and create awakening in Shekhawati and spread the principles of Arya Samaj. Later in December 1934, ‘All India Jat Students Federation Conference’ was held at Pilani. Master Ratan Singh was its. Sir Chhotu Ram, Chaudhary Ram Singh, Kunwar Netram Singh, Thakur Deshraj , Thakur Jhumman Singh, and Sardar Har Lal Singh and a huge number of farmers from various states, attended the conference. The conference gave the Jat youth a great strength.
Thakur Deshraj, social worker, nationalist, journalist, author, and a freedom fighter. He went on procession of the Prajapati Maha Yagya on an elephant.
Back Ground of Prajapati Maha Yagya
One of the gatherings of Jats in Sikar locale, Rajasthan, consisted of 500 towns. However, the presence of the Rajput feudal Thakurs in Bikaner and Shekhawati made the condition of these jats retrograde, when compared to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In this incomprehensible spread out area, there was not a solitary grade school. The Jats couldn't put Singh to their names. They couldn't wear a colored Pagri or turban. They couldn't sit on a charpoy before the Rajput Thakur. They were dealt with as untouchables.At the neighborhood Piyau or water wellspring they were given water from independent pipes, the same as untouchables. The Jat women were made to wear dress like those worn by easier classes. They were not permitted to wear gold trimmings. On his wedding day the Jat husband was not permitted to ride a stallion. Fifty one sorts of duties called "lagh" were forced on the Jats. Case in point if a child was conceived in the family unit of a Jat, the father needed to provide for one Rupee as a blessing to the neighborhood Thakur. Assuming that a child was destined to the Thakur, every family unit needed to give a Rupee to the Thakur as "Nazar" or tribute. On a wedding function there was an extra duty. There were extra charges on camels, sheep, bullocks, Goats and different creatures. Duties were forced on all parts of life. There was no Law or Court. The main law was that of the Thakur. The Jats and different groups had completely smothered by the ceaseless outrages conferred by the feudal egotistical Rajput inebriated with his energy.
In the event that any one spoke up, even simply a bit, they and their families were assaulted physically, mangled and murdered, their houses burnt to the ground, their kids grabbed, by the pet hooligans of the Rajput Thakur. There was no law, the shouts of the exploited people went unheard. In the whole domain of Sikar, nobody could hold a gathering or a social affair or get authorization for the same, if the seeker was a Jat, the refusal was brief and completely unfriendly.
A few Jats from Uttar Pradesh went to Shekhawati on employments, and some were sent there by the Jat Mahasabha to push the Arya Samaj. They went from town to town endeavoring to stir the individuals. Some additionally began to show youngsters in temporary schools. Shekhawati was in the Thikana of Sikar in the regal Jaipur state.
The Jat Prajapati Maha-Yagya
The director of the Jat Mahasabha was a devotee of the Arya Samaj and it was chosen that an extraordinary Yagya or pooja performed to submit a petition to god, might be composed, and that venue might be utilized to make a prologue to the group. A Yagya was a religious capacity, and consequently authorization was conceded.In 1934 it was chosen to perform the pooja at the time of Sharad, according to the Hindu panchaang or logbook. This Yagya was known as the Prajapati Yagya or yagya for the lort of the universe. The Jat Prajapati Maha-Yagya was sorted out at Sikar from 20 - 29 January 1934. The chairman of the yagya was Kunwar Hukam Singh Rahees Angai (Mathura). He had been Chairman of the Arya Prathinidhi Sabha, Uttar Pradesh area and All Arya Prathinidhi Sabha, Delhi, for a long time.
The man performing the yagya was Chaudhary Kaluram of Kudan town. Acharya Shri Jagdev Sidhanthi accepted a welcome for this Yagya at his Gurukul at Kirttal, In that welcome was he asked for to go to the Yagya and bring twenty Bhramcharis and supporters with him. Volunteers went to all the families in all the towns in the area and gathered material that might be required. They gathered ghee, gur, and welcomed all the householders to take part. Several jars of Ghee and many sacks of flour were gathered.
When the trains with yajaks or the co-ordinators of yagya arrived at Sikar station, they were welcomed with developing swarms. Seth Jamnalal Bajaj, who was a staunch supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, also welcomed the Yajaks at the railway station. In the open sandy land close to the track station countless men and ladies from each corner, each town in Rajasthan had set up camp with their families, bullock trucks and camel trucks. Seeing this unfathomable planning and social affair, the nearby Rajput group and the Brahmin group were shocked as well as panicky, and got resolved to stop the Yagya. Various sorts of traps were endeavored. The Pundits were resolved to show the Yajaks as low individuals.
