Vijay Singh Pathik

Vijay Singh Pathik
Vijay Singh Pathik on a 1992 stamp of India
Born
Bhoop Singh Gurjar

Village Guthawali, Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1882
Died
Ajmer in 1954
NationalityIndian
Other namesRashtriya Pathik

Vijay Singh Pathik (born Bhoop Singh; 1882–1954), popularly known as Rashtriya Pathik,[1] was an Indian revolutionary. He was among the first Indian revolutionaries who lit the torch of freedom movement against British rule. Much before Mohandas K. Gandhi initiated the Satyagrah movement, Pathik experimented during the Bijolia’s Kisan agitation.[2] After being implicated in the Lahore conspiracy case in 1915, he changed his name to Vijay Singh Pathik. His grandfather's sacrifice in the struggle of 1857 in Bulandshahr district, affected him deeply to be freedom fighter.

Early life

Pathik was born in 1882 in Guthawali village, Bulandshahar district to Hamir Singh and Kamal Kunwari in a Hindu Gurjar family.[3][4] His father had taken active part in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and was arrested multiple times. Pathik's Grand Father was Inder Singh, who was Dewan of Malagarh Riyasat and was killed while fighting against the British.[citation needed] While, his birth name was Bhoop Singh, but he changed it to "Vijay Singh Pathik" after being implicated in the Lahore Conspiracy Case in 1915.[3]

Bijoliya Kisaan Andolan

He joined revolutionary organisation in his teenage and took active part against British rule in India. Pathikji’s non-cooperation movement was so successful that Lokmanya Tilak wrote a letter to Maharana Fateh Singh to meet the demand of the Bijoliya agitators. Mahatma Gandhi sent his secretary Mahadev Desai to study the movement. It was Pathik who fought for the cause of united Rajasthan and had taken up the issue with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel. He was jailed for having led the Kisan agitation in Bijoliya and kept at special jail created in the Tehsil building of Todgarh. The Kisan Panchayat, Mahila Mandal and Yuvak Mandal invited Pathik to come and lead them.

Pathik was a freedom fighter. As author Indira Vyas said, "He would prefer to end his life rather than to bow down the flag. He also wrote the famous flag song which was very popular during that period."[5]

Writer and poet

Being Indian Revolutionary and Satyagrahi, he was also a very well known Hindi poet, writer and journalist. He was the editor of Rajasthan Kesari and Naveen Rajasthan. He also started his own independent Hindi weekly, the Rajasthan Sandesh and the Nav Sandesh from Ajmer.

He expressed his views through Tarun Rajasthan, Hindi weekly too. He popularly had known as Rashtriya Pathik.

As writer also he made impact through some of his well-known books -Ajay Meru ( novel), Pathik Pramod (collection of stories), Pathikji ke Jail ke Patra, Pathik ki Kavitaon Ka Sangrah etc.[1] He was also appointed as the President of the Rajputana and Madhya Bharat Provincial Congress. Mahatma Gandhi said about him that Pathik is a worker, others are talkers. Pathik is a soldier, brave and impetuous...

Death and legacy

Pathik died in Ajmer in 1954, when Rajasthan state was formed.

The Government of India issued a postage stamp to pay tribute to him.[6] The Vijay Singh Pathik Smriti Sansthan chronicles the contributions of Vijay Singh Pathik.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Durga Das Pvt. Ltd (1985). Eminent Indians who was who, 1900–1980, also annual diary of events. Durga Das Pvt. Ltd. p. 238.
  2. ^ David Hardiman (25 October 2018). The Non Violent Struggle for Freedom 1905-1919. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. pp. 180–. ISBN 978-93-5305-262-1.
  3. ^ a b Sushma Suresh, ed. (1999). Who's who on Indian stamps. Mohan B. Daryanani. p. 288. ISBN 978-84-931101-0-9.
  4. ^ Shodhak (43–45). Bhartiya Pragtisheel Shiksha Parishad: 49. 1986. Vijay Singh Pathik was a Gujar {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ Indira Vyas (2004). Freedom movement in Rajasthan: with special reference to Ajmer-Merwara. University Book House. p. 81. ISBN 81-8198-011-5.
  6. ^ Who's who on Indian stamps. Mohan B. Daryanani. 1999. p. xvi. ISBN 84-931101-0-8.
  7. ^ "Vijay singh Pathik smarika". times of India. [dead link‍]

Further reading

MuseIndia on Pathik