Jagraon remembers Lala Lajpat Rai

Jaswant Shetra

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 17

Despite being the ancestral city of legendry freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai, Jagraon has no memorial building to him except his ancestral house in Mohalla Misarpura.

Though the birth place of Lala Ji was Dudhike village in Moga district, his father Munshi Radha Krishan Aggarwal was a resident of Jagraon. The ancestral house of Lala Ji was built in 1845 in Mohalla Misarpura of Jagraon where he spent early years of his childhood with his family. A number of articles such as a bed, table, chairs and utensils belonging to Lala Ji are still in the house.

The Archeological Department of India took the custody of Lala Ji’s ancestral house in 1987 and declared it a national heritage. A library and a museum were also set up in the memory of the freedom fighter near his ancestral house some years ago but only a few people are aware about the library and the museum.

On the 90th martyrdom day of Lala Lajpat Rai, residents of Jagraon have demanded from the state government to set up a technical education institute in Jagraon as tribute to Lala Lajpat Rai. In fact, Lala Lajpat Rai was born in Dhudike village in Moga district. There is a government college, a stadium and some other projects in Dhudike village dedicated to Lala Lajpat Rai, but there is no such memorial in Jagraon.

“It is sad that Jagraon, despite being the ancestral city of Lala Lajpat Rai, has no memorial to his name. In fact, most of the people consider Dhudike as the ancestral village of Lala Ji but the truth is that Dhudike was his maternal village and he was only born there. Jagraon is the ancestral city of Lala Lajpat Rai,” says Naresh Kumar Verma, principal of RK Senior Secondary School, which was set up by Lala Lajpat Rai himself.

According to Jagraon residents, the past governments have failed to take care of the ancestral place of Lala Lajpat Rai. They demanded from the government to set up an educational institute in Jagraon as a memorial to Lala Lajpat Rai.

“There is a need to set up a memorial for Lala Ji in Jagraon to make people aware about the ancestral place of Lala Ji. Setting up a technical education institute on his name will be an ideal tribute to him,” said Kanwaljit Khanna, general secretary of the Inqulabi Kendra Punjab.