>SpacemanSpiff at 17:38, 27 November 2021

2021-11-27T17:38:56Z

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{{short description|Indian freedom fighter}}
{{Infobox Hindu leader
| name = Baba Raghav Das
| image = Baba Raghav Das 1998 stamp of India.jpg
| caption = Postage Stamp issued in honour of social works done by Baba Raghav Das on his birth anniversary in 1998
| alt =
| birth_place = [[Pune, Maharashtra]], India
| birth_name = Raghavendra <ref name="BBRDMC1">{{Cite web|title=Official website of BRD Medical College {{!}} Baba Raghav Das Medical College Gorakhpur|url=http://brdmc.ac.in/|access-date=2020-10-19|website=brdmc.ac.in}}</ref>
| birth_date = 12 December 1896
| founder =
| honors =
| nationality = Indian
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
| occupation = [[Guru]], [[freedom fighter]], reformer, [[member of parliament]], and activist
| death_date = 15 January 1958
}}
'''Baba Raghav Das''' (12 December 1896 - 15 January 1958), popularly known as the '''Gandhi of Poorvanchal'',''''' was an Indian [[guru]], [[freedom fighter]], [[reform]]er, [[philosopher]], [[member of parliament]], and an activist. He is best known for his social contributions. The government of India released a postage stamp in his honour in 1998.<ref name="BRDMC">{{Cite web|title=About Baba Raghav Das JIOfficial website of BRD Medical College {{!}} Baba Raghav Das Medical College Gorakhpur|url=http://brdmc.ac.in/AboutBRDJI|access-date=2020-10-19|website=brdmc.ac.in}}</ref>

==Life==
Baba Raghav Das was born on December 12, 1896, to a rich Pachhapurkar [[Brahmin|Brahman]] family<ref name="BK">{{Cite web|title=बाबा राघवदास - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर|url=https://bharatdiscovery.org/india/%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%98%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8|access-date=2020-10-19|website=bharatdiscovery.org}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=November 2020}} in [[Pune]], [[Maharastra]]. He was the youngest of eight children and was named Raghavendra. His whole family died in the [[Third plague pandemic|plague epidemic of 1902-1904]]. At the age of five, he was compelled to attend primary education in [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Guha|first1=Ranajit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEjsQbxIOC0C&q=Baba+Raghav+Das&pg=PA303|title=Selected Subaltern Studies|last2=Guha|first2=Research School of Pacific Studies Ranajit|last3=Spivak|first3=Gayatri Chakravorty|date=1988|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-505289-3|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Lila Dhar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80nQTsxE5tEC|title=Bhartiya Charit Kosh|date=March 2009|publisher=Rajpal & Sons|isbn=978-81-7483-100-2|pages=528–529|language=hi}}</ref> In 1913, after his education in [[Mumbai]], he left the city in search of a Siddha Guru. He roamed various places, including [[Varanasi|Kashi]] but to no avail. He then went to [[Ghazipur]], where he met 'Mauni Baba' and learned Hindi from him. He later accepted 'Yogiraj Anant Mahaprabhu' as his guru. After this he became the successor of the ''Gaadi'' (Seat) of Anant Mahaprabhu and founded the Paramhansh Ashram at Barhaj.<ref name=":0" />

In 1921, [[Mahatma Gandhi]] visited [[Gorakhpur|Ghorakhpur]] where he met Raghav Das. From that point on, Raghav Das joined the Indian Independence Movement and continuously worked for the independence of India and served the oppressed people of India. Gandhi addressed Raghav Das as "Baba Raghavdas", and he became popular as Baba Raghavdas. Gandhi said that "gaining freedom for India would be easier if more saints like Raghavdas joined them".<ref name="BK"/>{{Circular reference|date=November 2020}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Liladhar|title=भारतीय चरित कोश (Bharatiya Charit Kosh)|publisher=Shiksha Bharati, Madarasa Road, Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi|year=2011|isbn=9788174831002|location=New Delhi|pages=528}}</ref>

During 1923–1924, Gandhi insisted that keeping some amount of hand spun [[Khadi]] was a pre-qualification of membership in the [[Indian National Congress]]. Though Raghavdas himself spun the charkha, he originally opposed this idea but later agreed.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pradhan|first=Ramchandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=juF1DwAAQBAJ&q=baba+raghav+das&pg=PT300|title=The Struggle of My Life: Autobiography of Swami Sahajanand|date=2018-09-25|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-909655-8|language=en}}</ref>

