sahajanand saraswati founded the all india harijan sevak sangh.
sahajanand saraswati founded the all india harijan sevak sangh.
who founded the all india harijan sevak sangh?
sahajanand saraswati
according to mahatma gandhi university researchers, the report made by the temple entry enquiry committee was not relevant and became useless as it could not make satisfactory recommendations in the matter of temple entry for which it was primarily formed. after the submission of the committee report, people were not much interested in the temple entry movement in travancore. but the temple entry question was discussed occasionally in travancore without any serious organised attempts. based on the research provided on shodganga site, the efforts of "kerala harijan sevak sangh" played a big part in bringing the attention of the people, back to the cause. on 22 march 1936, at the annual meeting of kerala harijan sevak sangh, held at trivandrum, a temple entry committee was appointed for starting temple entry agitation in kerala. by the decision of the temple entry committee, several temple entry conferences were held at the capitals of harijan sevak sangh in kerala. after the conference, volunteers marched at various places to focus the attention of people in the matter of temple entry. in travancore, though holding processions were prohibited at the time, they were permitted to conduct it by the government. kerala harijan sevak sangh also managed to gather the support of upper castes for the temple entry question and observed 19 april 1936 as the "temple entry day" in kerala. about 55,000 signatures of upper castes in travancore were collected by their efforts. the kerala state temple entry conference held at trivandrum on mary 9th and 10th, presided by srimathi rameshwari nehru, gathered more force and voice to the temple entry agitation. the resolution of temple entry, on equal status to all hindus introduced by k. kelappan, was unanimously passed in that conference. a team was also created in the conference to introduce matter of the temple entry before maharajah sree chithira thirunal. srimathi rameshwari nehru made a two weeks tour throughout kerala and achieved public support for the temple entry movement. the study done by mahatma gandhi university researchers, published in the website, shodhganga, has pointed out that, sree chithira thirunal was indeed in full favour of a proper temple entry even when, the maharajah of cochin and british malabar's zamorin, opposed it vigorously. g. d. birla, the then president of "all india harijan sevak sangh" had an audience with the maharajah and did an interview with him in the third week of june, 1936, which is mentioned in the research paper, "temple entry freedom in kerala". the interview with maharajah revealed that he indeed had favourable attitude towards the temple entry for dalits. a. v. thackar, the secretary of all india harijan sevak sangh, in his speech at calicut on 6 november 1936 too said that the maharajah of travancore may be taking the decision about the matter on the next birth day of maharajah on 12 november, same year. the team from kerala state temple entry conference also met the then prime minister of travancore, sir c. p. ramaswamy aiyer and handed over the memorial for submitting it to the maharajah.
chithira thirunal balarama varma
after the second round table conference, british government agreed to give communal award to the depressed classes on the request of b. r. ambedkar. gandhi opposed the government's decision which he considered it would divide the hindu society and subsequently went on to the indefinite fast in yerwada jail. he ended his fast after signed poona pact with ambedkar on 25 september 1932. on 30 september, gandhi founded "all india anti untouchability league", to remove untouchability in the society, which later renamed as harijan sevak sangh ("servants of untouchables society"). at the time industrialist ghanshyam das birla was its founding president with amritlal takkar as its secretary.
harijan sevak sangh