chapter-2 rise of arya samaj and educational...
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CHAPTER-2
RISE OF ARYA SAMAJ AND EDUCATIONAL
MOVEMENT IN HARYANA
India in the 19t h
century looked like a shadow of a once
vibrant civilization. Politically, it was a period of servility,
intellectually, a period of blind imitation of the west and
spiritually, a time of confusion and despair. The country
struggled under a crushing load of unreason, in abject slavery to
circumstances. Indian society was steeped in superstit ious,
obsolescent rituals and prejudices. It had, more or less, become
fossilized with a crumbling heritage and with no rock to stand
upon1
Swami Dayanand founded the Hindu reform organization
called Arya Samaj on April 14,18752 in Mumbai, and also created
its 10 principles, which are quite distinct from Hinduism, yet
based on the Vedas. These principles aimed at advancing the
individual and society through physical, spiritual and social
betterment of the human race.3 His aim was not to found a new
religion, but to re-establish the teachings of the ancient Vedas.4
He envisaged a society which would provide equal opportunities
to all, irrespective of their caste, creed or sect, and give due
regard to womenfolk who were being ill treated in the post Vedic
period.5 At the time of the establishment of Arya Samaj Swami
1. Bashkar Mashik Patrika, 1907, pp. 9-11. Aryamitra, 1916, pp. 6-10, and Aryodya 1963, p. 12
2. Gurukula Patrika, 1937 Ank 6 April, p. 4
3. Prahalad, 1983, NO. 3, pp. 45-46 fo|k foykleulks /k̀fr'khyf'k{kk% lR;ozrk jfgrekueykigkjk% lalkj nq%[knysu lqHkwf"krk ;s /kU;k ujk fofgr deZ ijksidkjk% AA
4. Ibid.
5. Arya Heritage – Monthly Journal, Nov. – 1985.
36
Dayanand Sarswati said:
“ftanxh dks eSa rik;s ns jgk gw¡]
Lo.kZ dks dqUnu cuk;s ns jgk gw¡A
vkaf/k;ksa dks jks'kuh feyrh jgsxh]
vkt og nhid tyk;s ns jgk gw¡AA”6
For Dayanand, education did not mean the study of letters
alone. He took a broader and more comprehensive view of
education. It means knowledge that builds character, develops
various sides of human personality, sharpens intellect and gives
critical, cool headed and calm decision taking power, patience
and will power.7 He wanted the students to practice five Yamas :
namely – Ashima (Non-violence), Satya (truth), Brahamacharya
(self-control), Asteya (No greed for wealth). Also, the student
practiced five niyam as:- namely – shucha (cleanliness of body,
purity of mind and soul), Tapa (penance), Swadhyaya (self-
study), Santosha (contentment and ishwara pranidhana, love and
devotion for God). Also the student should not take to wine, meat
eating, scents or perfumes, flowers, company of women and
killing of living beings.8
Swami Dayanand wanted students to achieve proficiency in
diverse fields of knowledge including patriotism, love and
affection for the society at large. He started many schools in the
country, adopting the scheme of learning discussed above but
could not, however, achieve much in this direction during his life
time.9 After the death of Swami Dayanand in 1883 people
believing in the principles founded by him, made meaningful
6. Propkari – Dec. - Jan. 1978, p. 24
7. Aryamitra, 1916, pp. 10-13, Prahalad Patrika 1983 No.3, pp. 14-15. Bhaskar, 1907, p. 59,
Bhaskar, 1908, p. 74-76.
