CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Miss Shriya Dubey, a student of M.A (M.I.H) 2nd
year, University of Lucknow (U.P) has successfully completed
dissertation on the topic EDUCATIONAL CONTRIBUTION OF ARYA
SAMAJ : A CRITICAL STUDY under the guidance of " Dr. Rashmi Rekha".

HOD Supervisor
Dr. Shama Mahmood Dr. Rashmi Rekha
Dept. Of MIH
University of Lucknow

1
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all I am grateful to supervised by Dr. Rashmi Rekha ma'am, for

her affectionate and valuable guidance, encouragement.

I would like to thank Dr. Manisha ma'am for their suggestions and great
advice for visiting different libraries of lucknow for the research work.
I am thankful to our HOD Dr. Shama Mahmood for giving us the
opportunity to enhance our experience and knowledge in the field of
history and the great care so that my dissertation would retain in its
present form.
I am really thankful to my friends who helped me not only in this
research work but also in my studies and personal life.
And I am so grateful to my family members for encouraging and
providing moral and financial support.
Last but not the least I am really thankful to the God to give me
potential, resources and opportunities to gaining the higher knowledge.

Miss. Shriya Dubey

M.A ( M.I.H)
HISTORY
UNIVERSITY OF LUCKNOW

2
 Contents

Chapter -1
Introduction : Emergence of Arya Samaj as a Social Reform …. 05-25
Chapter - 2
Educational Agenda of Arya Samaj............................................... 26-42

Chapter – 3
Emergence and Growth of DAV College Movement................. 43-51

Chapter – 4
Differences Among the Arya Samajists Over the Issue of
Educational Curriculum and Programme................................... 52-57

Conclusion..................................................................................... 58-64
Bibliography.................................................................................. 65-68

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 AIM
To research on the topic of EDUCATIONAL
CONTRIBUTIONS OF ARYA SAMAJ: A
CRITICAL STUDY.

4
CHAPTER- 1

Educational Agenda of Arya Samaj

Education of the nation was the central point of the reform movement in the
19th century. The elite that were engaged in social and religious reform
movements also provided the leadership in the field of education. In
Bengal, we find Raja Rammohan Roy promoting English based system of
instruction. He emphasized Western education and realized importance of
English language. Although, he believed in Upanishdic philosophy but he
hadn’t faith in superiority of Vedic knowledge and Sanskrit.1 Aprana Basu
analyse Raja Rammohan Roy’s interest in English education in the
following words:

“ Raja Rammohan Roy, one of the first to support English education

did so because he saw it is a weapon to fight the abuses and perversions
that had crept into the our religions beliefs and social practices and as a
means of removing irrational superstitions and outmoded rituals and thus
pave the way of modernization”

Like Raja Rammohan Roy, the other contemporary reformists like, Ishwar
Chander Vidya Sagar, Swami Viveka Nand, Joytiba Phule, Mahadev
Govind Ranade, R.G. Bhandarkar too devoted to the development of
modern education in their respective regions. Most of them started many
educational institutions on Western style with particular enthusiastically
welcomed by the elite of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras not only because it
was on avenue to employment but also because it ‘was seen as a crucial
agent of social transformation’

In this way modern education was developed not only by the colonial state
in the 19th century, but a lot of contributions were also made by social
reformists and nationalist leaders in the dissemination of modern
education. In this respect we can quote the examples of Aligarh College
movement and formation of Banaras Hindu University. The great Muslim
pleader Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan established the Mohammdan Anglo-
Oriental College of Aligarh in June 1875 4 Like the Raja Rammohan Roy,
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan thought that illiteracy was the prime cause of

5
decline of Muslim community and their religion. According to him English
educational system could develop the Muslim community and abolish the
evils and superstitions prevailed in their social and religious life. In Aligarh
college, government curriculum was introduced but, in constructed Islamic
environment.5 6According to the Principal of Aligarh College, Mr. Beck,
‘Aligarh’s graduates should be young men of character grounded in Islamic
values: an Indian version of the educated gentry of England.’

In other words, Aligarh Muslim College was an effort to popularize and

encourage the fusion of English and Islamic education. We can find same
perception towards Western type English education in ideology of
Maharastra region intelligentsia. The prominent reformists of these regions
like, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, G.G. Agarkar, Ramanand Kasinath Trimbak,
Telang and Bhandarkar, Phule, Gopal K. Gokhale, all they were devoted to
the cause of emancipation of society and particularly women through good
English and Scientific education.

Here we can also quote the experiments of RabinderNath Tagore through

their institutions Shanti Nikaten and Sri Niketan. However, Tagore
emphasized on culture and nationalism but he was keen interested in
English education. The curriculum of Shanti Nikaten (later took the name
Visva Bharti) reflects combine approach of East and West and town and
villages. He called it, ‘an indigenous attempt in adapting modern methods
of education in a truly Indian cultural environment.’

This is a short description of particular ideological schools, which took keen

interests for the dissemination of Western type English education. Most of
the above mentioned reformists cum educationists came from middle class
background and orientation of Western education. So they had liberal and
modern approach towards education and social upliftment. However some
of them had religious attitude but their ideology never became fanatic and
narrow. They objected every evil of Indian society and adopted and praised
open hearty virtues of Western culture, science, literature and education.
But another school of social reformists which was greatly influenced by
their respective religions and culture felt that the prevailing colonial
educational system and efforts of Indians to establish English type
institutions ignored religious education and cultural legacy. To remedy this,
Swami Dayanand Saraswati presented a new educational philosophy. On
his vision his followers established many educational institutions, where the
emphasis was given on Sanskrit and Vedic learning, particularly in
6
Gurukuls. The Central Hindu Collage was founded by Annie Besent in
Banaras to stressed Indian’s ancient heritage and the study of Hinduism.
The seminary at Deoband imparted Islamic teaching, while the Khalsa
College,Amritsar taught the tenets of Sikhism.

Educational Ideas of Swami Dayanand

Saraswati:
The Arya Samaj has three major dimensions religious, social and
educational. As educational dimension the Arya Samaj is credited with
developing a new system of education which deviated prominently and
significantly from the existing British model of education. But system of
education does not just develop; it has its own conception of education and
its philosophy. The educational philosophy gives system form content as
well as the direction. So to know about the Arya Samaj’s educational ideas
and programme, it is necessary to know its academic approach and
particularly, educational philosophy of its founder.

The term education philosophy is very complex and comprehensive. It

analyse a wide of area. In this chapter, the term is applied to know widely
about Swami Dayanand’s ideology, his conception of education, aims of
education, sources of education, curriculum, teacher students’ relationship,
teaching of morality and values education for social change and education
for nationalism. The conception of education of Swami Dayanand is
religious, social as well as academic or knowledge oriented. In order to
interpret and build up a representative’s conception of education of the
Swami Dayanand and later ideology of Arya Samaj movement, a few
salient characteristics of the Arya ideology will have to be born in mind.
Firstly, the Arya Samaj is a theist organization, acknowledging God as the
absolute authority. Secondly, it regards the Vedas as containing all true
knowledge. Third, its purpose is to revive the ancient Vedic
culture. Fourth, its purpose is also to free the Hindu society from various
social evils. Fifth,, its aim was to disseminate knowledge and abolish
ignorance. The Sixth, not only its looks to the development of good of
individual but also regards welfare of all, the Seventh, its fabric is built up of
many ethical concepts. The Eighth, it boosts up national spirit. The
conception of education of Arya Samaj’s educational campaign draws its
elements from its above characteristics.

7
According to Swami Dayanand, education is leading from darkness to light,
from untruth to truth, from ignorance to knowledge. Swami Dayanand did
not receive modern education despite of this fact in his programme of
social reformation; education of the people became an important issue.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati had explained ‘knowledge’ and ‘ignorance’
thus, ‘Knowledge is that which gives us the correct and true idea of a thing.
Ignorance is that which does not gives us the right notion of an object, but
on the contrary give us quite different idea of a thing what it naturally is.’
Reality is the ultimate aim to human life and hence of true education. True
knowledge should lead to the total development of the personality. Purity
and strong character were conceived by Swami Dayanand, as the
necessary aims of education. So he includes Vedic conception of Dharma
in his educational philosophy for the moral and spiritual uplift of humanity.

Swami Dayanand speaks of three organizations which must work in perfect

coordination of the welfare of individuals in a society is to be insured. The
three organizations are - the ‘Rajya Shaba’, ‘Dharm Shaba’, & the ‘Vidya
Shaba’. Controlling the educational institution of the state has the main
function of training the younger people, so that in due courses of time they
may take the rightful place in the sociopolitical life of the country. He lays
great stress on the importance of training at home, imparted by the parents
of the child before he actually goes to school. According to Swami
Dayanand education of a child begin in the mother’s womb, so every
mother has
to positive thinking, purity, morality and sound health during pregnancy. He
says that ‘a person becomes blessed with three good instructors, the
mother, the father, and the teacher ... children do not receive so much good
and benefit of education from any other person as they do from the
mother’.11 After birth when a child learns to speak, every mother should
teach him to pronounce letters correctly and fundamental of manners and
courtesy. This initially and informal education given by mother, has
permanent influence upon the personality of the growing human being,
non-loves children so much as the mother. Hence the scriptures declare
that he is blessed whose
mother is praise- worthy and pious.

We can find practical depth and some democratic influence in Swami

Dayanand’s philosophy. He said that, the education should not be limited
only for one caste and class, but for all community. According to him:

8
“Teacher should take care that they do not neglect the education
of classes other than Brahmans... It is Kshatryias and other class that
are the real cause of advance in knowledge, religion, and government
and of increase in wealth etc. They never live on alms, and, therefore,
have no reason to be partial in religious or scientific matters. When all
classes are well educated and cultured, no one can set up any false,
fraudulent, and irreligious practices”.

Therefore all person of all class should be given good and sound education
and be well instructed in the principal of true religion. Swami Dayanand
emphasised on right of equality for all during student life. He writes, ‘all the
scholars should be treated alike in the matter of food, drink, dress, seats,
etc. Be they princes and princesses or the children of beggars, all should
practice asceticism.’ Here asceticism means severe bodily and mental
discipline, in other words simple living and high thinking should be the
motto of the students. They should not solicit bodily comfort, instead bear
all kind of hardships in order to wholly and solely devote themselves to the
acquisition of knowledge. This clearly shows that Swami Dayanand was
keen supporter of equality among all. So Swami Dayanand’s system of
education was not for the privileged and fortunate few. It was for all, without
any distinction of sex and caste. His vision was for a universal, compulsory
and free system of education. When Swami Dayanand conceived his
system of education, the ‘Downward Filtration Theory’ of British
government, in education still had its influence. Although the state
outwardly showed all interest in the educational uplift of masses, but in
actual practices, what did British
government do, was just a drop in the vast ocean of illiteracy. In contrast to
this vulnerable situation, Swami Dayanand put forward a system of
education, which held a good promise of universal education up to the adult
age.

Swami Dayanand even as early as the seventies and eighty of nineteenth

century was quite modern and very revolutionary in his out look on
education. He made most revolutionary suggestions in 1Satvarth Prakash’
to reduce illiteracy and ignorance from Indian society. He writes:

“Both state and society should make it compulsory upon all to send their
children (both male and female) to school after the 5th or 8th year. It
should be made a penal offence to keep a child at home after that age."

9
In this way Swami Dayanand did not plead for mass education, but he was
a supporter of uniform education and he wanted that state must take the
responsibility in providing the education to all the people. He had radical
idea of educational system and he tried to evolve an alternative educational
idea to the colonial one.

Swami Davanand’s Ideas on Women

Education:
In education, as in many other matters he was much ahead of his time. In
the 19th century he pleaded for free and compulsory elementary education
not only for boys, but also for girls- a revolutionary step then. In the late
19th century it was Swami Dayanand who first revealed to modern Indians
the social conditions prevailing in ancient Aryan society and advocated
equal rights for man and women in all matters in education, in marriage and
in the holding of property. Swami Dayanand often quoted the verses of
Manu which says that, where women led unhappy life, the family is soon
destroyed, while that family enjoys perpetual propriety where women are
honored and lead a joyful existence. He again quoted Manu, that, ‘good
women, gems, knowledge, truth & purity, gentle speech and all arts and
industries should be taken from all places.’
Swami Dayanand was greatly in favour of women education. According to
him, boys and girls, when they attain the age of 8 years should have the
Upnayan and sent to their respective school.18 Swami Dayanand gives
some reference from Vedas in the favour of female education. He made
example of Gargi, Matree, Kekai, Lopmudra, Ghosha, who were great
female scholars during ancient period. He said that like boys, a girl should
acquire sound knowledge and culture by the practice of Brahmacharya and
then marry boys of their own choice.

He argued that it was very important for family life that, both; husband and
wife should be literate. He writes:

“...if the husband be well educated and wife ignorant or vice-versa,

there will be a constant state of war-fare in the house. Besides if wome
were not to study, where will the teacher for girls’ schools come from? Nor
could ever the affairs of the state, the administration of justice, and duties
of married life, that are required of both husband and wife (such as keeping

10
each other happy, the wife having the supreme control over all house hold
matters) be carried on properly without through education (of man and
women).

Swami Dayanand was of the firm conviction that our society could not
progress unless women should not be given proper status and position with
man. He was unhappy to see the sufferings of womenfolk’s denial of
educational facilities, child marriage, purdah system, sati, polygamy, forced
widowhood and several other social handicaps faced by them. According to
him all bad social rituals and ignorance were due to the illiteracy. So his
philosophy of education regarding women was not merely for alphabet
knowledge and formal education, but also technical and professional
education for girls for their self- dependency. He writes about self
sufficiency through education for women in third chapter of ‘Satvarth
Prakash`.

“As men should, at the very least, learn the science of grammar, dharma,
medical science, mathematics & the mechanical and fine arts at the least,
for without a knowledge of these ascertainment of truth proper behavior
towards their husband’s and other people, bearing of good children, there
proper up-bringing and instruction, proper management of the house hold
affairs, preparation of foods and drinks in accordance with the requirement
of medical science... without a knowledge of mathematics, they can never
keep accounts of their house hold properly; and without a knowledge of
true religion as taught by the Vedas and other Shastras, they cannot know
what God and Dharma are, and can never, therefore, escape going astray
from the path of rectitude.”

