Lala Lajpat Rai’s Jagraon house in a shambles, courtesy govt’s apathy

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Jagraon, November 17

Our modern day politicians from the governing as well as Opposition ranks, issue costly advertisements and make big claims of remembering the martyrs but the personal house of Lala Lajpat Rai, an acclaimed author, freedom fighter, and politician, lies in a dilapidated condition here.

While the parental house of one of the key players of the freedom struggle has already been adopted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and declared as national monument, his own house (separate building) presents a picture of sheer neglect on his martyrdom day, which falls on November 17.

The house of Lala Lajpat Rai, popularly known as Punjab Kesari, was discovered by Kunal Mehta, a history teacher at Lala Lajpat Rai DAV College, here. This college was founded by Rai in the memory of his father Radhe Krishan under the banner of the RK Trust.

Sharing the discovery, Mehta said Rai got a personal house constructed in the city in 1907 where the nameplate with “L. Lajpat Rai Jagraon 1907”, inscribed on a slab, was still visible.

“However, this deserted house is in a shambles. Someone made an unsuccessful attempt to illegally take the possession of the house a few years ago, but the timely intervention of the district administration foiled the attempt,” he recalled.

Mehta said since Lala Lajpat Rai knew the value of education, he had also set up a school in the memory of his mother Gulab Devi within the premises of this house.

Besides, he bequeathed a big chunk of his property situated in the city to the school.

“I strongly believe that the ASI should also adopt this house and the school as well and convert them into a national museum, like the parental house of Lala Lajpat Rai,” Mehta demanded, while adding that this would be a real tribute to the martyr.

He shared that Lala Lajpat Rai spent a considerable period of his life in his parental home at Jagraon. “Now, this house is a national monument. My interest in Lala ji soared when my principal assigned me to do research on this great son of Punjab,” the researcher said.

During the research, he also met Lala ji’s grandson Anil Aggarwal, who was a chartered accountant by profession and was residing in Jagraon.

“My interactions with him unravelled a few unknown facets of Lala ji’s personality. Besides, I also came across a bunch of crucial documents related to hid life,” he said.

“The successive governments deliberately chose to ignore the place of birth of Lala ji. A raft of tall promises made by those in power on the 151st birth anniversary of Lala ji was never fulfilled. Red tape or vested interests took a toll on them,” the historian added.

A visit to the house revealed that the entire area was dotted with wild growth and the building was rendered into an abandoned place with nobody present to take care of it.

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