8. Ibid.
9. Gurukula Patrika, Dec. 1974-75, pp. 441-445.
37
efforts in the field of education having long lasting impact
towards social change.10
There was wider spread ill iteracy and ignorance causing
many social evils. Swami Dayanand emphatically tried to bring
solutions to these problems by introducing educational reforms
which were both formal and informal in nature. These reforms
provided an alternative to the Christian missionary education
prevalent at that t ime. It was a blend of Vedic and modern system
of learning.11
The initial model of education proposed by Swami
Dayanand was followed by Anglo Vedic and Gurukula systems to
face contemporary challenges. A large chain of educational
institutions managed by Arya Samaj came into being in the
country which brought about many changes at the social
economic and political fronts.12
FACTOR FOR THE SPREAD OF ARYA SAMAJ IN HARYANA
Since the beginning of the 19t h
century there have been
many socio-religious reform movements in India but Haryana
remained almost unaffected by them. However, Arya Samaj took
the region into its fold. I t made untiring efforts to raise the
socio-religious status of agricultural communities, to spread
education, remove untouchability and to raise the social status of
women. It also launched a crusade against social evils like child
marriage and female infanticide. With the beginning of the 20t h
century Arya Samaj emerged as a vital force in Haryana for
agricultural development. The movement played a very important
role in the history of the Haryana region. It had a great impact on
the life and thinking of the people, particularly of the Hindus in
10. Gurukula Patrika 1982, pp .15-17.
11. Propkari 1973, pp. 36-40.
12. Arya Sansar, 1972 (Varshik Visheshank, Dec. 1970) pp. 14-16.
38
19t h
and 20th
centuries. I t was a Revivalist Movement in form and
reformist in content.
Ambala was the first place of Haryana visited by Swami
Dayanand on 17th
July 1878. He halted there for sometimes while
going from Punjab to Roorkee in U.P. Here he condemned the
social and religious weaknesses of the orthodox Hinduism. In
1880 Swami Dayanand visited Rewari at the request of Rao
Yudhister, the Ahir leader and the descendent of Rao Tula Ram.
At the appeal of Swami Dayanand a Goshala was established at
Rewari. Perhaps, it was the first Goshala in Northern India.13
Among the earlier followers in the region were Lala Lajpat
Rai, Pandit Lakhpal Rai, Lala Churamani, Hiralal and Chandu
Lal, who set up a branch of Arya Samaj in Hissar in 1889, and
built a temple there in 1893.14
During 1880s, they intensified
their activities among the Jats especially in Hissar, where Lala
Lajpat Rai practiced law. After sometime, the message of Arya
Samaj spread to other districts -Ambala, Karnal and Gurgaon.15
The main reasons for propagation of Arya Samaj in Haryana :-
(i) The first reason was the origin of the Vedas in Haryana.
The Rishis conduced Vedic researches on the bank of the
the river Saraswati. Though with the passage of time the
process of research might have been lost, its influence was
ever felt. That is why, the faith of the inhabitants of
Haryana has remained intact in the Vedas. Hence they were
tempted to look back to the Vedas, and naturally felt drawn
13
Ranjit Singh, Haryana Ke Arya Samaj ka Itihas, Acharya Printing Press, Rohtak, pp. 6-10.
14. Proceeding, Role of Arya Samaj in Education on March 28-29, 2014, Dayanand Postgraduate
College Hissar, p. 89
15. K.C.Yadav, Modern Haryana : History and Culture 1803-1966, Manohar Publication, New
Delhi, pp. 132-133.
39
towards Arya Samaj and they continue to be a part of this
revolution of Arya Samaj.16
(ii) Haryana is an agricultural state, at that time all activities
related to agriculture depended upon bullocks. Bullocks are
the offspring of cows. The status of a person was evaluated
on the basis of the number of bullocks his household had.
The families got nourished by the milk of cows. The cow
and the bullock were the backbone of the family and
agricultural industry respectively. When Dayanand
Saraswati raised the issue of cow protection and showed the
importance of cow in his book ‘Gau Karunanidhi ,17
this
principle was appreciated very much by the people of
Haryana. Due to the spread of Islam, the cow had been
losing its importance among the people of Haryana too.
