Uttar Pradesh

• 03 Dec 2024

Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh Birth Anniversary

Why in News? 

Recently, Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tributes on the 138th birth anniversary of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh (1886-1979), a visionary nationalist.

Key Points 

• Background: 
  • Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh was born on 1st  December 1886, in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.  
  • He was a freedom fighter, revolutionary, writer and social reformer.  
  • He founded Prem Mahavidyalaya in 1909, a technical institute at Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.
• Freedom Movement Contributions: 
  • Mahendra Pratap actively participated in the 1906 Congress session in Kolkata, supported the Swadeshi movement, and supported indigenous industries and local artisans. 
  • Mahendra Pratap was deeply involved in India’s struggle for independence. In 1915, during World War I, he proclaimed the first Provisional Government of India in Kabul, Afghanistan, with himself as its president, opposing British colonial rule 
    • He sought support from countries like Germany, Japan, and Russia for India’s fight against British colonial rule.    
    • He is said to have met Vladimir Lenin in 1919, two years after the Bolshevik Revolution.  
  • He also formed the Executive Board of India in Japan in 1940 during the Second World War. 
• Internationalist and Peace Advocate:  
  • Mahendra Pratap was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1932 for his global advocacy for peace and his efforts to expose British atrocities in India and Afghanistan.  
  • In 1929, Mahendra Pratap launched the World Federation in Berlin, which later influenced the creation of the United Nations.  
• Political Career:  
  • After independence, he worked hard to promote the idea of Panchayati Raj and served as a Member of Parliament from Mathura (1957). 
• Death: 
  • He died on 29th April 1979.