Although Swami Dayanand was dead supporter of women education but he

was against co-education. In ‘Satvarth Prakash' he says- ‘Boys and girls
when attain the age of 8 years should be sent to their respective schools...
the boys schools should be at least 3 miles distant from that for girls. The
preceptors and employees, such as servants, should, in the boys school,
be the entire male, and in the girls school of the female. Not even a child of
5 years of the opposite sex should be allowed to enter the school.’

In this way Swami Dayanand favoured women education only for domestic
purpose. After getting education a woman would look after her house hold
and children, thus women education was only under the parameters of
patriarchal ideology.
11
Swami Davanand’s Concept of
Brahmcharva:
Swami Daynand’s concept of Brahmcharya was very strict for both, boys
and girls. He again writes, as long as they are Brahmcharies (students)
they should abstain from the following 8 kind of sexual excitement in
relation to person of the opposite sex:
1. Looking upon them with an eye of lust.
2. Embracing them.
3. Having sexual intercourse with them
4. Intimately conversing with them
5. Playing with them
6. Associating with them.
7. Reading or talking of libidinous subjects.
8. Indulging in lascivious thoughts.

He not only laid stress on celibacy of students but also for high moral and
character of teacher. He says, ‘In no instance should they (students) be
placed under the tuition of teacher of low character. Only those persons are
qualified to teach, who were master of their arts and imbued with piety.’

The concept of Brahmacharya was the fundamental force behind the

Swami Daynand’s educational philosophy. Swami Dayanand stressed on
Brahmacharya by quoting Manu, ‘a student should observe Brahmacharya
and study the Vedas with there subsidiary subjects, until they are
completely mastered.’ Here Brahmacharya means complete control of all
senses and passions. Swami Dayanand define Brahmacharya in three
grades - the lowest, the intermediate and the highest, the lowest
Brahmacharya means up to 24 years a student should keep perfect control
over his passions and devote himself to the acquisition of the knowledge of
Vedas and of culture. By virtue of this Brahmacharya, vital forces are fully
developed and matured. This helps to produce the noblest qualities in
body, manas and the soul. During this lowest Brahmacharya period a
student acquires knowledge and grows in health and strength, remains free
from disease and attains a healthy age of 80 years.26 The intermediate
Brahmacharya observes 44 years. By the virtue of this Brahmacharya
period, attains to the degree of pranas or vital force called Rurdras, in other
words, he becomes a terror to the wicked and asylum for the good. By the
12
virtue of the highest Brahmacharya, up to 48 years of age, students acquire
perfect knowledge, perfect wisdom, perfect development of good nature
and characteristics, shines like the sun, enlightening all, and enabled to
master all kind of knowledge.

Swami Dayanand further writes about the virtue of the Brahmacharya, that,
This rules applies to those people who intend to marry, but those who
intend not to do so, are welcome to remain celibates till that, if they can.
But they must bear in mind that this is possible for that person alone whose
knowledge is perfect, who has full control over 28 their mind and senses
and who perfect Yogis, free from all vices .’ He again writes about
Brahmacharya:

“A Brahmachari (male or female) should abstain from meat and alcohol,

perfumes, garlands of flowers, tasty foods and drinks, the company of
opposite sex, sour articles, injury to all living things, from
anointing the body and handling the reproductive organ unnecessarily, from
the use of collyrium, from the use of shoes and of an umbrella, from
harboring low passions such as anger, avarice, carnal passion, Infatuation,
fear, sorrow, jealousy , malice, singing, dancing, gambling, gossiping, lying
and back-biting, from looking upon women (with the eye of lust),
embarrassing them, from doing harm to other people and indulging in such
other evil habits. Let every student sleep alone and never lose his
reproductive elements. He who loses it through passion breaks his vow of
Brahmacharya).”

In this way Brahmacharya was the real foundation of Swami Daynand’s

ideological campaign for character building. Swami Dayanand valued
particularly the development of a strong body in individuals. Har Bilas
Sarda makes the following observation in this regard:

“Dayanand chief teaching on which he laid the greatest stress in his

lectures and discussion to all, high or low, the Raja or the common people
was that the first duty of the man is to be physically strong. Without
physical vigor, nothing can be achieved. Without physically strength, life is
mere existence, a miserable and pitiable existence. Every man and women
has duties to his self and other’s. These duties can be perform only when
one is physically strong.

13
Such strong views of Swami Dayanand were based on his concept of
Brahmacharya and highly discipline. To fulfil the educational aims of Swami
Dayanand, various educational institution of Arya Samaj had imparted good
physical education with a view to building up strong body and developing
physical skills in boys and girls.

Character formation was the most important aim of Swami Dayanand, and
this was also chief motive of Ancient educational system. About the merit of
ancient educational system, A.S. Altekar writes: ‘...formation of character,
building up of personality, preservation of Ancient culture and the training of
the rising generation in the performance of the social and religious duties-
these were the main aims of the Ancient Indian system of education.’
These were the vary aims of education of Swam Dayanand. Swami
Dayannand in 'Satvarth Prakash’ says that, mere intellectual attainments
are of no worth, if the person is devoid of moral feelings and character.

Swami Davanand and Teacher - Taught

Relationship:
A wide concept of relationship between the teacher and students is the
very important part of Swami Dayanands educational philosophy.
According to him the very first teacher of the children are their parents. He
writes in ‘Satvarth Prakash’, ‘It is the highest duty of parents, preceptors
and relatives to adorn children with good sound education, nobility of
character, refinement of manners and amiability of temper.’

Swami Dayanand says that good combination of parents and teacher led a
children good and successful life. He writes, ‘that man alone can become a
great scholar who has the advantages of three good teachers, viz, mother,
father & preceptor.’ So, blessed is the family, most fortunate is the child
whose parents are Godly and learned. Swami Dayanand emphasised
mother’s role as first teacher. He writes, ‘no other person can equal a
mother in her love for her children, or in her anxiety for their welfare.’ So
children do not received so much good and benefit of education from any
other person as they do from their mother. After work when a child learns to
speak, every mother should teach him to pronounce letters correctly,
fundamental of manners and courtesy. This initial and informal education

14
given by mother has permanent influence upon the personality of the
growing human being.

After parent, it is the teacher, who can turn, change and develop the life of
the students. As the teacher held in high veneration he is naturally
expected to posses several qualification. The students look upon the
teacher as the ideal person of very high character. He has to be patient and
treat his students impartially. He should not only be a scholar but also
perfect in teaching; then only he would be a great teacher. He must have a
conviction based upon realization of the unity on which he is to enlighten
his pupils. He is to possess the highest moral and spiritual qualifications.
He must be well grounded in his own branch of knowledge and continue his
reading through out his life. The teacher must further be able to inspire as
well as to instruct; his piety character, scholarship and cultured life should
be able to exercise a subtle and over lasting influence over the young
students.

According to Swami Dayanand, in ancient India, the teaching profession

had a very high code in society. In addition to imparting intellectual
education the teacher in ancient India had to perform several other duties
as well. He was to be spiritual father of the children and they were treating
their students like their own sons. But in modern time, money in the form of
fees constitutes the primary link between students and his educators.
Naturally such relations are not built on the foundation stone of faith. So
without faith and respect students would not become good citizen and
faithful pupils. For the development of society and character it is must that
education should be imparted through Vedic tradition. Swami Dayanand
advises that teacher should try to keep themselves aloof from loose talk,
bad habits; only then they can cultivate knowledge and good character in
order to be ideal teachers. Teacher should treat equal all the students in all
matters like food, drink, dress, and seats etc. According to Swami
Dayanand it should be the responsibility of the teacher to teach all that is
necessary about diet, dress and proper behavior towards elders and
juniors. The teacher should perform Devayajna as described in detail in
‘Satyarth Prakash’ and student should carefully perform that with their
teacher.

Swami Dayanand quotes from ‘Taittiriya Upanishad’ (VII, 9, 1-4) in

‘Satvarth Prakash' and explains how a teacher should instruct his pupils to
lead a virtuous life. The teacher should say:
15
“My children! speak the truth, lead a virtuous life. Never be negligent in
learning and teaching. Devote yourself to the procuring of knowledge of
physical and spiritual sciences ...follow the path of truth and religion. Serve
your father, mother, teacher and the guest. Imbibe our virtues, not our
faults and imperfections. Always keep the company of learned and pious
peoples and trust them fully ...this is the advice, commandant and mandate
of Vedas.

Swami Dayanand says that teacher should inculcate in the minds of pupils
that, ‘Blessed are the man and women whose mind are centered on the
acquisition of knowledge; who posses sweet and amiable tempers; who
cultivate truthfulness and other similarly virtues; who are free from vanity
and uncleanness; who enlighten minds of those who are in ignorance;
whose chief delight consists in promoting the happiness of others by
preaching of truth, by generous distribution of knowledge without fee or
reward; and who are engaged in altruistic work as prescribed by the
Vedas.’ He draws some line of Manu Smriti that teacher should not neglect
the education of classes other than Brahmans, viz, princess and
kshattriyas, vaishyas and shudras. If all the classes are well educated and
cultured, no one will try to set false practice.

In this way Swami Dayanand advises that both the teacher and students
should try to avoid any obstacle that comes up in the way of acquiring
knowledge. He asserts that it is the highest duty of both, the rulers and
ruled, to see that all ignorance removed in order to enable the male and
female students of all classes to acquire the necessary and right
knowledge of truth and religion.

Swami Dayanand and Curriculum:

Swami Dayanand was a profound scholar of Sanskrit and made a deep
study of Vedic literature. Unlike other reformers of the age, he based his
work upon his knowledge of the ancient Indian religious literature. That was
his strong point and it gave him an immense advantage over the other
reformers. He linked the social revivalism with Vedic cultural legacy and
this influenced their educational philosophy also. We can find cultural slant
of Vedic age, particularly in Swami Dayanands scheme of education. In this
way Swami Dayanand became beside a social and religious reformer,

16
great idealist and exponent of ancient Vedic culture. It was his earnest
desire to make his countryman realise their golden past, culture and
spiritual heritage. He attempted, therefore, to plan such a curriculum, which
should transform the Indian generations and educational institutions into
places of spirituality and cultural heritage. Following is a brief account of
the scheme of studies envisaged by him in the 3rd
chapter of ‘Satvarth Prakash’.

During the later half of the 19th century, emphasis on Sanskrit and
grammar was very important characteristics of indigenous education
system. Swami Dayanand himself devoted great attention to the study of
Sanskrit grammar. So Swami Dayanand’s first priority was grammar.
According to his scheme of studies-

 He recommends that first of all the children should be taught

Phonetics (shiksha) by Panini. It is the responsibility of the parents
and teacher to teach their children and pupils to pronounce different
letter in their right places, with the right amount of efforts and the right
agent.

 After Phonetics, the children should be taught grammar which

includes ‘Ashtadhyayi’, ‘Dhatupath’ (book of roots), 1Ganoath’ (book
of groups), ‘Unadikosh’ (book of prefixes), ‘Mahabashva’ (exposition
of the above form books of Panini and Patanjili). This study of
grammar may be learned in 3 years. He favored ‘Arsha Granthas’ or
great works by Rishis or sages.

 After grammar, the students should read 'Niohantu' and ‘Nirukta’

(books on Vedic vocabulary and philology) written by Yask. This
study may be finished within 6 to8 month.

 Thereafter the students should study ‘Chhandoaranth’ (prosody) by

Pingala, so that they may thoroughly master the rules that govern
verifications- Vedic and Sanskrit, and be able to compose poems of
their own. This study should not take more than 4 months.

 Then the students should study ‘Manu Smriti’. ‘Valmiki Ramavan’,

‘Vidurnitf. and other selection like this from the ‘Mahabharta’ . The

17
 studies of these books tend to eradicate evil habits and bring culture.
This study should not take more than a year.

 Then the students should study six 1Shastras’41 (commonly called

the six schools 41 Purva Mimansha, Vaisheshika, Nyaya, Yoga,
Sankhya & Vedanta. of Philosophy) with the expositions of Rishis -
the great ancient seers. But before studying the Vedant Shashtra.
student should learn the ten Upanishads The study of all these
books should be finished within 2 years.

 Thereafter they should study four ‘ Vedas'43 with their four

‘Brahmans’44 Proper attention must be paid to accents and
meanings, both, theoretically and practically. This study should be
finished with in 6 years.

 After the studies of ‘Vedas’ the students should study the ‘Upvedas’
which are four in numbers, viz, 'Aurveda' (medical science),
‘Dhanurveda’ (science of government) ‘Gandharvaveda' (science of
music) and ‘Athravaveda’ (science and practice of mechanical arts)
and also called ‘Shilpaveda’. Thus, Swami Dayanand wants the
students to learn the nature and properties of all substances both
theoretically and practically) this is the science that helps to increase
th wealth and prosperity of a country.

 After the study of the Upavedas. Swami Dayanand in ‘Satvarth

Prakash’ wants the students to learn 'Jvotisha Shashtra’ which
includes Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Geology, Geography, and
Astronomy. This study should be finished in two years. The student
should also have all types of practical training in these sciences. It
should be noted that Swami Dayanand is against the study of
Astrology-, which treats of influence of stars and constellations on the
destinies of man, of an auspiciousness of stars and non-
auspiciousness of time, of horoscopes etc, as a fraud and never learn
and teach any books on this subject.

