Essays

He was the amalgamation of Gandhian philosophy and modern western democracy. As an ardent believer in communism, it was not enough for him that (lie nation ha;; got political freedom. 'Freedom' had much greater connotations for him. Freedom to him was negation of hunger poverty rind ignorance. JR or 'Lok Nayak' as he was fondly called, was truly a champion of the masses.

Born on October 11, 1902 in Sitabdiara, a village on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, his father worked in the canal department of the State Government. There was no high school in the village, so Jayaprakash was sent to Patna to study in (he Collegiate School. Here, he stayed with relatives at a hostel called Saraswati Bhavan, which was a meeting place for students who normally discused the political scene. The feeling of nationalism was at its peak at this time and young people had woken up to the call of fearless leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Aurobindo Ghosh. Young Jayaprakash became inspired by their speeches.

The Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhiji in 1919 was gaining momentum. Jayaprakash too became involved and was inspired when he listened to Maulana Abul Kaldin Azad's speech. Jayaprakash decided to go to America to pursue his studies. Meanwhile, his wife Prabhavati, whom he married in 1920, remained at Sabarmati in Gandhi's ashrarn. Jayaprakash faced many hardships in America. He was forced to shift to different universities as he did not have enough financial resources. He did odd jobs like picking grapes, washing dishes etc., to pay for his education- While in Wisconsin, Jayaprakash was exposed to the theory of communism as laid down in Karl Marx's book 'Das Capital' and was much influenced by Marxism.

After returning to India in 1929, when most of the top Congress leaders were arrested after Dandi March in 1930, Jayaprakash set up underground offices all over the country and organized secret meetings to continue the work of the Congress Soon after his release from Jail in 1933, he formed the Congress Socialist Party, which functioned as the social wing of the Congress party and promoted the ideals of socialism. Jayaprakash was arrested several times for his activities to overthrow the British. He even organized a guerrilla army called Azad Dasta' after escaping to Nepal from prison. However, the British were able to arrest him when he was on his way to Rawalpindi. Here, he was subjected to 16 months of mental and physical torture and was put in solitary confinement. Finally, Jayaprakash was released in 1946.

India finally, got independence on August 15. 1947- Within a year, Gandhiji was assassinated. Prabhavati hid her sorrow behind the spinning wheel, but Jayaprakash's mind filled with "grief and horror". He began to see the wisdom in Gandhiji's insistence on truth and non-violence. The 1952 elections saw the socialists lose to the Congress. Nehru invited Jayaprakash to join the cabinet. However, Nehru could give no assurances on the implementation of Jayaprakash's 14 point plan to reform the Constitution, This plan also wanted reforms in the administration, judicial system, nationalization of banks, redistribution of land to the landless farmers and to revive the Swadeshi Movement. Hence, Jayaprakash refused the offer.

A people's champion, he fought for the rights of the trade union and was instrumental in getting minimum wage, pension, medical relief and housing subsidy introduced. At the same time. Jayaprakash was keenly watching events in Russia. The bloody purges and imprisonment convinced Jayaprakash that communism was not for India. He valued the poor like nobody else. In 1954, he made the dramatic announcement of dedicating his life to Vinoba Bhave's Sarvodaya Movement.

Jayaprakash blended Gandhian philosophy and modern western democracy. His book, "The Reconstruction of Indian Polity" won him the Raman Magsaysay award. However, the year 1974 started with high inflation, unemployment and lack of supplies of essential commodities. He held a silent procession in Patna as a mark of protest. Finally, on June 12, 1975, the Allahabad High Court held the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, guilty on charges of corrupt practices in the election. Jayaprakash asked Indira Gandhi to resign until the Supreme Court cleared her name. However, she declared emergency. He was arrested and sent to Chandigarh where he was kept as prisoner in a hospital as he was sick and old. Finally, in January 1977, Emergency was lifted. Fresh elections were declared. Under his guidance, several parties united to form Janata Party, As his health worsened, he was but a mute witness to the collapse of the Janata Party Jayaprakash breathed his last on October 8, 1979, leaving the whole nation bereft of one of its greatest leaders.