....

, Freedom Fighters Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda
Ranbir Singh Hooda
Ranbir Singh Hooda is well known in Haryana's Jat heartland for his role in India's freedom struggle as a leading member of the Indian National Congress....

, Sheelbhadra Yazee, Sarla Sharma, NFIW leader Vimla Farooqui, Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, Former Delhi Assembly Speaker Purshottam Goyal, Chaudhary Prem Singh, Vijay Kumar Malhotra
Vijay Kumar Malhotra
Vijay Kumar Malhotra is an Indian politician and a sport administrator. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was born in Lahore, Punjab, British India . He represented Delhi Sadar and South Delhi constituencies in the National Capital Territory of Delhi in the 9th Lok Sabha and the 14th...

, Former Union Minister HKL Bhagat, Lyricist Santosh Anand, Kedar Nath Sahani, Brijmohan Toofaan, Guru Hanuman
Guru Hanuman
Guru Hanuman was a legendary wrestling coach of India who coached many medal-winning wrestlers. He was awarded the prestigious Dronacharya Award in 1987, the highest recognition for a sports coach in India, and the Padma Shri in 1983.-Early life:Guru was born as Vijay Pal on 15 March 1930, in...

and Viresh Pratap Chaudhary send their heartfelt condolences to the family. Many social and religious leaders apart from other dignitaries from major political parties and trade unions also attended the gathering to pay final tribute to this simple man.
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