In news : Chittaranjan Das was in news with respect to recent election of West Bengal
About Chittaranjan Das(C.R Das) Deshbandhu(1870-1925)
- C.R Das popularly called as Deshbandhu (Friend of the Nation), was an Indian freedom fighter, political activist and lawyer during the Indian independence movement
- Birth: He was born Nov. 5, 1870, Calcutta [now Kolkata]
- His father was a solicitor and a journalist who edited the English church weekly, The Brahmo Public Opinion
- He entered the legal profession after failing the competitive entrance examination for the British-dominated Indian Civil Service
- Das practiced law at The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple at London in England.
- While in England, Das campaigned for Dadabhai Naoroji to help win a seat in the House of Commons from Central Finsbury.
- Naoroji became the first Asian in 1892 to become a part of Westminster.
- Two years later, Das came back to India and started practising as a barrister at Calcutta High Court.
- As a lawyer: He defended Aurobindo Ghosh on charges of involvement in the Alipore bomb case in 1909
- He also defended many accused of political offenses and took an active part in nationalistic journalism.
- Against westernization: He opposed British rule in India and rejected all ideas of political or economic development of India along Western lines
- Praised ancient villages: He idealized the life of the ancient Indian village and saw a golden age in ancient Indian history
- Association with Anushilan Samiti: He was actively involved in the activities of Anushilan Samiti. When Pramatha Mitter organised the Samiti as its president to produce hundreds of young firebrands who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the cause of the Nation, Chittaranjan became his associate
- Support to noncooperation movement: He supported it and in 1921 was imprisoned for six months as a political offender.
- As President of INC:
- In 1922 he became president of the Indian National Congress.
- Under his leadership the Congress abandoned its intentions to boycott colonially sponsored elections for provincial councils.
- It decided instead to participate in order to seek positions that would permit them to obstruct governmental business from within.
- Swaraj Party: He resigned his presidency of the Indian National Congress at the Gaya session after losing a motion on “No Council Entry” to Gandhi’s faction. He then founded the Swaraj Party, with veteran Motilal Nehru and young Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, in 1923, to express his uncompromising opinion and position.
- As a poet: Das emerged as a distinguished Bengali poet, when, during the troubled days of National movement, he published the first two volumes of his collection of poems titled “Malancha” and “Mala”. In 1913 he published “Sagar Sangeet” (The Songs of the Sea).
- News papers: He brought out a newspaper called Forward and later changed its name to Liberty to fight the British Raj.
- Journal Narayana: He started a monthly journal named Narayana, and many eminent writers such as Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bipin Chandra Pal and Hariprasad Shastri contributed their writings in the journal
Source: Britannica
