Baldev Ram Mirdha
Baldev Ram Mirdha | |
|---|---|
 Mirdha on 1989 postage stamp of India | |
| Born | 17 January 1889 |
| Died | 2 August 1953 (aged 64) Nagaur district, Rajasthan, India |
| Monuments | Baldev Ram Mirdha Institute of Technology |
| Occupation(s) | Social reformer, Indian independence activist |
| Known for | Founder of Marwar Kisan Sabha and Rajasthan Kisan Sabha |
| Children | Ram Niwas Mirdha |
| Relatives | Harendra Mirdha (grandson) |
Baldev Ram Mirdha (17 January 1889 – 2 August 1953) was an Indian independence activist, social reformer and founder of the Marwar Kisan Sabha and Rajasthan Kisan Sabha. He was popularly known as Kisan Kesari.[1][2] He established the Marwar Kisan Sabha to address farmers’ issues such as land rights and taxation in the feudal Jodhpur State, and initiated movements to abolish traditional customs such as post-death feasts to promote social and economic equity.[3] After formation of unified Rajasthan, Mirdha formed Rajasthan Kisan Sabha to advocate for farmers statewide. Due to the alignment between the Rajasthan Kisan Sabha's objectives and those of the Indian National Congress, Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru and Govind Bhallabh Pant approached Mirdha to merge the Rajasthan Kisan Sabha with the Congress and it was later merged with the Congress party during inaugural general election, which led to abolition of Zamindari.[4]
Mirdha served as Deputy Inspector General of Jodhpur State in 1943, influencing administrative policies, and supported education and rural development initiatives. An active participant in India's independence movement, he mobilised farmers against colonial and feudal policies through the Kisan Sabha. His son, Ram Niwas Mirdha, was the 2nd speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly and Member of the Lok Sabha in the Parliament. Mirdha died on 2 August 1953, and his legacy is commemorated through institutions like the Baldev Ram Mirdha Institute of Technology in Jaipur and Shri Baldev Ram Mirdha Government College in Nagaur. A commemorative postage stamp of Mirdha was released by the Government of India in 1989.[5][6]
Early life
[edit]Baldev Ram Mirdha was born on 17 January 1889 in the village of Kuchera, Nagaur district, in the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India.[3] He belonged to the Jat Hindu family. His father, Manga Ram, held the responsibility of managing the Department of Post and Telegraph under the Jodhpur state, and the family was conferred the title "Mirdha" by the Jodhpur ruler in recognition of their administrative contributions.[7]
He pursued his early education in Jodhpur, completing his matriculation with determination and focus. After completing his education, Baldev Ram joined the police service of the Jodhpur state in 1914 as a sub-inspector, beginning a career that would see him rise to the rank of deputy inspector general.[8]
Social reforms and advocacy for farmers
[edit]Baldev Ram emerged as a advocate for the farmers of Marwar, a region where the feudal system and Jagirdari (landlordism) oppressed the peasantry. The Jagirdars (feudal landlords) held significant power, often exploiting tenant farmers who received little to no compensation for their labour. Baldev Ram used his position and influence to advocate for the rights of farmers, focusing on education, social equality, and the eradication of social evils. He worked tirelessly to address issues such as untouchability, child marriage, female illiteracy, indebtedness, poverty, and other harmful customs prevalent in rural Rajasthan.[9][10]
Formation of Kisan Sabha’s
[edit]Baldev Ram founded the Marwar Kisan Sabha in 1946, an organisation dedicated to championing the cause of farmers in the Marwar region. His leadership galvanised the peasantry, giving them a unified voice to demand their rights.[11] Baldev Ram was also the first Jats in Rajasthan state with western education. After India’s independence in 1947, he expanded his efforts by establishing the Rajasthan Kisan Sabha, becoming its first president. This organisation aimed to unify farmers across Rajasthan to advocate for land reforms and better socio-economic conditions. After Jawaharlal Nehru and Govind Ballabh Pant approached him to merge the Rajasthan Kisan Sabha with the Indian National Congress, Mirdha agreed to merge the sabha with the Congress, with demand to abolish the jagirdari system and to bring a Tenancy Act. This alignment resulted in sustained Jat support for the Congress party in Rajasthan for much of the period until 1998.[12]
One of his most significant achievements was the passage of the Marwar Tenancy Act of 1949, which transformed tenant farmers into khatedar (land-owning) tenants without requiring them to pay for the land. This landmark legislation was a direct result of the advocacy led by Baldev Ram and the Marwar Kisan Sabha.[13][14]
Personal life and legacy
[edit]Baldev Ram was the father of Ram Niwas Mirdha, a union minister and deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and the cousin of Nathuram Mirdha, a prominent Jat leader in Rajasthan politics. His family, rooted in Kuchera, became a significant political force in Nagaur, with descendants like Harendra Mirdha and Richpal Mirdha continuing the family’s legacy in Rajasthan politics. Baldev Ram passed away on 2 August 1953 while travelling to address a farmers’ gathering.[1]
Memorials of Baldev Ram includes, Shri Baldev Ram Mirdha Government College in Nagaur, and the Baldev Ram Mirdha Institute of Technology in Jaipur. A commemorative postage stamp of Baldev Ram was also released by the Government of India in 1989.
