Sadhu Sitaram Das was Indian

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

. He was the first who led

peasants A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

Bijolia movement The Bijolia movement (Hindi: बिजोलिया आंदोलन) was a peasant movement in the Bijolia ''jagir'' of the former Mewar state (in present-day Rajasthan in India) against excessive land revenue exactions. Originating in the f ...

Early life

He was born in

Bairagi Bairagi jaat in Haryana Bairagi is a Hindu caste. They are also called by different names that are Swami, Bairagi, Mahant, Vaishnav, Vairagi, Ramanandi, Shami, Vaishnav , Pujari. They are Vaishnav, and wear the sacred thread. Bairagi c ...

(Sadhu Vairagi) family in 1883 in

Bijolia Bijoliya is a census town in Bhilwara district in the state of Rajasthan, India and is surrounded by nature and waterfalls and is famous for Tapodaya Teerth Kshetra and Mandakini Temple. Geography Bijoliya Kalan is located at . It has an aver ...

. He completed his primary education in

then he went to

Banaras Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tra ...

for higher education. He started a Mitra Mandal (Friends' Association) in

in 1905, and through this spread word about the

Nationalist Movement The Nationalist Movement is a Mississippi-founded white nationalist organization with headquarters in Georgia that advocates what it calls a "pro-majority" position. It has been called white supremacist by the Associated Press and Anti-Defamatio ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. Sitaram Das closed it in 1907 when he took up a position with the Rav (chieftain of Bijolia) but resigned this post in 1908 due to disagreements. He then practised

Ayurvedic medicine Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repor ...

, which brought him into contact with the

whom he treated. From them, Sitaramdas learnt of the oppression they suffered, and he began visiting the villages to get further information about their plight. And Sitaram das dedicated his whole life for raising voice of poor farmers against their exploitation.

Bijolia Movement and Sadhu Sitaram Das

Bijolia, was part of

Mewar Mewar or Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, Neemuch an ...

prior to Independence. During the freedom struggle, the peasant movement in the town narrated a tale of the power of the common man. The movement started in 1897, led by Sadhu Sitaram Das. Sadhu Sitaram Das tried to raise voice of common men (mostly poor farmers) in the royal court of Mewar. On the basis of leadership, Bijolia movement can be classified into three phases. The first phase (1897-1914) was led by Sadhu Sitaram Das. In March 1913 nearly 1000

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

s under the leadership of Sadhu Sitaram Das presented their grievances to the jagirdar and when he refused to see the peasants, then the peasants decided not to cultivate the lands in

and the lands were left fallow in the years 1913-1914. In 1915 he met

Vijay Singh Pathik Vijay Singh Pathik (born Bhoop Singh; 1882–1954), popularly known as Rashtriya Pathik, was an Indian revolutionary. He was among the first Indian revolutionaries who lit the torch of freedom movement against British rule. Much before Mohand ...

and he was impressed by Vijay Singh Pathik in first meeting. Sadhu Sitaram Das asked Vijay Singh Pathik to lead peasants movement of

. In 1915, Sitaram Das gave responsibility of leading peasants to Vijay Singh Pathik. Due to this, next phase (1916–23) of

was led by Vijay Singh Pathik., p.80

References

Indian revolutionaries 19th-century births {{India-bio-stub