In this way Swami Dayanand urges both the teachers and students to
master all the sciences and arts in twenty or twenty one years in order to
become cultured for leading a happy life. He has recommended only ‘Arsha
Grantha' (the book of Rishis) for students to study. The Anarsha Grantha

18
(the book of mean knowledge) and by mean scholars, were condemned
because they were not free from prejudices. The books which were
condemned by Swami Dayanand are follows: Katantra, Saraswata.
Chandrika, Muadhabodha, Kaumudi. Shekar, Manorma, Amarkosh,
Jvotishsa, Pharma Sindhu, Vratarka, Tarkasagarh, Yogdisha,
Harthaoradipika, Yogavasistha, Panchadasai. Sharangdhara. All Smritis
except the Manu Smriti barring the interpolated verses all Tantras. Purana.
And Tulsidas Rukmani by Mangala.
Swami Dayanand gave an outline of a' e of studies because his
Brahmachari (students) was to stay at a Gurukul or with the Gurus for a
long period of some 20 years from the age of 5 to 25, cut off from home,
parents and daily life of society. Some critics argued that Swami
Dayanand’s emphasis on religious books and Sanskrit grammar are no use
today. But it is to be noted that primary aim of the Swami Dayanand was to
build a highly moral and spiritual training for social development. Education
with goodness, technical expertise with care for public good, efficiency with
honesty and non-corruptibility - that is the idea of Swami Dayanand’s
education. According to K.S. Arya, ‘Dayanand’s scheme lays emphasis on
‘Tapasya’ (austerity) not indulgence, on service, not personal
aggrandizement and exploitation, on simplicity, not luxury on duty, not on
selfish pleasure or enjoyment by harming the interest of the
society... the purpose of education (a part from training for professions)
should be to make the world a better, happier and safer place to live in.
Swami Dayanand’s education seeks to do it.’

Although, Swami Dayanand stressed on religious text and Sanskrit

grammar but he emphasised on the study of English, because it became
the state language. He favored the study of science too. He also realized
that industrialization would lead to the wealth of nation and so he favored
industrial training to and wanted Indian young man
to be sent to Germany for such training.46 He also wanted the students to
study different branches of mathematics, geography, geology, astronomy,
space science and much else. He believed in a broad - based for all
practical purposes, only he gave the first place to character formation and
spiritual training.47 Greatness of a nation is the excellence of its
educational system and quality of its men and women. Swami Dayanand’s
educational philosophy was also: uplift the nation by raising the character
of the people through right type of knowledge.

19
Educational Aims Of The Swami Davanand:
Educational aims perform three important normative functions, viz, firstly,
they give direction to the educative process; secondly, they motivate
education; and third, they provide a criterion for evaluating the educational
process. Therefore, in the study of educational philosophy of an individual,
organization or a nation, it is essential that its educational aims be known.

The social needs and the norms of society usually set aims of education.
Education is necessary for the survival of the society. The educational aims
also depend on how it is intended to mould individuals and the society as a
whole through education. The aims of education also, sometimes, arise
from the defects of the existing system of education itself that a society
desires to correct for the sake of better education or for using education as
an agency of economic growth and social development.

It has been already pointed out that the Swami Dayanand wanted to bring
about a great change in the orthodox or traditional Hindu society. Religious
superstitions and many wrong beliefs based upon the untruth of the society
were to be uprooted from the life of the people and the thoughts and
conduct of the people based on true Vedic religions and teachings. Thus
the aim of Swami Dayanand was to bring about a change in the religions
beliefs and practices of the people based on the understanding and
practices of the true teaching of Vedas. The nature of Swami Dayanand
was pure religious, so one of his educational aims was also to be religious
and moral. Although,
Swami Dayanand stressed on Vedic culture and religious revivalism but his
educational aim was not narrow and sectarian. He writes and gets true
knowledge of every existing thing. Swami Dayanand did not want that the
people should understand merely theoretically and outwardly the teaching
of the Vedas, but they should understand and know about the all spheres
of science, technology and other modern profession for their economic
development.

Swami Dayanand was great leader of Indian renaissance and new

interpretation of cultural heritage of the ancient India was including in this
educational aims. Swami Dayanand wanted to create, among the rising
generation, a feeling of pride about their cultural heritage. By creating such
20
a sense of pride among the members of the Indian society, Swami
Dayanand wanted to strengthen Hinduism and prevent the conversion of
Hindus to Christianity and Islam. Secondly, in later decades of 19th century
there was over-emphasis on Western type of education resulting in the
neglect of vocational and technical education. The education of the English
language received a dominant place. All Western education had to be
imparted through the English medium and this resulted in the neglected of
Indian regional languages. The consequences of the defects of the colonial
educational system were greatly harmful to the country. The evil
consequences of the existing educational system were searchingly pointed
out by Swami Dayannand himself. Har Bilas Sarda interpreted Swami
Dayanand’s diagnosis of the ills of colonial educational system thus:

“The result of this education is that we acquire proficiency in English

literature, but we become strangers to our literature and culture, and
remain ignorant of our glorious past. We become mentally slaves of the
West. Out conduct, thought, mode of life and manners are cast in the
Western mould and we loose our sense of nationality. We remain ignorant
of our religion and begin to look upon it as useless and humiliating. We lose
all pride in our past and become like a pilot-less boat in a stormy sea driven
about by the winds. It is a great historic truth that a nation which has no
pride in its past, has no future.”

To correct these and such others contemporary defects of education,

Swami Dayanand wanted to start their own educational institutions based
on Ancient Vedic traditions. He opened seven such schools in UP along
and some more else where. But these schools become failure without
response of people 51 Swami Dayanand stressed to provide equal
educational opportunities for all he recognized no caste distinctions based
on birth. All sections of the society, be it a depressed or a lower castes, a
back ward community or even women- they should have equal educational
opportunities. In this contest he advocated that the primary education
should be compulsory for all.

According to Swami Dayanand, only those were fit to be members of a

nobel and organized community who learned good qualities in their school
days, viz, lesson of morality, brahmacharya, discipline and simple living.
This means that aim of education was to produce citizens who were
socially efficient. All leaders of thought stressed the ideal of the duty. All
students were enjoined to have social or civic sense by looking to the
21
welfare of the others. Swami Dayanand wanted that the structure of the
society should be such that, every one learned a profession which was not
only useful to him but to the society as a whole.
To sum up, we can say that, education, according to Swami Dayanand
might appear religious, but he thought that education was essential for the
development of the society. The education aimed at producing a
personality so well behaved, with intellectual caliber, with spiritual maturity
and high morality. In other words, Swami Dayanand’s educational aims
mean that, education should make an individual vocationally self-sufficient,
intellectually mature, socially efficient, culturally refined, morally virtuous
and spiritually advanced.

Early Educational Agenda Qf Arva Samai:

After the analysis of Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s educational philosophy,
it is important to know that, how, educational ideas of Swami Dayanand
implemented by his followers? After the death of Swami Dayanand, the
newly converted Arya Samajists took up seriously the educational
programme of Swami Dayanand, and for this purpose they started many
educational institutions, particularly in Punjab, in the last two decades of
nineteenth century. In this context, an important decision was taken by
Lahore Arya Samaj to start D.A.V. (Dayanand Angio-Vedic) School in June
1886. Through this school the Lahore Arya Samajists wanted to impart
English education as well as to carry on educational ideas of Swami
Dayanand. But later on it created lot of debates among the Arya Samajists
on the issue of English education and Swami Dayanand’s ideas of
education. Now first of ail we will describe shortly, the practical works of
Swami Dayanand to disseminate his educational ideas.

Swami Dayanand adopted a new means of propagating his ideas by the

foundation of Sanskrit schools. He founded four schools in early 1870s, at
Kashganj (1868), Furrukhabad (1869), Mirzapur (1869) and Chalesar
(1870). The motive behind these attempts was to provide the proper
knowledge of Sanskrit and training of Vedic tradition. These schools
provided food, free education, clothes and accommodations to the
students. The curriculum included the study of the ‘Asthadhyayi’, the 'Manu
Smritf and the Vedas. Performing of Sandhya was compulsory and whole
time spent in school in daily routine. Regular tests were held and intelligent
students were rewarded with special food.

22
After some time all these experiments became failure, only Farrukabad
School cc achieved some success. These schools opened by Swami
Dayannand had to be dissolved in his lifetime. Firstly, this was due to
mismanagement. He started these schools before he founded the Arya
Samaj (1875) and there was not any organizational support to control these
institutions. Secondly, people needed a job oriented curriculum and
program of education, but in initial schools of Dayanand the emphasis was
on Vedic, Sanskrit grammar and education of pure Hinduism, and it did not
attract people. The same thing was happened with Gurukul movement
when this movement remained on limited strength of students and
particulars regions. Questions were raised on the curriculum of Gurukul
that, what would the pupil gain by learning some Vedic mantras,
Asthadhyayi and Mahabhasya in these Gurukul type institutions? Such
learning might produce refined men with cultured ideas, but was not
employment oriented.

The untimely death of Swami Dayanand on 30 October, 1883 stopped his

efforts to develop the ideal educational institutions on Vedic traditions. But
this work was done by his devoted followers of the Punjab Arya Samaj.
Various branches of Arya Samaj of Punjab and North- West Frontier
Provinces uniformly proposed and passed resolutions to establish an
educational institution in the memory of departed Guru. After a long
process of discussion and vital campaign for fund collecting for the task,
ultimately, D.A.V. School was established on 1 June 1886 at Lahore. Lala
Hans Raj became the
first principal on honorary [Link] Punjabi society gave great response
and with in one month the strength of students rose to 550 60 The
institution became so popular that two years later intermediate classes
were opened and in 1894 the BA classes came in existence.

The D.A.V. College Management Committee in its meeting on 20 March

1886, decided the following aims and objectives for their institutions:
1. To establish in the Punjab an Anglo Vedic college institution which shall
include a school, a college and boarding - house, as memorial in honour of
Swami Dayanand Saraswati with the following purpose, viz,
a) To encourage, improve and enforce the study of Hindi literature.
b) To encourage and enforce the study of classical Sanskrit and
Vedas.
c) To encourage and enforce the study of English literature and
science, both theoretical and applied.
23
2. To provide means for giving technical education in connection with
Anglo- Vedic College instruction as far as it is not inconsistent with the
proper accomplishment of the first object.
In the above mentioned aims and objects we can find a mixture of
knowledge of East and West for the fulfillment of the ambitions of newly
developed Punjabi middle class. Kenneth W. Jones made conclusions of
these objectives very nicely. ‘English language for adjustment, Hindi for
communications with the masses, Sanskrit and works of Dayanand for
moral uplift, and science for material progress- Aryas offered answer to the
most acute dilemmas of occupational mobility and cultural adjustment.’
The growth and development of D.A.V. College movement will discussed in
next chapter but here it will be sufficient to describe in brief the educational
activities of D.A.V. School and management committee. The D.A.V.
movement tried to mix up in its educational curriculum the colonial
educational pattern as well as the ideas of Swami Dayanand. But it gave
more emphasis to the colonial educational curriculum.

In the minds of D.A.V. College architects, science, English language and

technical subjects had priority rather then Vedic study and Sanskrit
grammar. Ideally this new emerging middle class in Punjab, which was
trying to exploit economic and political opportunities in colonial milieu from
the platform of Arya Samaj, adopted both language English and Sanskrit
equally, but in practice English was preferred. This issue later became
measure causes of dissatisfaction for the curriculum of D. A. V. College.
For instance, Pandit Guru Datta, Lala Ralla Ram, Lala Jiwan Dass, etc,
charged that D. A. V. College ignored the study of Sanskrit, Hindi and
Dayanand’s works. They claimed that the education given by the D. A. V.
College was not according to the Swami Dayanand’s educational ideas.
For rectify this mistake Pandit Guru Dutta and Lala Ralla Ram presented a
proposal to introduce- Dayanand’s ‘Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika' and
Panini’s ‘Asthadhayayi’. They asked that every student should study
Sanskrit and Arya Bhasha (Hindi) at the beginning of primary stage. But
Lala Lai Chand and his associates opposed this resolution and this was not
passed in meeting of management committee. This was the formal starting
of disillusionment and dissatisfaction, which appeared aggressively during
decade of 1890. In this way, in practical, D.A.V. College and Schools
became another version of colonial government
educational institutions. Not only curriculum, but also whole functioning like,
class system, teaching method, charging of fees, administrative approach

24
etc, were very close to colonial type of educational institution, not with the
Swami Dayanand’s concept
of Gurukul of ancient Indian Vedic traditions.

These were the reasons that after the death of Guru Datta (1890), Lala
Munshi Ram and their associate strongly raised the matter and ultimately it
split Arya Samaj into two groups- College Party & Mahatma Party (later
Gurukul party) as it has been pointed
out in the previous chapter.

25
CHAPTER-2

Emergence and Growth of D.A.V. College

Movement
Swami Dayanand, the central figure of Arya Samaj, breathed his last on
October 30, 1883. His sudden demise shocked all the Arya Samajists and
created a void in the Arya Samaj. Although, the death of Swami Dayanand
was great lose but it developed severe commitment and dynamism among
the Arya Samajists to give the practical shape to their passed guru’s
ideology. The various branches of Arya samaj responded uniformly to
establish an educational institute in the honour and memory of late Swami
Dayanand. United Provinces Arya Samaj, Meerut; Arya Samaj Paryag;
Propkarini Sabha, Ajmer and Punjab Arya Samaj, Lahore and all other local
Arya Samaj of North India expressed their wishes to establish an
educational institute to pay the real tribute to the passed prophet.1 For this
purpose the activists of Lahore Arya Samaj showed great enthusiasm. The
Arya Samajists of the Punjab region reinterpreted the ideological legacy
and writings of Swami Dayanand according to their material need and
decided to open an Anglo-Vedic College as a monument of Swami
Dayanand. It is important here to note that the Anglo-Vedic School and
College was established after the death of Swami Dayanand but
importance of English education was realized before the death of Swami
Dayanand. For instance, an article was published in 'Arya Magazine’ of
May, 1882. In this article it was argued that an institution of English
education might be established where the study of the Vedic and Sanskrit
literature would be imparted.2 Another journal ‘Regenerator of Arvavarta’
stated that the Arya Samaj wanted to established an ‘Anglo-Aryan’ school
in which English and Sanskrit would be taught equally. One of the
important sentiments behind such type of thinking was to protect the people
from joining Christian schools for the study of English education.4 Another
reason was the emergence and growth of Punjabi middle class who was
seeking employment opportunities in the colonial government setup.
Without English education getting government job was very difficult.