Some followers of traditional Hinduism i.e. Sanatans, too,
were against Maharishi Dayanand’s cow protection
principle but the people of Haryana by and large had been
in favour of cow-protection.18
(iii) In Haryana large cities were yet to came into being. The
whole state had abundance of villages. In the village people
used to live amicably through the Panchayat system
wherein discussions followed before ideas being accepted
or rejected. The economic condition of the village depended
on the cow. People were vegetarians. Maharishi’s
opposition to non vegetarianism was favoured by the
16. Dharamdev Vidarthi, Arya Samaj Ka Itihas Vishesh Sandarbh Haryana, Panchkula, 2010, p. 60
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid
40
people. In this context Maharishi said as follows – “with
the non-vegetarian and wine-taking foreign officers feeding
themselves on beef, and the flesh of other animals the
miseries of Aryans steadily increased. Agriculturalists of
Haryana considered it a sin to kill creatures such as cows,
bullocks, deer, peacocks etc.” This was very close to the
hearts of people of Haryana.19
(iv) Casteism was not very rigid in Haryana. Brahmins too were
not very rigid. Here Brahmins along with other castes used
to cultivate land. Due to agricultural work they came in
contact with the people of lower castes because the work
pertaining to agricultural labour was done by lower caste
people. Owing to it, there prevailed an amicable
relationship between all the castes and the Brahmins were
not very dogmatic vis-à-vis these castes.20
The second main
caste was that of Jat. Due to the lack of Pauranic
knowledge, Jats and Brahmins did not indulge in such
serious issues. So when the Arya Samaj treated Jats as
Brahmins and gave them the right to wear the sacred thread
alongwith other castes, it was no less than a religious
ceremony. Dayanand while describing the story of Jats in
the 11t h
Samullas of his book ‘Satyarth Prakash’
honorifically addressed them as Jats. As a result, a good
number of them became followers of Arya Samaj.21
(v) During the Mughal period inspite of compulsions they did
not agree to convert. Their belief in the Vedic religion was
steadfast.
19. Aryodya – 1960 (Sunday July -3) pp. 5-7
20. Ibid .
21. Ibid, 12 Sept. 1960, p. 6
41
(vi) The people of Haryana understood simple and logical
matters. They liked the things stated by Dayanand which
were based on logic. Hence on conceptual level too, they
were very close to Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati.22
(vii) At that time in many parts of Punjab the propagation of
Christianity was as its peak. Christian missionaries used to
propagate Christianity in cities. Due to it the Vedic Hindu
followers always remained suspicious. Earlier, the Mughals
converted Hindus into Islam and now the Britishers were
trying to make them Christians. Maharishi Dayanand
proved to be a great reformer. It was natural that they
regarded Arya Samaj as a powerful protecting institution.
People of the region thus, welcomed its ideology and
agreed to become Arya Smajists.23
(viii) During the period of his stay at Rewari, Dayananda came in
contact with Yadavs. Seeing that their Chief, Rao
Yudhisther Singh had be come Arya Samajist, Yadavs
agreed to become the members of Arya Samaj. Preachings
of Mahrishi Dayanand regarding Shri Krishna as Yogiraj
and Mahapurush, influenced them to a great extent, they
became Arya Samajists in a huge number.24
(ix) On the eve of Delhi Darbar, Swami Dayanand was present
in Delhi. At that time he met Sardar Vikram Singh
Ahulwalia, who invited him to the Punjab. On his insistence
Swami Ji stayed in Punjab. There were many relatives of
the family residing in Haryana, and as a result the
Ahulwalias of Haryana became Arya Samajists who
22. Ibid.
23. S.C.Sharma, Punjab The Crucial Decade, Nirmal Publication, New Delhi, 1987, pp. 129-136.
24. Dharm Dev Vidyarthi, op.cit., pp. 60-62.
42
established Arya Samaj in the area of Ambala, Kaithal,
Yamunanagar, Fatehpur, Pundri etc. Among them Sh.
Mansha Ram Ahulwalia of Fatehpur was the main person
who left his police service and established Arya Samaj. His
colleague master Mukhandi lal, rendered great service to
Arya Samaj.25
(x) The biggest work of the propagation of Arya Samaj was
done by many dedicated Arya Samaj workers and leaders.
The name of Pandit Basti Ram is foremost, who conversed
with Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati. He met Dayanand in
Rewari. He was a great singer as well as a logician. He
sang a song in praise of Maharishi Dayanand.26
His book of
religious songs ‘Pakhandkhandi’ and ‘Agmarshan
Prarthana’ gained great popularity. The preachers of Arya
Samaj still sing his religious songs.