The project was booked for one entire week. The primary point of this occasion was to present the picture of propelled level of the social and instruction improvement to the Jats and different ranchers of Shekhawati. It also aimed at showing the progressiveness of the Jat social order in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, and hence the Jats of Shekhawati could be motivated to have a craving for instruction and upliftment.
As per his plan, Jagdev Sidhanthi, put his honor scholar Raghuvir Singh at the eastern gate of the yagya, since he was the educated one. Raghuvir Singh was sixteen years of age at the time. He spoke familiar Sanskrit, and could recount all the Shastras and Mimamnsas from memory. On the Western passageway he set Pundit Shanti Swarup, the master from Gurukul Kirttal, who was a famous Sanskrit Scholar. The capacity of these two was to welcome the impending intellectuals in Sanskrit just, to address them in Sanskrit, and to give those headings.
All the famous masters and scholars of the Sanskrit schools of Jaipur, Ajmer, Sikar, Jodhpur and so on came in little assemblies. They were first welcomed by Raghuvir Singh. Students of Puranic schools were less versed, when compared to students of Arya Samaj schools, in speaking Sanskrit On the very first day itself, the news of the young Raghuvir Singh, who was talking Sanskrit easily and quickly, flashed like rapidly spreading conflagration. People from faraway places began to gather to listen to Raghuvir Singh.
Alongside the Yagya function, Bhajans, and updeshas were carried on. The pioneers and researchers gave their addresses and held courses. Sir Chhotu Ram, the acclaimed pioneer of the regular man, had made his introduction and check on the political atmosphere. He frantic a discourse. A lot of prominent leaders were present: Thakur Deshraj of Jaghina, the prestigious Historian of Jat History, who was committed his full endeavors to the upliftment of the individuals and the reason for the Jat Sabha, advocate Thakur Jhamman Singh who had been executive of the Jat Sabha for a long time, Richpal Singh Phogat, (of Dhamera Kirat, Distt Bulandshahr) who was a privileged Magistrate and a pastor with the Jat Sabha, Chaudhary Moolchand, who was administrator for a long time of the All India Jat Mahasabha and the author of the Jat Boarding House, Nagaur, Kunwar Ratan Singh of Mandhona District, Bulandshahr, who was included and extremely dynamic in the undertakings of Bulandshahr and Bharatpur, Rai Sahib Chaudhary Hariram Singh of Kurmalli district, Muzzafarnagar, who was an acclaimed speaker, Thakur Sansar Singh one of the originators of the Haridwar Girls Gurukul, Pandit Shanti Swarup, Pandit Moolchand Shastri, and so on. Individuals were fascinated with their moving talks.
One day, in the evening, some puranic brahmins taunted Sidhanthiji that his students were simply parroting in Sanskrit. They were said to simply have learnt their shlokas (verses) and dissertations, which anyone could do. They said - we will acknowledge your student Raghuvir Singh, if he can speak even a few words on topic of our choice. Raghuvir Singh accepted the challenge, and the topic given to him was ‘Atma’. The entire gathering of Puranic Brahmins was astounded by the extended discourse given by Raghuvir Singh. Except for the Rajput community , all the audience present appreciated Raghuvir Singh. He made another discourse in Sanskrit, at the end of the Yagya. This discourse was translated simultaneously into Hindi by Chaudhary Hariram Singh, which confirmed his scholarship.
At the end of the yagya, the Yagyapati was to be taken in procession on an elephant. Two elephants were allocated for this procession by the Thakur of Sikar . But the leaders of the Rajput community could not tolerate this. They gathered in the palace of Raja Rao to tell him they will not tolerate a procession of the elephants with a Jat riding it. They were successful in convincing Raja Rao to stop the procession and orders were issued accordingly.
In those days the Chief of Police of the Jaipur state was an Englishman named F.S.Young. He had lived in the then United Provinces (modern Uttar Pradesh) and was very popular with the people. Thakur Jhamman Singh, Chaudhary Richpal Singh and Chaudhary Hariram Singh, knew him personally, and they went to Jaipur to seek his assistance. Mr. Young had knowledge about the yagya at Sikar. He had been told that about three or four hundred people were present. But these leaders told him that there were three or four hundred thousand people present. He was insisted to go and see for himself. Convinced by the leaders, Mr. Young flew to Sikar in an aeroplane. He flew over and inspected the vast gathering many times.