Raghavdas was imprisoned many times for his activities in the [[Indian independence movement|Indian Independence Movement]], the first being in 1921. His activities in the Independence movement included accompanying Gandhi during the [[Salt March|Dandi March]] (the Salt March).<ref name="BRDMC"/> Raghavdas' Ashram in Barah was the epicenter of independence activities including the provision of shelter for many freedom fighters. He was very closely associated with [[Ram Prasad Bismil]] and after Ram Prasad's execution, Raghavdas erected a memorial to him at the Ashram.<ref name="DJ2">{{Cite web|date=2014-06-07|title=हमें माफ करना बाबा राघवदास 9441362|url=http://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/deoria-9441362.html|access-date=2020-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607020605/http://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/deoria-9441362.html|archive-date=2014-06-07}}</ref> He arranged a public meeting to spread awareness about the independence movement and social reforms. He went to settlements of ''Dalit'' people and served the sick while teaching them about cleanliness.<ref>{{Cite web|title=पूर्वांचल के गांधी कहलाए बाबा राघवदास, उन्हीं के नाम पर बने अस्पताल में मासूमों ने तोड़ा दम|url=https://khabar.ndtv.com/news/india/gorakhpur-hospital-tragedy-baba-raghav-das-called-gandhi-of-purvanchal-1737065|access-date=2020-10-19|website=NDTVIndia}}</ref>

He preferred to serve people directly rather than joining the government. Following the strong urging of some of India's top leaders, he did contest the election of 1948 and won a seat as a [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLA]], defeating [[Narendra Deva]] of the [[Congress Socialist Party]] by a margin of 1312 votes.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kiran|first=Asha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rhr3DwAAQBAJ&q=baba+raghav+das&pg=PA35|title=Ram Mandir|publisher=Neelkanth Prakashan|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=सिंह|first=शीतला|date=2019-11-12|title=1948 में जब समाजवादी नेता को हराने के लिए फ़ैज़ाबाद कांग्रेस ने राम जन्मभूमि का कार्ड खेला था|url=http://thewirehindi.com/100512/ayodhya-ram-janmbhumi-babri-masjid-dispute-shitala-singh-book/|access-date=2020-10-19|website=The Wire - Hindi|language=en-GB}}</ref> When the government imposed a tax on the oil mill crusher ''Kolhu'', Raghavdas opposed the measure, citing ''Kolhu'' as a source of employment for poor and oppressed people and in protest resigned from the Legislative Assembly. Ultimately, the government did abolish the tax on ''Kolhu''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-06-07|title=बहुमुखी प्रतिभा के धनी थे बाबा राघवदास 9933532|url=http://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/deoria-9933532.html|access-date=2020-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607020602/http://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/deoria-9933532.html|archive-date=2014-06-07}}</ref> After that, he continued to work for the poor and oppressed people of India.

==Social activities==

From 1947 to 1958, he dedicated himself to various welfare activities, playing an active part in the [[Bhoodan movement|Bhoodan Movement]] started by [[Vinoba Bhave]]. He believed that the importance of Independence could only be instilled in people through education, so he established several of educational institutions, notably in [[Deoria, Uttar Pradesh|Deoria]], [[Barhaj (Assembly constituency)|Barhaj]], and [[Kushinagar]]. Imparting education and maintaining hygiene and public healthcare were his main priorities. He started Shree Krishna Inter College and Sarojini Balika Vidyalaya as well as a Sanskrit College in his Ashram's premises. He was sympathetic to the sufferings of people afflicted by leprosy and, inspired by Gandhi, established a Leper House at Gorakhpur and [[Mairwa]] Bihar.<ref name="DJ2"/> He died on January 15, 1958.<ref name="BRDMC" />

==Recognition==
* In 1998, on Baba Raghavdas' birth anniversary the government of India released a postage stamp in honor of social works done by him
*Institutions named after Baba Raghav Das
**[[Baba Raghav Das Medical College|Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur]]
**Baba Raghavdas Inter College, Deoria
**Baba Raghavdas Post Graduate College, Barahaj
**Raghavdas Park, Barhaj <ref name="DJ2"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1958 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Maharashtra]]

Baba Raghav Das - Revision history

>SpacemanSpiff at 17:38, 27 November 2021