The memorial meeting of Lahore Arya Samaj was held on 8 November,

1883 in which ‘the gathering was so numerous that its like was not often

26
seen at Lahore’.5 I6n this meeting Pandit Guru Datta Vidyarthi and Lala
Jiwan Das, who had just returned form Ajmer after having the last glimpse
of Swami Dayanand, suggested that the best method of commemorating
the death of Swami Dayanand was to establish a school or college in his
memory. Pandit Guru Datta shared the last moment of Swami Dayanand in
very emotional and heartrending way and made an appeal for funds for
proposed institution. The audience responded enthusiastically.
Regenerator of Arvavarta stated about this meeting:

“All present were moved and every one came forward with their mite to
raise up the proposed memorial. Some of the poor shopkeepers and
menials who have to live from hand to mouth could be seen pressing
forward to add what little they could to the funds.”

In this meeting the fund was raised about Rs. 7000 on spot.7 The Antarang
Sabha (Executive Committee) of the Lahore Arya Samaj met on
December ,1883, and constituted a sub-committee to take charge of
collecting and depositing funds. Lala Lai Chand presided over this sub-
committee, with Bhai Jawahir Singh as secretary. Lala Lai Chand issued a
written appeal:

“...our princes and chiefs, to nobility and gentry, higher and lower
dignitaries of the realm, to the people at large, without distinction of creed
and color to help us in our great undertaking”.

This appeal had the desired effect. There was a gush of enthusiasm, which
seemed to have flown out of a strange amalgam of grief and great-fullness
for the departed guru Swami Dayanand. According to Arva Magazine:

“Though the meeting was composed mostly of middle class men, from
seven to eight thousands rupees were subscribed on the pot. Women,
children and even poor menials zealously came forward with their mite.
Two Mohammedan gentlemen also set an example of large hearted
liberality”.

Although, by mid 1885 the fund collection raised to Rs. 11,000, but this
sum was not sufficient to establish proposed institution. When we analyse
the Background of initial contributors of fund, we can find that the
aristocratic and wealthier among the Punjabi Hindu society did not
contribute large to the funds. The burden of fund raising was taken by a few
27
dedicated member of the Arya Samaj, who collected fund almost from the
newly educated and the traditional commercial community. The prime
cause behind the lack of interest of aristocracy to fund collection was their
suspense towards the success and objectives of would be institute.
Meanwhile, Lala Lai Chand prepared a draft scheme for study and sent it to
the various branches of Arya Samaj, Punjab, for their comments and
suggestions. The scheme emphasised on English educational system but
also criticised the cultural marginality and isolation of English educated elite
from society. According to Lala Lai Chand:

“The rush of foreign ideas by the introduction of English literature into this
country, has had no doubt the effect of enlightening and improving many
thousands minds, of a few of whom the country may well feel proud. But
foreign education has produced a schism in the society which is truly
deplorable”.

In this way he emphasized on the both type of education, i.e. modern

education as well as traditional education. This traditional education system
was visualized by Swami Dayanand in his book Satvarth Prakash and in
his sermons. So, to abolish the gap between educated class and society,
Lala Lai Chand produced an agenda to unify the revived Hindu society.
Shri Ram Sharma explained the initial agenda of proposed school in the
following words:

“The primary object will, therefore be to weld together the educated and
uneducated masses by encouraging study of the national language and
vernaculars; to spread a knowledge of moral and spiritual truths by insisting
on the study of classical Sanskrit; to assist the formation of sound and
energetic habits by a regulated mode of living, to encourage sound
acquaintance with English literature and to afford a stimulus to the material
progress of the country by spreading a knowledge of the physical and
applied sciences”.

When Lala Lai Chand’s draft scheme of proposed institution and

organization was under consideration, on November 3, 1885, the Antrang
Sabha received a letter from Lala Hans Raj in which he offered to serve as
principal of the proposed school without pay.

This event developed new commitment and renewed enthusiasm among

Arya Samajists of Lahore. The executive committee of Lahore Arya Samaj
28
met nine times during November, 1885, to discuss about the organizational
structure and constitution of the proposed institute.15 Lala Lai Chand, in his
proposal of September 7, 1885, outlined the basic problems faced by the
Samaj: “Until present there exists no effective organization, no systematic
efforts for exhausting the various resources available for attaining success
in this great cause for utilizing the scattered amount uselessly held in
deposit in different localities. It is believed, therefore, the time has now
arrived for combining these isolated efforts and for placing the scheme on
a permanent and effective footing”.

After lengthy discussion, the Lahore Arya Samaj passed Lala Lai Chand’s
scheme of study. For the approval of mofussil Arya Samajes, the Antrang
Sabha asked each to send a representative to Lahore at the time of the
anniversary celebrations in December, 1885. After a long discussion,
delegates of various Samaj’s again gathered in Lahore on January 31,
1886 and approved the new educational scheme and organizational
structure.17 After various ups and downs, however, the constitution
prepared by Lala Lai Chand was passed. The Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Trust
and Management Society was got registered under act XXI of 1860 to give
it a legal and formal existence. The first meeting of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic
College Management Committee was held on February 27,1886.

In the second meeting held on 20 March, 1886, the Management

Committee chose its first officers: Lala Lai Chand as president and
treasurer, Lala Jawala Sahai, Lala Ishwar Dass, Lala Sain Dass, Lala
Narshing Dass as vice-president and Lala Madan Singh as secretary. In
December, 1886, Lala Madan Singh resigned from the Trust and
Management then Pandit Guru Datta was appointed as assistant secretary.

After the legal formation of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College Trust and

Society committee was also constituted to direct the D.A.V. College Anglo-
Vedic College Managing Committee, the first executive of this Managing
Committee included 19 nembers of various Arya Samajes:
1. Lala Lai Chand, M.A., Pleader, Lahore Chief Court, President
2. Lala Sain Dass, Lahore
3. Lala Madan Singh, B.A.
4. Lala Jiwan Dass
5. Malik Jwala Sahai,Contractor
6. Lala Kasho Dass, B.A.
7. Lala Gopal Dass Bhandari
29
8. Lala Kanshi Ram Multan, Pleader
9. Lala Mathura Dass
10. Lala Ishwar Dass, M.A., Pleader, Rawalpindi
11. Lala Kanshi Ram, Firozpur
12. Ram Naraian Dass, M.A.
13. Pandit Guru Datta, M.A.
14. Lala Daya Ram
15. Lala Maya Dass
16. Lala Lajpat Rai, Pleader, Rohatk
17. Lala Mul Raj, M.A.
18. Lala Dawarka Dass, M.A., Principle, Mahendera College, Patiala
19. Lala Ganga Ram, Chief Engineer

First sixteen members of D.A.V. College Executive Committee were

representative of various Arya Samaj while Lala Mul Raj from intellectual
class, Lala Dawarka Dass from quota of educationist’s and Lala Ganga
Ram represented the engineering section. Later the strength of executive
committee increased from 19 to 72 up to 1910 In the second meeting of
D.A.V. College Managing Committee, on March 20, 1885, it was decided
that as soon as possible a school should be established at Lahore. In the
meeting of 24 March, 1886, it was also decided that on 1st June, 1886,
D.A.V. High School would be opened at Lahore. For this purpose the very
first constitution was made and published in April, 1886

Curriculum of D. A. V. School & College:

The issue of curriculum and syllabus was very important in many respects
for the future of proposed institution. First of all, according to the demand of
Arya Samajists, curriculum of D.A.V. School and College might be matched
with Arya ideology of Arya Samaj. Second, syllabus should compete with
government schools and colleges with a nationalist as well as traditional
approach. Third, syllabus would be followed and fulfil the material demands
of the Arya community particularly to attract the emerging middle class of
North India, because trading community and newly emerging middle class
were the important sources of fund collection programme. So, to make
popular and attractive curriculum, it was a very tuff task at that time. First of
all they had to find out the major demerits of the colonial educational
system.

30
Another harmful aspect of colonial educational system was the negligence
of mass education.22 The Wood’s Despatch, 1854; Hunter Commission,
1882; Indian Educational Policy, 1904; all had proclaimed their aim to
spread mass education but this was not done in practical. This could be
seen from the fact that in 1901, only one out of four boys and one out of
every forty girls attended primary school and the percentage of literacy was
only 4.7 percent. Neglect of modern Indian language was another negative
characteristic of colonial educational system. Nurullah and Naik have,
therefore, rightly, concluded:

“...the net result was that the study of modern Indian languages was greatly
neglected by the new intelligentsia that was coming out of the school and
colleges of the period.”

When we analyse the scheme of studies, we can find an adjustment of

traditional and modern ideas and synthesis of colonial English educational
system and Arya ideology. Urdu remained in importance while Sanskrit and
Hindi were included to satisfy the conservative Arya Samajists. In this way,
Lala Lai Chand’s scheme of studies was proposed to create a unified
revived Hindu community.28 Kenneth W. Jones presented a nice summary
of objective of curriculum adopted by D.A.V. College Managing Committee:

“English language for adjustment, Hindi for communication with the

masses, Sanskrit and the works of Dayanand for moral uplift and science
for material progress- Arya offered answers to the most acute dilemmas of
occupational mobility and cultural adjustment”

Admission Fees:
From students admitted in the Lower Primary Department - Anas 4 (Rs. %)
From students admitted in the Upper Primary Department - Anas 8 (Rs.
1/2)
From Students admitted in the Middle and Upper Departments - Rs. 1

Monthly Fees:
Lower Primary Department — Anas 2 (Rs.1/8)

31
Upper Primary Department — Anas 4 (Rs. V*)

Middle Department — Anas 8 (Rs. 1/2)

Upper Department — Rs. 1

By May, 1886, leadership of the Punjab Arya Samaj completed plans for
the new school. They had made curriculum, fee schedule and collection of
fund was continue. Although, collection of fund was not sufficient to run
their dreamed institution but they did not make any compromise with
principles and decision was made to open D.A.V. School, on 1s' June,
1886 at Lahore. Some principles were made regarding the administration
as follows:

i. The management should be in the hands of elected representatives of

such Arya Samaj as contributed to its funds, with the addition of a few
Hindus representing the professions and the classes.
ii. The second principle generally accepted was that, the teaching should
be done by Indians and there would be no exception on this point.
iii. The third principle imposed on the manager the moral obligation not to
seek monetary assistance from the government.
iv. The fourth principle was to aim at giving free education. But according to
Lala Lajpat Rai, ‘the paucity of funds, the Government and University
regulations have prevented us from giving effect to this but still our fees
have generally been 50 percent less than the government schools and
colleges.’

Means of Fund Collection and its Social

Values:
Although, D.A.V. School, Lahore made every good starting in every field
but collection of fund and financial balance was not sufficient for extension
of future. So, success of very first academic year of D.A.V. School
encouraged its supporters to launch a more dedicated fund raising
campaign. For instance, the school was started with a capital fund of Rs.
36,000 which was invested in Government Promissory Notes at 4 percent
interest, which was estimated to give an income of Rs. 120 per month,
while monthly expenditure excluding the post of Headmaster, who was
honorary, was at least Rs. 285 per month 44 So, it was necessary for the
32
Managing Committee of D.A.V. College to take some steps to make
supplement the income by monthly subscription.

Now the appeals for College fund were published in the ‘Arya Patrika’ and
The Tribune’. The lists of donation were also published to provide
recognition to the donors, accountability of the funds received, and publicity
for the educational movement. Some delegations were appointed from fund
collection from remote areas. Particularly the anniversary function of
various local branches of Arya-Samaj had became a major source of
income. For instance, on the occasion of the last anniversary of the
Peshawar Arya Samaj, the sum of Rs. 1,300 was collected in aid of the
D.A.V. College fund On the anniversary celebration of Amritsar Arya
Samaj, the collection was raised up to Rs. 1,300 in 1889, with an additional
Rs. 1900 pledged by the presented Arya Samajists. In 1889, anniversary
celebration of Gujranwala Samaj realised Rs. 1,300 in cash and Rs. 1500
in pledges.46 The D.A.V. College reports of 1889-90, stated that, during
1890, anniversary celebrations accounted for Rs. 7,245 out of total or Rs.
12,322 in funded capital collected that year.

Income Sources for First Budget 1-6-1886 to

31-12-1886:
Particulars Amount in Rs.
From school fees etc. 1800-00
From Atta fund 100-00
From interest of invested capital 2400-00
From Monthly subscription 2520-00
Total 6820-00

Expenditure First Budget 1-6-1886 to 31-12-

1886:
Particulars Amount in Rs.
On Upper and Middle Department 2800-00
On Primary Section 1020-00
On general purchasing and salary of peon etc. 1176-00
On the prizes, Library furniture 1150-00

33
On the managing committee 360-00
On office of school 150-00
Total 6756-00

It is clear from above table of the budget report that the biggest item for
income was monthly subscription. Second most of expenditure was on the
development of basic infrastructure and total salary for teachers was only in
few hundreds as given below:

Salary Chart of Teachers and Other Staff:

Designation Monthly Salary in Rs.
1. Headmaster and Math Teacher 50
2. Sciences Teacher 40
3. Sanskrit Teacher 30
4. Hindi Teacher 15
5. Urdu Teacher 15
6. Gatekeeper 05
7. Peon 06
8. Clerks 07

Starting of D.A.V. College, Lahore:

The D.A.V. School, Lahore rapidly gained the strength and by early 1888,
697 students had been enrolled. Now, the question was raised to open the
intermediate classes. Although, Lala Lalchand opposed strongly the
starting of college classes, but majority of Managing Committee members
i.e. Lala Sain Das, Lala Lajpat Rai and Pandit Guru Datta etc, emphasized
to start college classes as soon as possible. By the resolution [Link] dated
28th April 1888, the D.A.V. College Managing Committee had resolved to
add the College Department up to the intermediate standard. The
managing committee announced that first year intermediate classes would
be opened on June 1, 1889

On the first of April, 1889 there were 13 students. The affiliation to the
Punjab University was applied for in the same year and it was granted by
resolution of the syndicate, dated 18th May 1889,67 Lala Hans Raj became
the first principal of the D.A.V. College and strength went to 31 at the end

34
of year on 31st March, 1890. For the arrangement of boarding house the
Managing Committee had sanctioned on expenditure of Rs. 30 per month
for accommodation on 27th October, 1889 68 The year 1890-91 was
comparatively a year of misfortunes because D.A.V. College movement
lost two of its foremost workers-Pandit Guru Datta and Lala Sain Dass and
the results both financial as well as educational were unfavorable. The
decrease in monthly subscriptions was near about Rs.2000 while high
school was not able to maintain its credit in the University Examination.
Meanwhile, D.A.V. College movement also faced internal strife on the issue
of curriculum and power, but leadership of D.A.V. College movement did
more hard work and they overcame all difficulties.