Table given below shows the spread of Arya Samaj in
Haryana in 19t h
and 20t h
centuries:-
In 1880s, a branch of the Arya Samaj was established in
Rohtak by Rai Sahib, Sansar Chand, who succeeded in spreading
Arya Samaj in Sanghi, Maham Jhajjar, Mahra and Kiloi villages
in Rohtak.27
Arya Samaj was established in Jhajjar in 188528
and
in 1894 at Thanesar29
In 1898, Arya Samaj was established at
Jind. This was the result of the efforts of an enthusiastic worker
Bhagwan Das, who brought about the establishment of Arya
25. Ranjit Singh, op.cit. pp. 17-18, and S.C. Sharma, op.cit., p. 130
26. Dharm Dev Vidyarthi, op.cit., pp. 196-97
27. Arya Jan-Dec. 1954 (30 May, 1954), p. 5
28. Ibid, 17 June (Sunday 1954) pp. 28
29. Ibid, Sunday 5 to 12 Dec. p. 13
43
Table 2.130
Establishment
year
City/Town Name of Persons Members
1880 Rohtak _ 10
1880 Rewari _ 21
1883 Karnal Swami Omanand _
1885 Jhajjar _ 13
1886 Jagadhari Pandit Lekh Ram _
1889 Hissar Lala Lajpat Rai,
Lala Khabi Rai and
Ramji Lal
59
1890 Hathin _ 5
1890 Bhiwani _ 36
1890 Ambala City Sardar Kala Singh 14
1891 Ambala Cantt Gurdyal Singh 21
1892 Sirsa Lala Shiv Naryana,
Lala Kesiram,
Master Shivaji Ram
19
1893 Sahabad _ _
1894 Thanesar Lala Kaka Ram,
Lala Bhagirathmal
15
1896 Ballabhgarh
(Faridabad)
_ 10
1897 Kaithal Pandit Atama Ram, 30
1898 Jind Bhagwan Das -
1900 Ladwa _ 8
1900 Pundri _ 20
1900 Kaithal _ 30
1901 Gurgaon Chandulal _
30. Punjab Administration Report 1917-18 p. 75, S.C.Sharma op.cit, p. 136. Aryapatrika Jan-Dec.-
1957-59 (17 Feb. 1957) pp 4-5, Arya Patrika April 1953-54 (13 Dec. 1953) p. 11, Arya – Jan-
Dec. 1950- p.9, Aryodya 1963 (6 May, 1960) p. 10, Aryodya-1964 (17 March) p. 13 Arya
Patrika, Jan-Dec.1954 (Sunday 30 May, 1954) p. 5, Ibid. (17 June Sunday 1954) pp. 2-8, Ibid
Sunday 5 to 12 Dec. p.13, Ranjit Singh, op.cit., pp. 17-19.