Later, he went to the Guest House of the Raja of Sikar and invited both parties conciliation. But, the Rajputs were not ready to accept. In the meantime, pandits of Rajputs raised a new issue stating that there was no such term as ‘Yagyapati’ in the Vedas, and therefore there should not be any procession of the Yagyapati. Mr. Young asked the organizers of the yagya organizers for a response. In turn, this question was asked to Raghuvir Singh. He gave a discourse of the place of Yagyapati in the Vedas. He showed the pages of Vedas containing the term ‘Yagyapati to Mr. Young. The pandits of the puranic were stunned by this. Mr. Young then questioned Rao Raja, as to why he was opposing the people who are trying to spread learning and knowledge in this backward region. He also told Rao Raja to example of their students, who had a firm grip and authority over their subject.
The Rajputs refused to budge. They threatened to shoot guns at the procession. However, the people were so enthused that they were ready to face the bullets, sacrifice their lives for the greater cause. They were determined to see the procession. Due to the the great presence of mind of the Jat leaders, a compromise was reached.
The procession would take place, no Jat will be sitting on the elephant. Instead, a Pandit with a book of the Veda will sit on the elephant. However, one more obstacle was raised stating that there was no one born in the caste of ‘Brahmin’ in the Arya Samaj. But, in the Jats group there was only one Brahmin by birth, Pandit Khemchand Mandawar of Rajasthan. He was also a staunch follower of Arya Samaj. His name was agreed, only after he agreed to pay two amounts of 500 Rupees each as two individual bonds of surety that he was born into the caste of brahmin. A small child of Thakur Deshraj was quietly seated on the lap of Pandit Khemchand with his Veda book, on the elephant.
The procession started but those in opposition of the procession closed the gates to the city of Sikar . Since, Sikar was surrounded all around by very high walls and the gates were closed, the Procession had to return from outside. However, the citizens of Sikar managed to see the procession, by climbing on to the rooftops, wall and the trees and the walls.
During the Yagya 3000 men and women adopted the Yogyopavit. The Yogyopavit was a symbol of Kisan sangathan. One of them was Sheetal Kumari, daughter of Kunwar Netram Singh. Chaudhary Chimana Ram of Sangasi accompanied his wife, who was wearing salwar and kurta. This unity of Jat farmers made the Jagirdars of Sikar to be terrified. The role played by Thakur Deshraj and Sardar Har Lal Singh was unparallel and made this yagya a grand success.
Impact of Jat Prajapati Maha yagya
The Jat Prajapati Maha yagya encouraged a far reaching inclusion of Jats in a group celebration. Every Jat family unit going to it was to help some money and an unspecified amount of ghee. What added up to two hundred maunds of ghee were utilized within the conciliatory fire. The accomplishment of this development urged the Jats to hold more gatherings on nearby levels and print written works to praise Jat history. The Yagna turned into a prevailing image of old stories, which celebrated it as the start of a hostile to feudal battle.The laborers requested reductions in expenses and at last a Jat-Sikar Thikana Agreement was marked on August 23, 1934, by which the Thikana powers yielded to annul different slacks or assessments and consented to accommodate a versatile dispensary. In the accompanying year, the Kisan Sabha formally came into existence and its aegis the popular Sikar Andolan of 1935 was propelled. With outside intervention deliberations of Jamnalal Bajaj, Ratan Singh of All India Jat Mahasabha and Sir Chhotu Ram, an eminent Jat pioneer of Punjab, a settlement was touched base at and the Jats were guaranteed abatements of rent, annulment of inward cesses and a presentation of settled rent residency.
Benefits of Jat Prajapati Maha Yagya
There were tremendous benefits of this Yagya. It acted like water on parched land and sparked a renaissance. The spirit of the people was revived. The struggle continued and grow, and became more vigour. The Jats were now turned towards education. They worked towards re-establishing their ancient structures. The suppressed communities, including the Jats, obtained the inspiration to establish schools and colleges and educate younger generations.After a great struggle, ‘Zamindari’ or feudal estates were abolished. In the last decades, the development of jats was reflected by the increasing education and prosperity of the people. Raghuvir Singh became the Vice Chancellor of ‘Gurukul Kangri Mahavidhyayala’, Haridwar. Owing to his contributions in education and societal reforms, he became a great leader of the Arya Samaj. He became a much respected member of the community.