35
CHAPTER- 3

Differences Among the Arya Samajists Over

the Issue of Educational Curriculum and
Programme
With the growth of the Arya Samaj, its educational movement faced a lot of
complexity and tensions. In the beginning the Arya Samajists of the Punjab
region showed great enthusiasm to establish an educational institution in
the memory of their late guru Swami Dayanand Saraswati and this
educational institution was known as D.A.V. School and College, Lahore.
The followers of Dayanand in the Punjab visualized that this educational
institution would nurture their needs and aspirations1. The D.A.V. School of
Lahore became the centre of Arya Samajists’ activities for the expansion of
Dayanand’s educational ideas in the Punjab region. The D.A.V. School and
College started to provide the colonial education in domestic way to the
pupils. But the other faction of the Punjab Arya Samaj considered the
colonial education as Western way of domination and they started to argue
for Vedic educational system which was propagated by Swami Dayanand.

Initial Efforts to Establish D. A. V. School

and Beginning of

Ideological Differences:
When we analyse the early efforts to establish D. A. V. School, we find that
seeds of diversion were sown during making of draft scheme of the
proposed organization. In the approved constitution for managing
committee of proposed college, one rule was made that each branch of
Arya Samaj, which had donated 1000/- rupees to the college fund, earned
one seat in the managing committee. The Samaj which donated 5000 to
the college fund earned additional representation; it means that Lahore
Arya Samaj, with its wealth and central location, tended to dominate the
managing committee2. Second, this was not compulsory that
representative of any Arya Samaj had also the active membership of that

36
particular Arya Samaj. In other words, remote and rural Arya Samaj might
choose someone living in Lahore to act as its representative. Third, the
managing committee met monthly and this was very difficult for remote and
mofussil Arya Samaj to attend these meetings regularly. Fourth, the
provisions were made for ‘interest representation’ included one member
each for: medicine, engineering, nobility, law and civil service appointed by
the managing committee4. In this way the first draft scheme for proposed
college was an effort to establish hegemony of Lahore based Arya
Samajists over D. A. V. College management. It had to become true later
when Lala Lai Chand and his Lahore based associates dominated the
educational campaign, particularly D. A. V. College movement up to 1910.
It is important that Lala Lai Chand himself was the president of this
subcommittee, which prepared the draft scheme and goal of D. A. V.
educational movement5. Although, representation was also given to the
remote branch of Arya Samaj on the basis of their financial contribution but
Lahore Arya Samaj became the centre point of all activities with its location,
transport network and wealthy middle class. This type of efforts for
domination led a sharp dissatisfaction among the other branches of Arya
Samaj in the Punjab region.
When the process of fund raising was going on the question of location of
proposed institution had become controversial issue in 1885. Every branch
of Arya Samaj wanted to establish proposed institution in their locality.
Even many branches of Arya Samaj threatened to suspend financial
support and collection of fund until a site e could be decided . Meanwhile,
in other side Antarang Sabha (Executive Committee) of Lahore Arya Samaj
and subcommittee of fund collection were committed to establish the
proposed institution at Lahore. This type of manipulation annoyed another
Arya Samajists and they gained strength against dominance of Lahore
based Arya Samajists and particularly against the Lala Lai Chand and his
supporters. Pandit Guru Datta (from Multan), Lala Munshi Ram (from
Jalandhar) and Lala Ralla Ram (from Jhelum Arya Samaj) were prominent
among the oppositional group and most of them from outside of Lahore.

Debate On Curriculum:
37
The rejection of Guru Datta for the position of principal of the D. A. V.
College could not reduce his enthusiasm for Vedic education and Sanskrit
study. Although, this group was in minority inside the D. A. V. Management,
but they continued their struggle for Vedic system of education, later on,
this group was being called ‘Gurukul Party’. The Gurukul group was more
militant and it created more bitterness among the members of D. A. V.
management and it led a permanent split among the Arya Samajists of the
Punjab.

Both groups wanted to develop the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College

according to their ideology. The name of college represents the
combination of Eastern and Western education system and word Vedic
mention the commitment to the Vedic knowledge and traditions with special
emphasis on Sanskrit grammar. From the establishment of D. A. V.
College, Guru Datta represented and propagated the Vedic ideology with
special emphasis on Sanskrit grammar. On the other Lala Lai Chand and
their associates with having a weightage of dominance on college
Management Committee had given priority to the Western science and
education.

On the other, Guru Datta and his faction was more near to Dayanand’s
ideas of education. According to Pandit Guru Datta the study of Vedas and
Sanskrit was necessary to know the spirit of Indian noble Vedic culture and
re-establishment of ancient Indian honour. Many times he showed his
dissatisfaction to the functioning and aims of D. A. V. College that,
education mean not just to provide degree, but to make noble man to serve
society8. He also criticised the syllabus and pattern of Sanskrit study at D.
A. V. College. He blamed that on the name of study of Sanskrit D. A. V.
College adopted that Anarsh books which were highly criticised by Swami
Dayanand Saraswati9. For instance, in college ‘Laghukaumudi’ was taught
while Swami Dayanand recommended ‘Astadhayayi’. He expressed that it
is great irony that in college, we adopted anarsh Sanskrit books while out
side the college we our-self criticised this literature. He wanted uniformity in
practical and theory, so he demanded extremely that only those Sanskrit
books would be choose for curriculums which were recommended by
Swami Dayanand. Lala Lajpat Rai stated Guru Datta’s extreme devotion to
Sanskrit:

38
“...he took up the extreme attitude that learning English was useless. He is
reported to have expressed once the wish to forget all his Western
learning and become an unalloyed Sanskrit..."

Differences on the Issue of Women

Education:
question of women education was an important agenda of all social reform
movements in 19th century colonial India and Swami Dayanand also
emphasised on it. After the death of Swami Dayanand the Arya Samajists
of Jalandhar had raised the issue of women education. The Arya Samajists
of the Punjab had not only differences on educational curriculum of D. A. V.
College but they had differences over the question of women education
also. Lala Dev Raj and Munshi Ram started a Kanya Mahavidyalaya at
Jalandhar in 1890 and it became a high school in 1892 (Detailed
description of Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Jalandhar will be given in Chapter No.
6) 49 Most of the activists of ‘Mahatma’ section supported girl education
while Cultured or ‘College Party’ opposed the higher education for girls.
The ‘College Party’ argued, ‘It is premature from a practical point of view to
think of giving higher education to girls.’

Even Lala Lajpat Rai in the beginning was against female education and he
wrote:

“I (Lala Lajpat Rai) maintained and do so still, that the spread of education
among males had some strong and important inducements to back it, while
the education of girls can’t necessarily derive any support from the same
motives for education.”

The ‘College Party’ opposed it on two grounds first the women education
also needed more funds and resources from men’s education because they
did not have more sources even for men’s education. Secondly, they felt
that the further spread of higher education among men’s through D. A. V.
College would gradually prepare the ground for women education and they
also thought that the public opinion was not in favour of women’s
education. The supporters of women education opposed all arguments
made by ‘College Party’ against women education, Lala Munshi Ram, Lala

39
Dev Raj and their associates wanted to prove through the women
educational agenda that they were true followers of Swami Dayanand’s
principles. Because Swami Dayanand was a strong supporter of women
education and he propagated this through his speeches and his writings.
Lala Munshi Ram and other supporters of women education pointed out, ‘...
to deny higher education to our women is deny them as a class...’ the
‘College Party’ expressed his fear that higher education would lead to over-
culture amongst women and unfit them for domestic duties. They also
showed concerned that any efforts of women education might compete with
D. A. V. College for collection of funds. But Lala Munshi Ram and his
associates give priority to women education. According to them:

“Social reformers must by now have realised that it is our women who
stand in the way of reformation and progress and it would be their
education and that alone will smooth the path of social reformers”

So, there was an ironical situation that the supposedly more orthodox wing
(later Gurukul Party) was supported higher education for girls while the
supposedly more progressive wing (College Party) opposed it. In this way
the issue of women education was also mixed with the issue of curriculum
and became a prime cause of split in Arya Samaj. Kenneth W. Jones writes
about this:

“It is not accidental that supporters of women education tended to be

criticised of the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College managing committeethose
who would by1894 break with Lala Lalchand and his associate. Lala
Munshi Ram, Lala Dev Raj and others militant Aryas increasingly identified
with the women’s movements in all its aspects, particularly education”

Although the College Party’s above mentioned ambiguity approach towards

women education changed later, but we can’t find any prominent institute
for girls education up to 1920, established by College Party, while on the
other Mahatma faction (later Gurukul Party) continued implementing their
agenda of women education and that’s why Gurukul Party established
many school and Gurukuls for the women education.

40
Vegetarianism Verses Non-Vegetarianism:
The Second issue, which mixed up with the struggle of power and
differences on curriculum, was meat-eating. Although, question of
vegetarianism was raised by Swami Dayanand’s tract 'Gau Karuna Nidhi,
highly condemned all type of violence on animals or particularly to protect
cow. But in the beginning the upper castes Hindus of the Punjab joined
Arya Samaj on the basis of ten principles of Arya Samaj, which ignored
issue of vegetarianism and cow protection, that’s why the Punjab Arya
Samaj included both meat-eater and vegetarian. But this was also fact that
some Punjabi Arya Samajists separately raised the issue of meat eating.
For example—Pandit Guru Datta had written an article in the ‘The Arva’
against the meat eating 58 After 1885 a lot of material was written on this
issue which contained the widened theory of protection of all animals from
slaughter. Because in these years, Arya Samaj started to take position of
anti-Muslims and that’s why they took up cow protection issues and
included it in the programme of Arya Samaj. Thus the issue of cow
protection was fused with the question of meat-eating. Arva Patrika wrote in
this regard:

”We are ready to concede that the cow renders more important and
substantial service than other animals, but that is no reason why we should
surrender the latter the principles of this relativity ...how can we accord our
sanction to the killing of sheep, goat and with hold it in the case of cow?”

Complete Division in Arva Samai:

Up to August 1893, Vegetarian Party gained strength and when Lala Hans
Raj resigned from the presidentship of Lahore Arya Samaj, new president
Lala Durga Parsad was became prime leader of vegetarian group. This
became a golden opportunity for Ghas Party and they also defeated Lala
Hans Raj group in election for the Executive Committee (Antarang Sabha)
of Lahore Arya Samaj. With this defeat, the college group withdrew from
Lahore Arya Samaj.

‘College Party’, immediately after their withdrawal, founded a rival Samaj in

Anarkali Lahore. Lala Lajpat Rai was elected president and Lala Sangam
Lai vicepresident. There were two Samaj’s in Lahore- One in Wachhowali
in old city (the original Samaj, now in the hands of the vegetarian group),
41
and the other in Anarkali (in the possession of moderate non-vegetarian
College Party). Now the original Arya Samaj with its buildings was under
the possessions of Mahatma Faction and they very quickly established
control over the Punjab Arya Pratinidhi Sabha.

The division of Lahore Arya Samaj brought a very complex situation. Both
the branches of Lahore Arya Samaj claimed for the right to send
representatives to the D. A. V. College Managing Committee. This issue
also raised in the managing committee meeting held on February 25, 1894.
Lala Munshi Ram strongly demanded that old Arya Samaj (Wachhowali)
should be given the right to send the all representative in D. A. V. College
Managing Society but his proposal was rejected. Through another
resolution, it was resolved that the Anarkali Samaj of Lahore Arya Samaj
had the right to send representative to the managing committee.75 Lala
Munshi Ram again left the meeting with his associates and in the absence
of Mahatma Section, Lala Hans Raj’s faction passed the resolution that
Anarkali Samaj is original and legitimate Samaj of Lahore and hence had
the sole right to represent in managing committee.76 The final round of
struggle took place at the annual meeting of the D. A. V. College Society on
24 may, 1894. All members related to ‘Mahatma Party’ were excluded from
the meeting. Only those candidate who had attested certificate of their
legitimate status issued by Anarkali Samaj, were allowed to entry.
Mahatma section produced furious reaction and tries to disrupt the meeting
by force.77 Lala Lajpat Rai wrote his observation about the last violent
scene of this whole episode:

“The Mahatma Samajists came with the intention of entering by force. On

finding the doors closed they tried to break them open. The clash came and
'lathis’ were brought into use. The late Lala Sunder Das had his skull
fractured and his brother Lala Gopal Das too received injuries. The meeting
was adjourned and both the parties submitted their statements to the
police.”

42
Chapter—4

Emergence and Growth of Gurukul

Educational System
In his writings and speeches Swami Dayanand argued for Gurukul1
education because he was staunch supporter of the revival of Vedic
culture. He realized that unless and until the ancient Indian Gurukul
education system was revived there was no future for the country and no
hope for social development. He felt that if India were to be raised the
heights from which she has fall, the Gurukul system of education must in
the first place be revived.

We have already given a comprehensive evaluation of early efforts of

Swami Dayanand and his educational philosophy in separate chapter.
Here, I have to elaborate the evolution of Gurukul style education system,
which was started by another faction of Arya Samaj in the last decade of
19th century. This faction of Arya Samaj was staunch supporter of Vedic
culture and wanted to follow this culture in the field of education. In a
nutshell, it was totally against the modern education system.