44
Samaj in Jind.31
In 1891, Arya Samaj was established at Ambala
Cantt. The first chief of this Samaj was Sardar Kala Singh and
later on Gurdyal Singh worked for the progress of Ambala
cantonment.32
In the establishment of Jagadhri unit, Pandit Lekh Ram had
a major role. In the Kaithal unit, Pandit Atama Ram and Swami
Bhaskaran preached the gospel of Vedic religion. Lala Kalaram
and Lala Bhagirath Mal were the main figures among the initial
workers of Thanesar.33
In 1893, Arya Samaj split into two in the Punjab, one
section was led by Lala Hansraj and Lala Lajpat Rai. They
retained control over D.A.V. College, Lahore, while the radical
section was under the leadership of Pandit Lekh Ram and Lala
Munshi Ram, the latter came to be known as Swami
Sharddhanand. They formed, Punjab Arya Samaj and led Arya
Pratinidhi Sabha. Lala Lajpat Rai played a very important part in
popularizing Arya Samaj in the rural areas of Haryana. Chaudhari
Matu Ram and his descendants ardently appreciated the value of
education, and laid a network of schools and colleges both for
boys and girls.34
Arya Samaj played a great role in removing
backwardness among the farming community of Haryana,
especially Jats.35
In the late 19th
century, the success of Arya Samaj among
Jats was due to the fact that they especially appreciated
Maharishi Dayanand’s hostility to Brahmins. The first Jats to join
Arya Samaj were those of Hisar and Rohtak. One of the first Jat
31. Aryodya – 1964, (17 March, 1916) p. 13
32. Arya – Jan-June 1957-59 (17 Feb. 1957) pp. 4-5.
33. Arya, April (1953-54), 13 Sept. 1953, Aryodya, 1963, ( 6 May, 1960), p. 10
34. Aryodaya 1964, p.11-13, Aryodaya, Sunday 3 July 1960 p. 5
35. Aryodaya, Sunday 11 Sept., 1960, pp. 7-11
45
converts to Arya Samaj was Dr. Ramji Lal Hooda. Lala Lajpat
Rai called him the first jat spokesman of Arya Samaj. He spread
his religion among a huge chunk of his community.36
He
organized Jat Sabhas and Mahasabhas for spreading the ideology
of Arya Samaj among his fellows. In 1921, he became the
President of the Arya Samaj in Hisar and contributed to the
development of Shuddhi Sabhas. These associations worked to
bring back those people who had converted to Islam or
Christianity, to the Vedic fold. In 1923, he became the President
of Shuddhi Sabha in the districts of Hisar and Rohtak. But, in
fact, these Sabhas purified many Jats and lower castes people
even when they were Hindus in order to transform them into
twice-borns.37
Arya Samaj exerted a strong morally and culturally
uplifting effect over the Jats. They were asked to abstain from
consuming alcohol and meat, restrict their expenditure on
wedding and other ceremonies, and refrain from singing cheap
songs and watching vulgar pictures during fairs.38
In the 20t h
century Arya Samaj became more popular. And by the 1920s it
spread to almost every town and big village of Haryana.
The number of the members also increased manifold. Since
its inception Arya Samaj has been preaching strongly against
superstit ions, omens useless rites, ceremonies and customs. It
exercised deep influence over the Jats, a unique feature of which
is that the Jat womenfolk are usually left free to adopt any
religious ceremony. It stressed on the establishment of
educational institutions and the removal of the evil of
untouchability. The movement created a new social consciousness
36. Ranjit Singh, op.cit pp. 21-24 37
Proceeding, op.cit, pp. 89-90.
38. Nonica Datta – Forming And Identity : A Social History of the Jat, New Delhi, 1999, p. 74
46
Haryana 1985
47
and spread gradually to the urban areas of Haryana. It also
attracted public attention to its anti-cow slaughter programme”.39
Thus, we see that with the efforts of Lala Lajpat Rai, Seth
Chandulal, Brahmanand Pandit, Sambhu Dayal, Pandit Basti Ram,
Pandit Lekh Ram, Lala Som Nath, Dr. Dhani Ram, Dr. Ramji Lal
Hooda, Arya Samaj achieved tremendous success in Haryana.40
It
gave a new message to the people of this area. The worker of
Arya Samaj went from village to village for popularizing Arya
Samaj through speeches.
EDUCATION IN HARYANA:
Education in Haryana was good in the ancient times, but
unfortunately, owing to its typical location, it could not retain
the tradition. When the British came to Haryana in 1803 the
position of education was far from satisfactory41
even in towns.
The history of education of this period is divided into three sub-
periods.
(i) 1800-1857 (under the East India Company rule)
(ii) 1858-1900 (under the Crown)
(iii) 1900-1947 (under the Crown in the age of National
Awakening)42
The first period 1800-1857
In the beginning of this period we find the word education
being taken in a very different sense in Haryana. It stood for
nothing more than the knowledge which would make a child
39. Sharma, Suresh Kumar, Haryana : Past and Present, Mittal Publications, New Delhi, 2006, pp.
115-124.