References
[edit]- ^ a b जोधपुर, करनपुरी (17 January 2023). "मारवाड़ में शिक्षा की अलख जगाने वाले कौन थे बलदेव राम मिर्धा? कैसे मिली किसान केसरी की उपाधि". www.abplive.com (in Hindi). Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ Kothari, Rajni (1995). Caste in Indian Politics. Orient BlackSwan. ISBN 978-81-250-0637-4. “The Jat movement in the late 1930s and the 1940s was to a large extent paced and controlled by Baldev Ram Mirdha, a dominant Jat leader who had risen through the ranks to become the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Jodhpur State. Because of his training and vocation Mirdha promoted participation in government jobs and the pursuit of education with a view to prevent energy being channelled through inter-caste conflict and violence: he has been described by members of his family and close Jat associates as having been a loyalist to the end.⁶ It was largely because of Mirdha’s position and encouragement that posts were made available for Jats in the State Services, primarily in the Police and Railway Departments.⁷ Furthermore, he was successful in acquiring State grants and authorisation for the establishment and support of secondary schools and student hostels. Although these were formally reserved for all peasant castes, the Jats were the primary beneficiaries, not because of any policy of enforced exclusion, but by virtue of initiative from within the Jat community and the absence thereof among the others. The founders and leaders of the Kisan Sabha and the dominant Jat political leaders in post-independence politics had all either held positions in the State Services, had attended these educational institutions, or had lived in these community hostels. The final phase in the Jat movement started with the creation of the Marwar Kisan Sabha by Baldev Ram Mirdha after his retirement from the State government in 1946 and after the return of a number of young Jats from the British provinces where several had graduated in law and received LL.B. degrees.⁸ The objectives of the Kisan Sabha, unlike those of the Lok Parishad, were not primarily concerned with nationalist aspirations and the reconstitution of political authority from traditional to modern lines. The primary aims of the organisation were: (1) the abolition of jagirdari and the institution of land reforms; (2) abolition of begar and other forms of forced labour and illegal cesses which had traditionally been exacted by the jagirdars from the poorer peasantry; and (3) the institution and protection of tenancy rights.”
- ^ a b "Digital District Repository Detail - Baldev Ram Mirdha". amritmahotsav.nic.in. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
- ^ Singh, Ravi Ranjan & M. K. (14 August 2021). Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. K.K. Publications. “Rural masses of Marwar were united by Kisan Kesari-Baldev Ram Mirdha under the banner of “Marwar Kisan Sabha” founded in 1940. After the formation of the Rajasthan, Baldev Ram Mirdha who had by then retired from Government service formed the “Rajasthan Kisan Sabha” and unified the Kisan of Rajasthan under its banner. He was its first president. Since the broad objectives of the Kisan Sabha and the congress were identical the congress leaders approached Baldev Ram Mirdha to unite the Rajasthan Kisan Sabha with the Congress”
- ^ "बलदेव राम मिर्धा की 136वीं जयंती:जाट समाज ने मूर्ति पर किए पुष्प अर्पित, कहा- मिर्धा ने किसान हितों के लिए किया कार्य". Dainik Bhaskar. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
- ^ Bhandari, Prakash (24 November 2023). "Rajasthan: It's Mirdha vs Mirdha in Nagaur this time". National Herald. Retrieved 23 May 2025. “It was Baldev Ram Mirdha, the father of late Union minister and deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha Ram Niwas Mirdha, who enlightened the farmers of the region. A police officer in the erstwhile princely state of Jodhpur, Baldev Ram advocated for literacy. He not only had his children educated, but his cousins as well—including Nathu Ram Mirdha, the stalwart in Rajasthan politics and favourite leader of the Jat community”
- ^ Problems of National Liberation. 1982.
- ^ Sharma, Brij Kishore (1990). Peasant Movements in Rajasthan, 1920-1949. Pointer Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7132-024-0. “Baldev Ram Mirdha, the D. I. G. of Police, who was the main organiser of the Kisan Sabha and this conference”
- ^ Rosin, R. Thomas (1987). Land Reform and Agrarian Change: Study of a Marwar Village from Raj to Swaraj. Rawat Publications. ISBN 978-81-7033-033-2.
- ^ Rosin, R. Thomas (1987). Land Reform and Agrarian Change: Study of a Marwar Village from Raj to Swaraj. Rawat Publications. ISBN 978-81-7033-033-2.
- ^ Caudharī, Vikramāditya (2005). Rājasthāna meṃ kisāna āndolana: Māravāṛa ke sandarbha meṃ, 1920-1955 Ī (in Hindi). Rājasthānī Sāhitya Saṃsthāna.
- ^ "Rajasthan polls: Jats, Rajputs hold the key to 43 seats in Marwar". Hindustan Times. 9 September 2018. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2025. “ A leading Jat leader and social reformer of the time, Baldev Ram Mirdha, formed the Marwar Kisan Sabha in 1946 and brought farmers on one platform to vent their grievances against the jagirdars (landed aristocracy). The Kisan Sabha aimed at land reforms, abolition of forced labour, and declaration of tenancy rights. Mirdha, who was a deputy inspector of police in Jodhpur state, was among the first Jats to receive western education. Sensing the political mood, he agreed to merge the Kisan Sabha with the Congress party on the eve of the first general elections in 1951. His only demand was that the Congress abolish jagirs (land grants) and bring in a Tenancy Act, which the party did in 1955.”
- ^ Gahlot, Sukhvir Singh (1986). Rajasthan Researches. Research Publishers.
- ^ Sisson, John Richard (1967). The Congress Party System in Rajasthan: Political Institutionalization in a Traditonal Society. University of California.