The Genesis of the Gurukul Movement:

The Gurukul ideology came to be strengthened as the reaction against
curriculum and study pattern of D. A. V. College, Lahore. Lala Lajpat Rai
describes the origin of the Gurukul as:

“...due to the same spirit of revolt which compelled Dayanand to forsake his
parental home and become a wanderer in the quest of truth...”4
Some of the leaders of the Arya Samaj in the Punjab - especially Lala
Munshi Ram, Lala Ralla Ram, Durga Parsad, Chaudhary Ram Bhaj Datta
and others, who were originally in the forefront of the movement for starting
the D. A. V. College, Lahore, felt dissatisfied with the educational
programme of the college. They particularly felt that ’...enough emphasis
was not being laid on the study of Sanskrit literature and on Vedas.’5 Lala
Lajpat Rai elaborates their dissatisfaction in the following words:

43
“Within a few years of the establishment of D. A. V. College, they found that
the system of education followed was not after their hearts; that it did not
come up to their ideal of Vedic education, that the managers cared more
for university results then for sound national education; that the fact of its
affiliation with the official university prevented them from making radical
changes in curriculum of studies and materially interfered with their
independence”

The first agitation for Gurukuls was sponsored by Lala Munshi Ram. In
1896 he started a regular column ‘Santan Ko Arya Kaise Bana Sakte Hai'
( How can children turn Arya) in his magazine ‘Satdharm Pracharak’7
Through this column he tried to popularize the ideology of Gurukul system
of education among the Arya Samajists. The issue of establishment of
Gurukuls was also supported by ‘Arya Patrika’ and suggested that for the
establishment and management of such type of institution; there should be
a separate and supreme society of Arya Samaj. Some Arya Samajists
responded enthusiastically for the establishment of Gurukul type of
institutions. For instance, Shiv Ratan Singh Verma announced Rs 10000/-
donation for Gurukul on the behalf of his brother Govind Singh, resident of
Patur village, district Akola in Berar.8 This enthusiasm motivated Lala
Munshi Ram to start Gurukuls. He again wrote a wide article ‘Ashram
Vyavastha ki Buniyad’ (Ashram System and its Foundation) in volume of
March, 1897 of ‘Satdharm Pracharak9. This Gurukul ideology very rapidly
got shape and ultimately, the resolution to establish a Gurukul was passed
by the ‘Arya Partinidhi Sabha, Punjab’ on 26 November, 1898. To
overcome financial problem, Lala Munshi Ram took a vow not to step in his
home until the collection of thirty thousand for establishment of Gurukul,
had been made.*1 1 Within nine months he collected forty thousand rupees
in cash. After collection of money, the Gurukul faction of Arya Samaj could
think to initiate the Gurukul institution. For this purpose, on 26 December,
1900, Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Punjab passed the first ‘niyamavali’ with aims
and objective of Gurukul movement. After analyse this ‘niyamavali’, we can
summaries the following aims and objectives of the Gurukul system of
education in Lala Munshi Ram’s words to Mr. Myron H. Phelps:

“... I was among those who though that the true spirit of religious reform
which we all had at heart could only be carried out with the help of a school
primarily devoted to re-establishing the principles and authority of the
Vedas, in the lives of men ...our object was to start a school where strong
and religious character could be built up. We recognised two great wants of
44
the people- men of character and religious unity ...our primary aim is simply
to give our boys the best moral and ethical training to make of them good
citizen and religious men and to teach them to love learning for learning’s
sake. Our model is the great universities of ancient India such as that of
Taxilla, where thousands of students congregated...”

Curriculum of Gurukul Educational System:

Curriculum is an important factor for fulfilling the aims of education, so it is
bound to be determined by the educational objectives. Here, first of all, we
will discuss the curriculum and daily routine of Gurukul Kangri because
most of Gurukuls were affiliated to Gurukul Kangri and follow its curriculum,
admission rules and daily routine, in toto.

In Gurukul Kangri the period of 18 years was set for education, in this, 12
years in Vidyalaya Vibhag and 6 years in Mahavidyalaya Vibhag. The
Gurukul had developed its own syllabi for different school and college
standards. Some of the distinguishing features of syllabi were as under:

1. Hindi-pronunciation and adding words memorisation of poetry; model

reading in standard.
2. Beginning of sermons-memorisation, Sandhya-Haven from standard
1st
1. onwards.
2. Memorisation of Swastivachan in std.-ll.
3. Beginning of the study of Sanskrit literature and grammar from std.-lll
4. Memorisation of Shanti-Prakaran and detailed Haven-Mantra in std.-
lll.
5. Religious instruction-Vyawhar Bhanu and memorisation of selected
Veda
6. Mantra in std.-IV.
7. Beginning of English teaching from std.-V onwards.
8. Religious instruction of Rishi Dayanand and Arya Samaj.
9. Sermon-meaning of Sandhya and other mantras regarding prayer in
std.-VI.
10. Sermons- Satyarth Prakash chapter-ll and V, and Aryoddeshya,
Ratnamala (important chapters) in std.-VII.
11. Religious instruction- Satyarth Prakash, Chapter-VI and VII and
advantage of Havan at std.-VIII.

45
 12. Sermons and philosophy- Satyarth Prakash, Gita and logic in
std.-IX and X.
13. Drawing in all standards from I to III.
14. The compulsory subjects in std.-IX and X werea) Sanskrit
literature and grammar.

b) Hindi literature.
c) English
d) Religious instruction
e) Mathematics or Home Science for girls.
15. The qualifying examination at the end of std.-X is called Vidyadhikari
examination. It is an entrance examination for studies in the first year
undergraduate class in its colleges.
16. The medium of instruction was Hindi.

Daily Work-Schedule:
Gurukul Kangri was established on the educational philosophy of Swami
Dayanand which was inspired by ancient Indian and Vedic educational
traditions. So in such type of institution daily routine was very strict, hard
and integral part of curriculum. So, without studying daily routine of Gurukul
Kangri we can not understand objective and ideological base of whole
Gurukul movement. According to Inder Vidyavachaspati:

“Early morning the process of daily work is started. At 4 a.m. senior and at
4.30, junior Brahmacharies and members of the supervising staff awake up
in response of the Ashram bell, fold up their beddings and proceed to the
Ganges where they jump into water and enjoy a good morning bath. Most
of the students and superintendents know swimming and swimming
competitions are accordingly entered into with great zest and eager
enjoyment. When the winter is severe they go to bathroom. Before bathing
all the Brahmcharies take physical exercise... between 5:30 a.m. to 6:00
a.m. they commence their daily Yajnas viz., Sandhyaprayer, meditation and
Agni-hotra. After this they are given fresh milk and from 6:15 a.m. to 10:30
a.m. regular classes are held when the morning meal is served consisting
of a liberal supply of bread, pulse and vegetables and fruits. Rice-pudding
and Halwa are served occasionally. The diet is strictly vegetarian. Till 2:45
p.m. boys take rest though the senior students utilise the interval in reading
the books from the library. Again the teaching work goes on till 5:15 p.m.

46
The boys then engage themselves in playing games. After dinner the boys
proceed to their dormitories and revise their lessons. At 9 p.m., all the
students go to bed. The college students are required to maintain diaries
and record their daily work...”

In this way, the daily routine of Gurukul was integral part of discipline and
curriculum of institution. After broad discussion of curriculum and daily
outine we must analyse the admission process and rules to know the
nature of Gurukul movement.

Rules of Admission:
Swami Dayanand Saraswati had enjoined upon all parents to send their
boys and girls to an educational institution as soon as they complete the
age of eight years. The Gurukul Kangri admitted students between the age
of six and eight. After Vedarambha-Sanskar students were started their
formal education at Gurukul. The boy must be physically and mentally
sound. The guardians of the students had to give an undertaking to the
Gurukul that their wards shall remain at the Gurukul for at least 16 years.
Secondly, they had to be signed a form of agreement binding not to marry
or betroth their wards till he will at least 25 years of age.

Above explanation about the admission process, daily routine and

curriculum reflect the co-relation of all, for the development of any
institution like Gurukul. Secondly, all things related to curriculum were
regulated according to the educational philosophy of Swami Dayanand
Saraswati. Third, ideology of Swami Dayanand, particularly notion of basic
education, was greatly impressed by ancient and Vedic educational
traditions and rituals. So, before analysis of growth of Gurukul movement
we must discuss about ideological similarities and characteristics of ancient
Indian educational tradition and Gurukul system organized by Arya Samaj
in colonial North India.

47
Relationship of Gurukul System with
Ancient Indian Traditions:
The Gurukul movement of Arya Samaj drew their inspiration from the
educational tradition of the Gurukul of the Ancient Vedic India. It would,
therefore, be worthwhile to review in brief the main characteristics and
features of the Gurukuls of Ancient India. Although, evolution of educational
system in ancient India did not show a uniform pattern but it was unique in
some respects. For instance, educational pattern of ancient India was
mostly oral and religious in nature. According to R.K. Mukherji:

“Learning in India through the ages had been prized and pursued not for its
own sake, if we may put it, but for the sake, and as a part, of religion. It was
sought as a means of salvation of self-realization, as the means to the
highest end of life, viz Mukti or emancipation.”

He adds further, the aim of education is Charitranirman the inhibition of

those activities of the mind by which it gets connected with the world of
matter or objects. Thus education is a process of control of mind to drive a
simple and moral life. In other words, the primary aim of ancient education
was instilling into the mind of the pupils a spirit of being pious and religious
or glory of God and good of man.

Growth of Gurukui Movement:

Beginning of Gurukui Kangri was very well and with in the short period of
four years, a building was built for the students on the cost of Rs. 25000/-
collected from peoples. Although, there was only seven classes up to 1906,
but Gurukui ideology gained popularity very rapidly in first decade of the
20th century. Whole credit for this development was gone to Lala Munshi
Ram, who sacrificed every thing for this task. In 1902 he gifted his whole
prosperous library to Gurukui. Two years later, in 1904, he donated his
printing press of Satdharm Prachark, has cost of 8000/- rupees, to Gurukui
Kangri.43 Even he donated his residence (Kothi) of Jalandhar to Gurukui
Kangri. At that time the cost of this Kothi was near about 30,000 rupees.44
In 1911 this Kothi was sold by Punjab Arya Pritinidhi Sabha for 20,000
rupees, and whole amount was submitted in permanent fund of Gurukui

48
Kangri. In this way, Mahatma Munshi Ram devoted everything for the
welfare of Gurukui Kangri. This type of sacrifice motivated the people and
they responded greatly to Gurukui ideology.

As soon as the popularity of Gurukui Kangri was raised, the strength of

students increased automatically. In 1907, there were 187 students in the
Gurukui. Now the situation was different, due to limited space in Ashram
and some financial problem, every student who wanted to join the Gurukui,
was not getting admission. For instance, in Feb, 1910 total number of 130
student were come to Gurukui for admission, but only 25 got entry in
Gurukul.

Financial problem soon became easy, because large sum was donated by
the peoples on occasion of annual functions. For instance, on sixth annual
function 54,500 rupees were donated by the people, which increased
3,28,000 on seventh annual function of Gurukul Kangri. In other words the
annual functions of Gurukul Kangri became fair of pilgrimages, in which
people donated enthusiastically and open heartily. A philanthropic
gentleman had donated Rs. 2500 for the construction of a Gymnasium in
which the students were taught dum-bell exercise, dands (Indian
Gymnastics), gardening, swimming and wrestling. Cricket and Football
were also not unknown. But important is that in all these games words of
command were all in Sanskrit.

Gurukul infrastructure was created with the help of this donated money. For
instance Mahavidyalaya building was constructed at a cost of Rs 40,000,
which include 12 rooms and a big library hall, and a Science Lecture Hall
The library was wellfurnished and had more than 6000 books. It included
standard works of East and West. The latest edition of the Encyclopedia
Britannica and the sacred Vedas were placed side by side. Indian and
foreign English periodicals placed along with Sanskrit journals. So, these
types of efforts were to get the knowledge about the world through
literature.

In 1917 the strength of Brahmacharies raised to 340 in which 276 were in

Vidyalaya department and 64 were in Mahavidyalaya department. Only
those students might get entry in Mahavidyalaya who had passed Adhikari
(Matric) examination from Gurukul Kangri.

49
History of Other Gurukuls:
The rapid growth of peoples response towards Gurukul Kangri, led the
establishment of various branches of Gurukul Kangri during second decade
of 20th century. In these branches, most important in Northern India were at
Multan, Kurukshetra, Inderparasth, Matindu, Benshwal, Jhajjar and
Varndavan. These Gurukula also followed generally same pattern of
Gurukul Kangri.

The first branch of Gurukul Kangri was established at Multan, on 13

February, 1909. The name of this Gurukul was Shakha Gurukul Dev-
Bandhu. After some time this Gurukul was shifted to Tarakund near
Multan.70 Although, this was Muslim dominated area but the Hindus of this
region greatly influenced by the teaching of Swami Dayanand and Gurukul
education system. For instance, in 1910, 60 students from 274 of Gurukul
Kangri were belonged from this region.71 After establishment of this
branch, the interested students had joined this institution that was up to
Adhikari (Matric) standard. After passing Adhikari examination these
students could got admission in Gurukul Kangri. Up to 1927, there were 20
graduates among Gurukul Kangri’s graduates who had taken their Adhikari
degree from Gurukul Multan.72 In this Gurukul the system and curriculum
was according to Gurukul Kangri and it had remained most important
branch of Gurukul Kangri in North-West region up to 1947.

Another branch of Gurukul Kangri was established in Haryana region at

Kurukshetra on 13 April, 1912, by Mahatma Munshi Ram with the help of
Lala Jyoti Parsad.73 This Gurukul was up to middle standard and whole
curriculum was according to Gurukul Kangri. In 1923, the first batch of 9
students passed out and got admission in Gurukul Kangri.74 In 1940 there
were 121 students and 70 students passed graduation from Gurukul Kangri
which was studied up to 8th class in Gurukul Kurukshetra.75 It was under
the supervision of Punjab Arya Partinidhi Sabha, but later when in 1976
Arya Partinidhi Sabha, Haryana was established, it was become under
Haryana Sabha. In 1980, there were 300 students and 50 employees.

Gurukul Inderparasth was also important part of Gurukul Kangri. It was

established on 24 December, 1916 at the bank of Yamuna at present Delhi.
The first four classes were transferred from Gurukul Kangri to Gurukul
Inderparasth in which 110 students were taught.77 In 1924, when flood of

50
Ganga destroyed the building of Gurukul Kangri, all classes from 5th to
10th were transferred to Gurukul Inderparasth. In these classes 133
students were studied in 1940.78 At the time of partition in 1947, Punjab
Arya Partinidhi Sabha faced a difficult time for its survival, so, these
Gurukuls were disturbed badly and Gurukul Inderparasth was closed up to
1974. After 1975 it had gained strength again and in 1980, there were 300
students, in which 133 were in hostel. There were 16 teachers beside 29
non-teaching staff. Now it is an independent institution affiliated to Gurukul
Kangri. The curriculum and system was according to Gurukul Kangri and
education and accommodation facilities were free of cost.