40. S.C.Mittal, A Historical Perspective, Delhi, 1980, p. 66
41. Sarwan Kumar, Education in Haryana 1854-1911 in K.C. Yadav, Haryana Studies in History
and Culture (1968) p. 103
42. Uday Shankar & C.L. Kundu – Education in Haryana : Retrospect and Prospect, K.U.K. 1970,
p. 1
48
proficient in his parental profession.43
Only a few people sent
their sons to the so called indigenous schools - the Maktab and
Madrassas (For Muslims)44
and Chhatshalas, Pathshalas (for
Hindu) and Gurumukhi schools (For Sikhs).45
The Maulvis,
Pandits and Granthis in the schools imparted some religious
education and nominal instructions in language and arithmetic.
There were some Mahajans or ‘Landi’ schools which were meant
for the children of the trading communities46
, imparting
knowledge of accounts.
The school buildings were primitive such as private
dwelling, the village chaupal, the shade of a tree, a temporary
shed, or the courtyard of a temple. The Muslim schools were
nearly all connected with village mosques. In such cases, the
same endowment would support both the institutions. The
remuneration of the teacher was variable and precarious. It
frequently consisted of presents, grains and sweetmeats, given by
scholars and their parents. But occasionally the whole community
subscribed to provide financial aid to the school, each member
contributing a specified quantity per plough, which was
considered to represent his means: not infrequently, cash
payments were also made.47
Charter Act of 1813 provided in section 43 that
education should be taken up as one of the functions of the
government. Consequently, one lakh rupees was to be spent for
the revival and improvement of literature and for introduction
and promotion of the knowledge of western science among the
43. Gurukula Patrika, July-Aug-1938, pp. 19-20
44. Punjab Education, Report, 1873-74, p. 6
45. Gurukula Patrika, May-March 1938-40 (23 June 1938) p. 23 46 G.W. Letiner, History of Indigenous Education in Punjab Since Annexation and in 1882, (1922
Patiala ppt. ) P.11. 47
G.S.Chhabra, Advanced History of the Punjab, Ludhiana, 1972, p. 347.
49
inhabitants of the British territories. Unfortunately, no serious
efforts were made for quite some time by the government to
implement the above clause of the Act and the money allocated
remained unutilised. However, William Frazer, an Assistant of
the East India Company established several schools for the
children of peasants in the Pargana of Sonipat on his own.48
Since these schools were started only for the wards of
peasants who would not spare them to be taught "without rations,
because their labour would be lost to the family," Frazer found a
way out. He allured both the teacher and the taught. He gave the
teacher an allowance of a rupee per month per pupil and the
pupils ' one seer of wheat flour per pupil. He, in fact, wanted to
give more useful knowledge to the pupils through English,
Persian and Hindi. languages but could not do this satisfactorily
for his means were not adequate.49
In 1823, a General Committee of Public Instruction50
was
established to take charge of the government educational
institutions and give educational grants to others. Making use of
this development, Frazer appealed to the Court of Directors and
the Committee to patronize the schools started by him in the
following words:
"The establishment of schools in cities and
towns is, comparatively speaking, of
secondary consideration-the majority of
children of the classes that inhabit cities and
48
Sharp, Selection from Educational Records, Delhi. 1965, Vol, 1
m , 13-15, and H.R. Mehla. A History of the Growth and Development of Western Education in
Punjab 1946-49,Punjab Govt. records monographic. No. 5, (Fisted 1929),Patiala, 1971, pp. 14-
15. 49
Ibid. 50
Ibid.
50
towns are educated by their parents. It is the
children of the zamindars, of the peasantry.. .
the mass of the people; thousands to one of
the people that require this instruction and
will benefit by it".51
However, the General Committee of Public Instructions
turned down his appeal on November 29, 1823 since the intention
of the Company was contrary to his views. The Committee
maintained that
" fund- assigned for the purpose of public
education should be chiefly directed to the best
means of improving the education of the
respectable members of. the Indian Society"52
.
