Swami Shraddanand Saraswati was born at Talwan (Jullundur) in 2nd Feb 1856
Swami Sharaddanand Saraswati was named as Munshi Ram Vij by his father, a name that stayed with him till he took Sanyas in 1917.
Swami Shradhanand promoted movement for education of girls in the right earnest. He founded the first Gurukul on 16 May 1900 at Gujaranwala in the West Punjab, now in Pakistan, a unique seat of learning in keeping with the ideals of the Vedic seers. Later, the Gurukul was moved to Kangri near Haridwar opened. This is the institution which Ramsay Macdonald visited and where he likened Munshi Ram to a biblical prophet walking the shores of Galilee. This is also the institution towards which Mahatma Gandhi was first drawn while he was in South Africa and where he stayed first on his return to India. It was this institution which conferred on Gandhiji the title of the 'Mahatma'. In 1962, The Government of India declared the Gurukul as a full fledged university (Mahavidyalya).
Swami Sharaddanand Saraswati was named as Munshi Ram Vij by his father, a name that stayed with him till he took Sanyas in 1917.
Swami Shradhanand promoted movement for education of girls in the right earnest. He founded the first Gurukul on 16 May 1900 at Gujaranwala in the West Punjab, now in Pakistan, a unique seat of learning in keeping with the ideals of the Vedic seers. Later, the Gurukul was moved to Kangri near Haridwar opened. This is the institution which Ramsay Macdonald visited and where he likened Munshi Ram to a biblical prophet walking the shores of Galilee. This is also the institution towards which Mahatma Gandhi was first drawn while he was in South Africa and where he stayed first on his return to India. It was this institution which conferred on Gandhiji the title of the 'Mahatma'. In 1962, The Government of India declared the Gurukul as a full fledged university (Mahavidyalya).
In the year 1917, Munshi Ram
became a 'Sanyasi', assuming the name 'Shradhanand' and making Delhi
his permanent home instead of Gurukul. In Delhi, he founded a number of
institutions aimed at social, moral and cultural betterment and to
uplift people, especially the so-called 'untouchables'. He also founded
two prominent newspapers: the Urdu 'Tej' and the Hindi 'Arjun'.
During the national struggle for independence in the year 1919, he plunged headlong into the agitation under the leadership of Gandhiji. He motivated millions of men and women to join the struggle for independence of India from the British yoke.
During the national struggle for independence in the year 1919, he plunged headlong into the agitation under the leadership of Gandhiji. He motivated millions of men and women to join the struggle for independence of India from the British yoke.
When Gandhiji was
arrested, Swami Shraddhanandji led a protest march in the city. When a
soldier threatened to fire upon the crowd, Swamiji showed his chest and
asked the soldier to shoot. Such was the courage of Swamiji.
Long
ago, Malkana Rajputs in the Mathura-Agra area had been forced by the
Moghuls to convert to Islam. Yet they had retained their cultural
distinctiveness. Swami Shraddhanand Saraswati saw a golden opportunity
to encourage them to return to the religious fold of their forefathers.
The mission of Shuddhi of the Malkana Rajputs was a roaring success.
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