51
CHAPTER- 5

Women Education and Arya Samaj

General Background of Women Education in Colonial

Punjab:

During early 19th century traditional and domestic mode of education was
popular among the Northern Indian society. The nature of traditional
educational system was purely religious in which various types of
educational institutions, e.g. Pathsala, Maktab and Gurumukhi schools etc.
belonged to different religions and communities were situated. So the
instructions imparted through these local and domestic institutions were
very much influenced by particular religion and their ideology.1 This system
of education was confined to acquiring the principle and philosophy of their
respective religions. It was noticed that in 1866, inspite of the slow progress
and religious character of education, the proportion of girl students
receiving female instruction in the Punjab was the highest when compared
with other provinces in India. It has been indicated from the table given
below:

Table-6.1 Women Education in India in 1866.

Name of Province No. of Schools No. of Students

Punjab 1029 19,561
North-West Province 574 10,443
Bengal 220 5,712
Madras 139 3,315
Bombay 65 2,436
Central Province 92 2,361
But after 1860, British occupation of this region initially had an adverse
effect on the domestic educational set-up. Lack of patronage of indigenous
schools and their non-recognition for government services led to their
decline. Indigenous schools were dying out with the destruction of the
traditional elite, which patronised them. For instance, The Education
Commission of 1884 found that, in the Punjab, 1029 girls schools were
under government inspection in 1865-66, but they declined to 317 in 1881-
52
82.*3 This > ows unsatisfactory and down falling condition of traditional
education and particularly f le education.

Till that time, due to patriarchical system, the society was not in the favour
of female education. Prem Qhowdhry states about the impacts of
patriarchical system on Indian women in following words:

“In tightening the reins of patriarchy and in reinforcing its ideology, women
emerge as a willing party to their own marginalization and exploitation.
They even give a moral sanctity and legitimacy which shows a self-
imposed subalternism ...patriarchal system subordinated women as a
rational device under condition of powerlessness and economic
dependency.”

Most of the women were also literate because there were many kinds of
customs and taboos which denied the women to be educated or they might
be sent to the schools.

Education of girls was entirely domestic and only a small section of the
female population was educated to the modest requirement of household
life. Quoting Greenfield of Ludhiana, [Link], the champion of oriental
learning and critic of the government educational policy, showed the
distaste of the Punjabis for education of their girls. They argued that they
did not want girls to become munshis and do naukari According to Leitner,
girls’ education was confined to the reading of religious texts. Among the
Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, the importance to read the sacred and religious
texts made female literacy socially acceptable. Among the Hindu? f the
upper castes and class, particularly among the Khatries and Kshatriya
cstes of F unjab, the girls were being taught at home.6 On the other side,
British government had more narrow thinking (downward filtration theory)
even for male education, for their colonial interests. It aimed at creating a
new social base for British rule and to produce a sub-elite class, which
could borrow the colonial administrative structure. The policy makers of the
British government and their Indian supporters were gender -biased in this
perspective and they had not found any profit in female education,
therefore, female education always remained secondary to male education.
This resulted in downfall of girls’ education. In 1869-70, a general survey
revealed the reduction of the total number of school from 2539 in 1868 to
2084 in 1869-70 in the Punjab region. The total number of female pupils in
female government school's and aided schools at the close of academic
53
year 1868- 69 was 17,458. By the end of the academic year 1869-70, it had
fallen to 13,208, that is, about 24 percent.7 It is very important to
understand that from thousands of girls enrolled in various schools, a few
girls passed even primary stage. In 1886-87, there were 62 girl students in
Upper Primary in the District Board School and only 17 students passed
successfully Upper Primary school. There were 1274 girl students in the
same school in Lower Primary but only 100 students passed. The Table 6.2
shows that 1119 girl students dropped out at lower primary level. In Govt,
aided schools, there were 5902 girl students, but only 182 students passed
the primary level. It shows that there was too much girls drop out of girl
students even at primary level.

Question of Women Education in Arya

Samaj:
The question of women education was an important agenda of reform
movement in colonial India and Swami Dayanand Saraswati also
emphasised on it. After the death of Swami Dayanand in 1883 with the
emergence of the D. A. V. College movement Arya Samajists of the Punjab
region evolved the agenda of women education. Before analyse of the
process in which Punjabi educated elite reacted towards issue of women
education; it will be imperative to know that why the women issue came to
the one of the central issues for reformers; why women's education came
to occupy such an important place in the social reform movement? Madhu
Kishwar makes the following statement in this regard:

"Firstly, behind such type of agenda of 19th century refor movement,

strengthening of the patriarchal family system was an important motive.
The evils of child marriage, miserable conditions of widows and the
increasing estrangement between husband and wife due to spread of
colonial education, were all posing a threat to the stability of the patriarchal
family of the upper castes and classes. Hence the question of reforms in
the status of women among these sections of societies became one of the
central questions in the movement to reform in the Hindu society."

Secondly, elite and particularly Arya Samajists were anxious because

those women were receiving education at Christian missionary schools,
they might be converted to Christianity and could follow the Western type of
life style. There is a story from the life of Lala Munshi Ram, which throws
54
light on the Arya Samajists perception of the need for the Arya Samaj to
start women school. One day when Lala Munshi Ram reached his home
and his little daughter, Ved Kumari, came running to meet him, and he
noted that his own daughter was reciting a couplet, which had been learnt
by her at the mission school:
"Ek bar Isa Isa bol, Tera kya lagega mol?

Isa mera Ram Ramayya, Isa mera Kishan Kanhaya"

College Party and Women Education:

Initially, D.A.V. College movement concentrated especially on boys’
education. From the beginning (1886) to second decade of 20th century,
‘College Party’ established, many educational institutions in Northern India,
but these were all for boys. They strongly opposed the efforts of ‘Gurukul
Party’ for women education in the last decade of 19th century and in early
20th century. But in 1907-08 when Lala Devraj took revolutionary step to
introduce English in curriculum of Kanya Mahavidyalaya. The Gurukul
Party opposed such type of steps.31 From this Gurukul Party withdrew
their support to KMV and this was the time when Lala Devraj and ‘College
Party’ became closer.32 Secondly, the ‘College Party’ started to realize the
important of women education from the second decade of 20th century.
Particularly, Lala Lajpat Rai understands the strength of women and
importance of girls’ education during Swadeshi Movement. He openly
admitted that he had made mistake in opposing women education.33 It was
influence of Lala Lajpat Rai's position in D.A.V. College Management
Society that 'College Party’ now took seriously women education. In 1919,
Lala Hans Raj prepared a scheme for women education and discussed it
with Laia Devraj and other KMV leaders.34 It seems that the agenda of
social reformation of Arya Samaj had been replaced by the polity of
communal identity from the beginning of 20th century. The Arya Samajists
of Northern India started the programme of Shuddhi and Sangthan. This
type of communal polity against the Muslims and other religious minority
provided a space to both the factions, i.e. College Party and Gurukul Party
to make unified efforts for mobilisation of Hindus.

Meanwhile, the ideological debate of ‘Gurukul Party' and ‘College Party’

now became in the form of healthy competition in establishment of D.A.V.

55
school & college and Gurukuls. But early efforts of ‘Gurukul Party’ for girls’
education made their lead on College Party in field of women education. Up
to 1925, the Gurukul Party ha established various types of educational
institutions for girls’ education, e.g. Arya Kanya Pathshalas, Arya Putri
Pathshalas, Arya Kanya Vidyalaya and Mahavidyalayas, Kanya Gurukul
etc, particularly in Western UP and presently Haryana regions.35 So, to
combat this challenge D.A.V. college movement took some initiative
towards girls’ education. In 1927, a girl college was established at
Lahore.36 After the death of Mahatma Hans Raj in 1940, this college was
being known as of Hans Raj Mahila Mahavidyalaya. This college was
affiliated with Punjab University and all subjects of Arts and Humanities
were taught. After partition in 1947, this college was shifted from Lahore to
Jalandhar and soon it became a model of girls’ schools and colleges
established by ‘College Party’. Hansraj Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Jalandhar is
affiliated with Guru Nanak Dev University, Amirtsar now-a-days. In
curriculum, beside all modern subjects, Dharma Shiksha (vedic) had an
important place. Hindi and Sanskrit were also being taught in this women
college. For instance, there were 371 students in Sanskrit and 487 students
in Hindi in 1980-81.37 Total number of strength in 1980-81 was 2,852 with
400 hostellers.

Gurukul Party and Women Education:

To combat the Christian missionary threat the Amritsar branch of Arya
Samaj took the first initiative in educational activity for women and in 1885
it started three girls schools.40 The Lahore, Ferozepur and Jalandhar
branches of Arya Samaj also made similar efforts. The Jalandhar Arya
Samaj made three attempts to run a girls school before they achieved
success. In December 1886, a resolution was passed in the Antrang Sabha
of the Jalandhar Samaj in favour of opening a Zanana school for which
they sanctioned an expenditure of Rs.4 per month.41 First attempt of 1886
and 1887 to start girl’s school became failure due to lack of girl students
and ladies teacher. Another attempt made in 1888-89, was also
unsuccessful due to economic reasons. In 1890-91, the girl's school finally
took of by 1892; there were 55 girls on the rolls.42 Lala Devraj's Mother,
Kahan Devi, took charge of it and classes were held in her home. In 1893,
Lala Devraj and Lala Munshi Ram proposed that the existing Primary
School be expanded into a high school, a Kanya Mahavidyalaya with a
girls-hostel and widow home. A sub-ttee was appointed to do follow up

56
work. After several meetings, they drew up a nd sent it to prominent
educationists all over the country and made a general for funds.
While the debates went on, the Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Jalandhar (KMV)
wasd and began to make progress. The Mukhya Sabha (the managing
committee) red a society which was established in 1896 to control KMV,
stated its purposes

1. to impart physical, mental and religious instruction

2. to give instruction in handicrafts such as needle work, plain sewing
3. to give instructions in household economy, such as cooking, etc.
4. to give instructions in hygiene and elementary rules of health ^
5. training of females as school teachers
6. to encourage and produce literature in Hindi and Sanskrit for the use
of
females.

57
CHAPTER - 8

Conclusion
“O, Supreme Being, the Great Ruler of the Rulers, stimulate us with
appropriate courage, fortitude, moral goodness, courtesy, power, strength
of body and mind, and such other virtues that we may be independent and
enjoy sovereign imperial sway. May no foreigner come to our country to
rule over us; and may we never lose our political independence and
become enslavened to foreigners." (Swami Dayanand Saraswati,
‘Arvabhivinava’)

The introduction of English education system and close cultural contact

with modern Europe transformed the attitudes of Indians towards religion,
caste, community and nation. An excellent example of such influence was
census reports, which became a communal tally sheet registering success
or decline of one community against all others. This process of listing
people according to religion, community, caste and categories furthered the
process of institutionalization of all social sections in late 19 th century. In
these signs of time Swami Dayanand’s ideology provided an ideal
alternative for the new emerging middle class of North India and Arya
Samaj developed as most prominent socio-religious movement in North
India.

Although Swami Dayanand belonged to Gujrat region and founded first

Arya Samaj in Bombay but the people of North India accepted his ideology
and particularly the trading community of colonial Punjab showed great
enthusiasm towards the Arya Samajmovement. These trading
communities: Khatri, Arora and Banias, were at the time well he way
towards a secure position in material world but their social status was low.
i ideology provided them the alternative of social upliftment within Hindu
society out any conversion and fear. The same ambitions worked for the
development of Samaj movement in presently Haryana and Western U. P.
region but the (ground was different. In Haryana region Jat peasantry
adopted the Vedic traditions, and Gurukul ideology of Arya Samaj to
combat the imported British [Link] the Arya ideology and Gurukul

58
movement the Arya Samajists of Haryanan not only opposed the colonial
educational system but also developed a new type social mobility, Khap
identity and political consciousness. In presently U. P. region all
communities less or more, responded Arya ideology and Brahmin and
Kayastha played a leading role in the popularity of Arya Samaj movement.
"he educational aims of Swami Dayanand were to make students
vocationally self-suficient, intellectually mature, socially efficient, culturally
refined, morally virtuous and actually advanced. For these purposes Swami
Dayanand started some schools in but real attention towards the
educational agenda was paid after his death in 1883. Arya Samajists of the
Punjab region reinterpreted the ideological legacy and Swami Dayanand
accordingly their material need and decided to open anglo-Vedic college in
the memory of their late guru. On 1 June, 1886 Dayanand Anglo High
School, Lahore came into existence which turned into college up to 1889 in
guidance of Lala Hans Raj, an honorary principal of D. A. V. College,
Lahore. the scheme of study of D. A. V. School and College, Lahore
included, ‘English language for adjustment, Hindi for communication with
the masses, Sanskrit and works of Dayanand for moral uplift and science
for material progress- Arya offered answers to the most acute dilemmas of
occupational mobility and cultural adjustment’.

D. A. V. College Managing Society projected a balanced curriculum with

lowest fee charges and without receiving government aid among the
peoples to exploit the opportunities created by British colonial rule.

The initial leadership of the D. A. V. College movement developed

indigenous mode of fund collection and emerging middle class of Northern
India donated open heartily to run the D. A. V. institutions. That initial
leadership of D. A. V. College movement was dominated by the Punjabi
trading communities like Khatri and Arora, which revolted against the
traditional social hierarchy and acted as leaders into new Punjabi society.
These communities also funded largely for D. A. V. institutions because
they realized Arya Samaj as a platform for their social upliftment and these
communities dominated the D. A. V. College movement up to present time.
In this way, the Punjabi society responded enthusiastically to D. A. V.
College, Lahore and very soon it became an ideal for another hundreds of
D. A. V. institutions, which were established throughout the
North India in late 19th and early 20th century.

