Raja Rai Bahadur Thakurdas Jaiswal was an Indian landlord ''
raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
'' and businessman from the royal family of Jamalpur. He was a nationalist who contributed in the freedom movement.
Personal life
He migrated to Ranchi from
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
. He finished his education from Allahabad University earning a gold medal. His son Rai Sahib Laxmi Narayan grew the business, which allowed him, in 1922, to become the first Indian to own a
Ford car that carried Mahatma Gandhi from Ranchi to Ramgarh for the Ramgarh Congress convention in 1940. It later conveyed Indian Presidents
Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the first president of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independen ...
and
Zakir Hussain. Now, their friends continue to use it for marriage processions.
Rai Sahib's son Sheo Narain Jaiswal was the first mayor and chairman of Ranchi municipality (1962–76). His grandson
Vice-Chancellor
A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...
of
Kashi Vidyapeeth Rajaram Shastri
Raja Ram Shastri (also Rajaram Shastri) (4 June 1904 – 21 August 1991) was an Indian educationist, social, and political worker who was elected in the 1971 Indian general election as a member of parliament (MP) from Varanasi during the 5th Lo ...
was awarded by
Padma Vibhusan and was a Member of Parliament from Varanasi.The Scion of the royal family Aditya Vikram Jaiswal was the State President of Aipc Jharkhand has joined the BJP.
Royal Family of Jamalpur
He was a member of the erstwhile royal family of Jamalpur. During
British rule
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
* or dire ...
, Jamalpur family became
wine-merchants and excelled in various businesses. Many senior political leaders from the region who also fought for
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed.
The first nationalistic ...
belonged to his family. They are also known for their collection of vintage cars. During freedom movement,
Mahatama Gandhi stayed at their place and travelled in one of their cars. The room and car used by Gandhi are still preserved in his memory.
Career
He was given various names out of respect, including "shellac king of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh." He contributed towards the freedom movement by donating money. He donated lands to tribal people. Shri Rai Sahib turned down the title of
Raja Saheb by the British government following
Gandhiji’s advice in 1938. Shri Rai Bahadur was an industrial advisor to the government before independence.
The Jaiswal family is a traditional Congress supporter. Many family ancestors were leaders of the party.
In 18th century, the British government identified the potential of ''
Madhuca longifolia
''Madhuca longifolia'' is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central, southern, north Indian plains and forests, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It is commonly known as madhūka, mahura, , mahuwa, Butter Tree, mahura, mahwa, ...
'' and helped the Jaiswal family to open Ranchi distillery, the first in India, in 1875.
References
{{morecat, date=August 2023
People from Ranchi
https://www.patrika.com/en/national-news/jharkhand-election-congress-suffers-major-setback-as-aditya-vikram-jaiswal-joins-bjp-19140328?amp=1