freedom Fighter & visionary
Surendra Nath Jauhar (1903 – 1986)
Shri Surendra Nath Jauhar’s life was an inspiring saga of commitment to the nation. While the first phase of his life was devoted to the cause of freedom of the motherland for which he suffered and made innumerable sacrifices, the second phase was dedicated to the cause of education and spirituality. At both the phases he was an example in courage and dynamism – for the youth in particular.
A legendary freedom fighter in his youth, Shri Jauhar was born in 1903 in West Punjab (now in Pakistan) and moved to Delhi in 1921. Before long this embodiment of energy and enthusiasm was drawn to the freedom movement. As a leading Congressman in the capital he was thrown behind the bars several times.
In 1930 the Congress High Command appointed him as the Seventh Dictator of the Non-Cooperation movement in Delhi. He gave slip to the colonial authorities time and again and organized boycott of foreign cloth and daringly volunteered to read the Congress pledge for Purna Swaraj at the Clock Tower in Chandni Chowk. The police pounced upon him. He was despatched to Multan jail where he remained incarcerated for 15 months, of which 9 months was in solitary confinement in fetters!
During the 1942 Quit India Movement, it was he who arranged for Mrs. Aruna Asaf Ali’s hiding, outwitting the C.I.D. who was on desperate lookout for both. He led an underground movement and was imprisoned once again from 1942 to 1944. His is the most prominent entry in the official directory of Freedom Fighters of Delhi. It reads:
Surendra Nath Jauhar : Born August 13, 1903 at village Vahalee, Distt. Jhelum (now in Pakistan), resident of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, New Delhi. Education at D.A.V. College and National College, Lahore; member D.C.C. (1939); member P.C.C. (1934-47); took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) and the Quit India Movement (1942); defied Martial Law Regulations (1919) and suffered beatings and forced marches under the British Sergeants. In 1930, organized boycott of foreign cloth throughout the “Katras” of Chandni Chowk; November 14, 1930 read the Congress Independence Day Resolution at the Clock Tower; arrested and tried for six different counts; sentenced to nine months’ Rigorous Imprisonment in the Central Jail Multan; tortured in Jail and released in 1931 on account of Gandhi-Irwin Pact; in 1942 went underground and worked with Shrimati Aruna Asaf Ali and Shri Jugal Kishore Khanna; arrested on September 17, 1942 after fierce fighting at the point of pistol; dragged along with his wife in Connaught Circus followed by thousands of people; in the scuffle the Magistrate on Duty ordered to shoot him dead, escaped providentially; tried under various counts for about two years and acquitted on May 6, 1944.
(From ‘Who’s Who’ of the Delhi Freedom Fighters’ Gazetteer; Delhi Administration, Vol. 1.)
Probably because he sought no office or position after independence, the current generation is unfamiliar with the saga of his struggles. He too, instead of highlighting his past, quietly continued to concentrate on contributing to national reconstruction through education – particularly in the light of Sri Aurobindo’s futuristic vision.
He had already launched a Centre for studies in Sri Aurobindo way back in 1942, even amidst his tumultuous political preoccupation. On 12th February 1956, with inspiration and blessings from the Mother, he elevated the Centre to what is renowned as Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Delhi Branch, the only branch of the Ashram outside Pondicherry. His tireless perseverance, foresight and zeal made this Ashram a true centre of spiritual pursuit for its inmates as well as for thousands associated with it. It has been a living demonstration of Sri Aurobindo’s revolutionary doctrine: ‘All life is Yoga’. While it radiates the truth that work, meditation and service can all go together, it also provides for the public free medical aid through qualified specialists in Allopath, Homoeopathy and Ayurveda.
A committed social worker from his youth, Shri Jauhar made service to the people a tradition of this institution. Earnest disaster relief actions like the reconstruction project in the cyclone affected areas of Orissa and assistance to earthquake victims in Gujarat, have been highly appreciated. Ashram’s Health Centre has worked extensively in rural areas of West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttaranchal, providing free consultation, eye-care and surgery, and medicines to the economically disadvantaged.
A champion of national values, he launched programmes to expose the youth to India’s unique and great spiritual and cultural heritage. Around 500 Youth and National Integration Camps have been conducted in which about 40,000 youths from all over the country have been brought together for training in rock climbing, trekking, leadership, meditation, shramdan etc. along with lessons on issues important for them and the nation. The groups live together, appreciate the strengths and diversity of one another, singing lyrics in 10 to12 Indian languages, participating in cultural activities and attending talks on National Integration. Many of these camps have been held in the Ashram’s Himalayan retreat in Nainital, built through Shri Jauhar’s dedicated time, energy and financial resources.
Summarising his life, it can be said that he gave his all for the country – as a freedom fighter and later as a pioneer of man-making and value-oriented education. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Delhi and the allied institutions established by him have achieved wide popularity and eminence in the fields of spirituality, education and training of youth. Sri Aurobindo Education Society, of which Shri Surendra Nath Jauhar was the Founder-Chairman, runs five schools. The Mother’s International School and Mirambika Free Progress School have been torch bearers in integral approach to Education and are sources of inspiration for numerous educationists.
Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister for Communications & IT and HRD released a commemorative Postage Stamp on Late Shri Surendra Nath Jauhar in New Delhi on 2nd September 2011. Speaking on the occasion Shri Sibal said that it is a privilege to commemorate the memory and work of Shri Surendra Nath Jauhar which continues to inspire generations through value based education.
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