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| Biographies of Great Indians & Hindus |
RAMAPRASAD BISMIL |
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| Meeting With
Tilak After a short while Guru Samadevji passed away. Ramaprasad had come up to the ninth standard. He was active as an enthusiastic volunteer in the Shahjahanpur Seva Samithi. The Indian National Congress was to have its annual session at Lucknow. There were two groups in the Congress at that time. One group consisted of liberals, who were opposed to any direct action against the British Government. They believed in securing justice by explaining India's difficulties to the British Government. They also believed that India should continue to be a part of the British Empire. The other group was that of extremists who believed in fighting the British Government. And attaining full independence. Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak was their leader. Tilak was expected to participate in the session and so the extremists had gathered in large numbers. Ramaprasad also went to Lucknow. The liberals were in a majority in the Reception Committee. They had not made any elaborate arrangements to welcome Tilak. He was just to be received at the railway station. But the young men desired that Tilak should be taken in a procession through the city. With a student of the M. A. class as their leader they gathered at the railway station. As soon as Tilak got off the railway carriage, the volunteers of the Reception Committee surrounded him and took him to the waiting car. The M.A. student and Ramaprasad leaped forward and sat in front of the car. "If the car is to move, let it move over our bodies," they declared. The members of the Reception Committee and Tilak himself tried to dissuade them but they would not budge. Their friends hired a coach, set free the horses, and them drew the coach. Tilak was made to sit in the coach and taken in a procession. All along the way flowers were showered on Lokamanya Tilak. |
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