| Great Personalities |
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| Biographies of Great Indians & Hindus |
RAMMANOHAR LOHIA |
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| HumanityWhile in the Shimoga jail, the
inmates were not being given enough food. The food given to them sufficed only for one
meal a day. The satygrahis had to depend on the food sent from outside by supporters.
Lohia was deeply moved at this state of affairs. But he had little money with him. He had
hardly thirty-two rupees in his purse. When the police officials came to take him to
Bangalore, Lohia handed over to his jailmates all the money he had. "Please get some
food with this money and distribute it among the satyagrahis" he said. His friends
tried hard to dissuade him but in vain.
It was not only in Karnataka that Lohia participated in peasants' agitations. He participated in all the agitations of the downtrodden throughout the country. He was in the vanguard in every fight for the working class against all forms of injustice. He had not only pity for the common man but respect as well. Once he travelled by train from Sagar to Shimoga in a third class compartment. He was accompanied by some party workers of the Socialist Party. Some of them stretched their legs ignoring the inconvenience to those in the opposite row. There were some farmers in that row. Lohia could not control his displeasure. He said to the man next to him "This conduct does not befit a socialist. Explain this to the other friends." Such was Lohia's alertness even in seemingly trivial matters. |
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