59
The popularity and success of D. A. V. College, Lahore developed
ideological differences among the Punjabi Arya Samajists and they were
divided into two factions on the issues of curriculum of D. A. V. College,
meat-eating and women education. The moderate wing (College Party)
captured D. A. V. School and College and stressed on education, orphan
and famine relief movements. They also led the way toward political action,
first in the Indian National Congress and then in the Punjab Hindu Sabha.
Typical of such leaders, Lala Lai Chand and Lala Lajpat Rai stood foremost
among politicized Aryas. In contrast, Mahatma Wing (later Gurukul Party)
retained a more religious and devotional vision of the Arya Samaj and its
mission. Their devotion to Arya ideology led them to challenge existing
society in radical reform: Shuddhi for conversion, Sanghan as a vehicle of
social uplift, widow remarriage and higher education for upliftment of
women and dharmprachar for communal defense.

The genesis of Gurukul ideology was the result of dissatisfaction of

curriculum and study pattern of D. A. V. College, Lahore. The initial
leadership of Gurukul movement: Pandit Guru Datta, Lala Munshi Ram,
Lala Ralla Ram, Durga Prasad, Chaudhary Ram Bhaj Datta etc., was felt
that D. A. V. College, Lahore and its leadership deliberately ignored the
study of Sanskrit and Vedas. Their ideological differences led a permanent
split in Arya Samaj and Mahatma Section radically projected the ideology of
Hindu revivalism and emphasised to develop refined Arya generation. In
some way Gurukul movement was a product of anxiety and fear of
Christian missionary propaganda.

The Gurukul ideology was the effort to combat the challenges of the
Christian, Muslim and Sikh. Through Gurukul education they wanted to
produce refined Ved prachark, for this purpose Gurukul Kangri was
founded in 1902 by Lala Munshi Ram (later Swami Sharddhanand). The
curriculum of Gurukul Kangri emphasised on the study of Sanskrit
grammar, Vedas, Teachings and works of Swami Dayanand, Hindi
literature, History and Physical Sciences in Hindi medium. The practice of
Vedic traditions- Sandhya, Havana, recitation of mantra, Yogashana and
physical exercise were also the integral part of Gurukul curriculum. There
was a fix daily work-schedule for brahmacharies for twenty-four hours of a
day. Swami Sharddhanand developed Gurukul Kangri in an ideal institute
and many Gurukuls were started on its pattern in presently Haryana and
Western U.P. region in 1920’s and 1930’s. It was important thing that the
initial leadership of Gurukul movement also belonged to the trading
60
communities of colonial Punjab, but Gurukul movement did not become
successful and popular where D. A. V. College movement responded
enthusiastically, particularly in colonial Punjab region except presently
Haryana region.
The orientation of Gurukul movement in presently Haryana region was
quite different from the colonial Punjab. The prominent leadership of this
region - Bhagat Phool Singh, Chaudhary Piru Singh, Acharya Bhagwan
Dev, Chaudhary Chottu Ram etc., belonged to ordinary rural peasant
background, ordinary literate and hadn’t participated in government jobs
and commercial activities like the leaders of the Punjab region. So the
objectives of the people of Haryana region to support Arya Samaj and its
Gurukul movement were socio-political rather than economic. In this region,
the platform of Arya Samaj was used primarily for social inwardness, caste
identity and political ambitions. Later on, Chaudhary Chhotu Ram as a
political leader used this process of social transition through Arya Samaj
movement in rural Haryana particularly Jat dominated central Haryana.
Chaudhary Chhotu Ram during initial phase of his political carrier
supported Gurukul movement. He regularly attended the annual functions
of Gurukul Matindu and Bhenshawal and participated in fund raising
programmes. He used the platform of Arya Samaj to consolidate his
political links with the rural Jat community. In 1920’s and 1930’s Chhotu
Ram turned these social ambitions of Jat community into a social power.
So, a thrust to caste superiority, social mobility, popular agrarian, and new
approach of Hindu revivalism, political mobilization and participation in
National Movement were some important aspects of Gurukul movement in
region.

The ‘Gurukul Party’ also played a vital role in the dissemination of

education for Swami Dayanand also gave emphasis on women education
and through the program of women upliftment, the ‘Gurukul Party’ showed
themselves real follower of Dayanand. There was an ironical situation that
supposedly more conservative orthodox wing (Gurukul Party) supported
higher education for girls while the progressive and moderates wing
(College Party) opposed it. Although Party strongly opposed the efforts of
women education but Lala Dev Raj and Ram started Kenya
Mahavidyalaya at Jalandhar in 1890. The Kenya Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, very
soon became the ideal institution in the field of women education and
hundreds schools for the girls were started through out the North India in
20th century. On the pattern of Gurukul Kangri some Kenya Gurukuls were
also published in presently Haryana and Western UP. region in 1930’s and
61
1940’s. Later Party turned their attitude and started some D. A. V. School
and College in which Hans Raj Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Lahore became
very popular. But in worId of women education ‘Gurukul Party’ remained far
advance than ‘College Party’, reformatory zeal impelled Swami Dayanand
and Arya Samajists to call force to turn the Indian’s fate. The agenda of
social and religious revivalism was with the emerging Indian nationalism.
Swami Dayanand gave an indigenous education to Indian nationalism that
reflected from his view, ‘a good Government is no substitute for self-
government’. His radical view contained the concepts of ‘Swarajya’ and
‘Swadeshi’ which were based on the ideology of ‘Back to Vedas’ and ‘India
for Indians’. Swami Dayanand interpreted the concept of ‘Swarajya’ and
‘Swadeshi’ in 1880’s when nobody could dare to reach the meaning of
‘Swarajya’ and ‘Swadeshi’. The radical political philosophy of Swami
Dayanand gave the people of India ‘an interpretation of India’s past,
providing a vision of and pride in Hindu nation and suggesting remedies for
India’s economic conditions’. The development of the D. A. V. College
movement and establishment of network of Gurukuls were also the leading
example of Swadeshi. Arya Samaj institutions remained independent from
the British control; they did not accept any grants from the government, nor
had any Britishers in their management. They did not employ any foreigner
in their institutions, hence projected a true picture of Swadeshi. Swami
Dayanand was the first person who emphasised strongly on Hindi (Arya
Bhasha) as the national language of India. Later for the advancement of
Hindi, Arya Samaj started a campaign through the curriculum and study
scheme of Arya institutions and particularly through Gurukul movement.
Although Anglo-Indian press, C.I.D. reports and colonial administration
projected Arya Samaj movement as ‘seditious’ ‘dangerous’ and 'with
intention of rebel’ but government’s hostility and suppression couldn’t stop
Arya Samajists to participate in Indian freedom struggle.

During Swadeshi movement, which was started against the partition of

Bengal in 1905, D. A. V. College and Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Jalandhar
became the prime centre of this movement. Under the leadership of
prominent Arya Samajists: Lala Lajpat Rai, Sardar Ajit Singh, Lala Mul Raj,
Chaudhary Rambhaj Datta etc., ‘Swadeshi Vastu Pracharini Sabha’ and
‘Punjab Swadeshi Association’ were established to foster the notion of
‘Swadeshi’ and ‘Boycott’ among the people of North India. The most
important output of these indigenous ventures was development of the
‘Punjab National Bank’. The Arya leadership developed their own means of
communications and started various journals, weekly and daily newspapers
62
in which ‘Puniabee’. ‘Satdhrma Pracharak’. ‘Arva Gazette’. 'Arva Patrika’.
'Panchal Pandita'. Arva Messenger', etc., became the mouthpiece of Arya
ideology and Indian National Movement in North India. The women
leadership of Arya Samaj played also vital role in the Swadeshi movement
in colonial Punjab region.

The Arya Samaj gave many leaders to Indian National Congress in which
three were most prominent: Lala Murlidhar, Lala Lajpat Rai and Swami
Sharddhanand. But it is important that Arya Samajists joined the Congress
with their own agenda and interests. But after 1925, when Congress
seemed less and less willing to accept the communal interests, Aryas left
the Congress. Particularly, after the death of Swami Sharddhanand and
Lala Lajpat Rai Arya Samaj returned to their campaign of Shuddhi and
Sangthan.

The phase of extremist nationalism (Lai-Bal-Pai era) developed a great

enthusiasm in Indian youth to sacrifice their life for the sake of their country.
Arya Samajists and particularly Arya educational institutions played vital
and potent role in the propagation of revolutionary movement in North
India. Through the ‘Bharat Mata society' and Anjuman-I-Muhhiban-I-
Watan’, many students of the D. A. V. institutions and Gurukuls sacrificed
their lives and dreams for freedom of India. Annie Besant had rightly
remarked, ‘we recognise the Arya Samaj and its patriotic vigour, as one of
the strongest currents in the stream of Indian nationalism’.

Although, Arya Samaj movement paid a vital role to reform the Hindu
society and to dissemination of education in India but it had also some
limits. Firstly, Arya Samaj’s social reform movement was dominated by the
propaganda of Hindu revivalism led by the new emerging middle class and
trading communities of the colonial Punjab region. Particularly the Gurukul
ideology and institutions through their Shuddhi and Sangthan campaigns
abrupt the communal harmony and caused the severe difference among
various communities of North Indian society. It remained purely Hindu
movement without any participation of other communities like Muslims,
Sikh. All members of the D. A. V. College Trust and Management Society
and leadership of Gurukul movement were Hindus. In the D. A. V.
institutions through the classes of Dharmshiksha, Ayurvedic Department,
Theological and Vedic Research Department, the efforts were being made
to produce a refined Arya generations. Secondly, the issue of women
education always remained secondary in D. A. V. movement. Although
63
Gurukul movement took initiative for girls’ education but the whole parade
was done to produce ideal Hindu wives and mothers. The efforts made for
women education were not for their socio-economic independence, but for
the development of ‘Victorian Ideal’ of women, who fulfil the requirements
of the patriarchal family system in changing milieu of colonial society. Third,
Arya Samaj’s educational agenda failed to attract common people of North
India and the participation of non-Hindus, poor, down trodden and lower
castes was nil. In this way, Arya Samaj movement stressed on the
formation of Hindu identity and took communal positions against the
Muslims, Sikhs and Christians.

Besides above mentioned limits and weaknesses the educational agenda

of Arya Samaj movement paid an alternative with indigenous approach to
the ambitions of emerging middle class of colonial North India. D. A. V. College,
Lahore and Gurukul Kangri had become an ideal and a network of Arya Samaj
institutions was established throughout the India. Educational work of the Arya
Samaj is closely allied to the gospel of national life. The Tribune (March 6, 1929)
paid the tribute to the Arya Samaj’s contribution in dissemination of education
among Indian people as under:

“In the whole of India, there are no other educational institutions, which
individually and collectively can excel the D. A. V. College of Lahore, the Gurukul
at Kangri, the Kanya Mahavidyalaya at Jalandhar, either in their direct contribution
to the cause of education or in their indirect contribution to national life.”

64
 Bibliography
PRIMARY SOURCES
Archival:
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Archives of India, New Delhi)

Selections from Native Newspapers Reports of the Punjab (1885-1930),

NAI

Selections from Educational Records (1880-1947), NAI

Reports, Department of Public Instructions, Punjab and United Provinces,

1870- 1900, NAI

Appendix to Education Commission Reports, Punjab, 1884, NAI

Census of India, 1881, 1901, 1911, 1921, 1941, NAI

Annual Reports of Indian National Congress, 1905-1910, 1919-1922, NAI

Private Papers of Lala Lajpat Rai, NMML

Private Papers of Pandit Shri Ram Sharma, NMML

Arya Samaj Papers, News Papers and

Periodicals:
Davanand Anqlo-Vedic College Trust and Management Society
(Proceedings and Annual Reports, 1886-1947, NMML

Davanand Anqlo-Vedic College Managing Committee (Proceedings and

Annual Reports. 1889-1947. NMML .

Annual Reports of the Arva Pratinidhi Sabhas, NMML

The Arya (Jalandhar) NMML
65
Arva Directory (Lahore) SAPS

Article, Research Papers and Unpublished Ph. D.

Thesis:
1. Bara, Joseph
> ‘Colonialism and Educational Fragmentation in India’ in The Indian
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Review’ (I. C. H. R.) Vol. XXIII, No. 1-2, July 1996 to Jan. 1997.

2. Barrier, N. G.
> ‘Punjab Politics and the Disturbances of 1907' (unpublished Ph.D.
Thesis) Duke
University 1966, available at NMML.
> The Arva Samai and Congress Politics in the Punjab, 1894-1908’, in
‘Journal of
Asian Studies’. Vol.-36, No. 3, May, 1967.
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in ‘Sikh
Review’ Vol. XXX, No. 351, March, 1983.

3. Chandavarkar, G. A.

> The Gurukul Academy at Kangri’ in ‘Indian Review’, August. 1913.

> The D. A. V. College, Lahore’ in ‘Hindustan Review’. Vol. 31, May-June
1915.

4. Jones, Kenneth W.

> ‘Communalism in the Punjab: The Arva Samai Contribution’ in The

Journal of
Asian Studies’, No. I, November 1968 - August 1969.
> ‘Ham Hindu Nahin: The Arva-Sikh Relations, 1877-1905’ in The Punjab
Past
and Present’, Vol. Xl-ll, October, 1977.

66
> ‘The Bengali Elite in Post-Annexation Punjab: An Example of Inter-
Religion
Influence in 19th Century India’, in The Indian Economic and Social History
Review’, Vol. No. 4, December, 1966.

5. Juergensmeyer, Mark

> ‘Cultures of Deprivation: Three Case Studies in Punjab’ in ‘Economic and

Political Weekly’, Annual No, Feb. 1979

6. Malhotra, Anshu
> The Moral Woman and the Urban Punjabi Society of the Late Nineteenth
Century’ in ‘Social Scientist’, Vol. 20, No. 5-6, May-June 1992.

7. Rai, Lala Lajpat

> ‘National Education’ in ‘Modern Review’ (Culcatta), Vol. 25, No. 4, April
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Baird, Robert D. : Religion in Modern India (New Delhi, 1981)

Banga, Indu : Five Punjabi Centuries (ed.) (New Delhi, 1997)

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1982) : The Growth of Education and Political Development in
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Chand, Devi In India (New Delhi. 1990)

67
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Chowdhry, Prem (Lahore, 1903)

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68