Obviously, the rulers considered the urbanites to be, the
more faithful section, which ought to be rewarded. It was in spite
of the fact that the government collected about-25 lakh rupees per
annum mostly from the villagers but it did not spend even a
single pie on their education: In these conditions Frazer
discontinued supporting the schools started by him since monthly
expenses of about Rs.200/- was too heavy for him to support
from his own resources and, ultimately, these schools were
closed.53
As such during the period under report education was
imparted by indigenous schools only, which taught Rs.3 to the
children. As per the reports for the years 1826 and 1827, in the
"Lower region" i.e. the district of Rohtak, Hissar and Gurgaon,
51
Frager to William, dated 25 September, 1823, vide Sharp, op. cit, Vol.1., pp. 13-15and C.L.Kundu
and Uday Shankar, op. cit. p.3. 52
K.C. Yadav, Modern Haryana, History and Culture, 1803-1966, New Delhi,2002,p. 250. 53
Uday Shankar and C.L. Kundu, op.cit. pp. 1-3.
51
there were 27 Muslim schools with 28 pupils and 24 teachers, and
70 Hindu schools with 886 pupils and 70 teachers. In the district
of Delhi, there were 247 schools, most of them being in the city
itself. In the "Upper region," i.e. the district of Panipat etc. the
position was equally bad. In pargana Sonipat, there were three
schools. In the town of Panipat, there were several ill-supported
and thinly attended-schools. In the town of Karnal (20,000
inhabitants) there was only one school. Elsewhere in 18 mosque
schools, there were 227 pupils.54
The situation was bad in both the regions. However,
some foreword looking members of the society set up indigenous
institutions for higher learning, viz. Sanskrit Vidyalayas at
Thanesar (Kurukshetra) and Julana, and Shekhawati
Brahamcharya Ashram at Bhiwani for higher study of the
Sanskrit li terature, grammar, astrology and Indian philosophy.
Muslim Institutions were started at Jhajjar and Panipat for higher
teaching of Arabic, Persian, Holy Quran, Muslim Law, History,
etc.55
When William Bentick came to India as the Governor
General, he gave a serious thought for spreading education
among the Indians. On June26, 1829, he wrote to the General
Committee of Public Instruction,
"cordially disposed to promote the great object of
improving India by spreading abroad the lights of
European knowledge, morals and civilization, his
Lordship in Council has no hesitation in stating to
your committee and in authorizing you to announce
54
Ibid. 55
Karan Singh, Haryana Research Journal, Vol. No. 3,pp.21-22.
52
to all concerned in the superintendence of your
native seminaries that it is the wish and admitted
policy of the British Government to render its own
language gradually and eventually the language of
public business throughout the country, that it will
omit no opportunity of giving every reasonable and
practical degree of encouragement to the execution
of this project."56
However, a serious controversy started as to whether
instructions should be given through English or through oriental
languages. The Anglicists maintained that all instructions should
be given through English. The Orientalists insisted on teaching
through the oriental languages. Owing to serious groupism in the
committee between Orientalists and Anglictsts, the suggestion of
the Governor-General remained unimplemented for more than
five years until the decision of spending government funds purely
on the spread of western education was taken. The-resolution of
March 7,1835 said;
"His Lordship is of the opinion that the great
object of the British Government ought to be
the promotion of European literature and
science among the natives of India, and that all
the funds appropriated for the purpose of
education, would be best employed on English
Education alone; . . .That all the funds at the
disposal of the government would henceforth be
spent in imparting to the Indians a knowledge
of English literature and science".57
56
C.L. Kundu and Uday Shankar, op.cit, p.4. 57
Ibid.
53
In 1833 certain administrative changes were effected and
the region constituting Haryana was made as a separate division
of the newly formed North-Western Province. Moreover, the
Supreme Government in 1840 vide its resolution dated 29 April,
1840 changed the central subject of education into a provincial
subject and all the educational institutions in the N.W.P. were
placed in the charge of the local Government. However, even
these changes did not improve the position of education in the
region as envisaged by Macaulay.
It was only in 1843 when James Thomason took over as
Lt. Governor of N.W.P., the situation began to improve. He was a
progressive person who liked the idea of educating the general
masses, which formed the bulk of the population and whose
plight was very formidable as compared to the higher strata of
the society. He was considerate towards the Kisans whose
ill iteracy and ignorance were exploited by one and all viz. the
government Officials, the money lenders, the Zamindars as well
as the lawyers for their own benefits. He wanted them to be able
to understand everything about their land records so that nobody
could exploit them any more.58
The following table shows the
position of indigenous schools in Haryana.
James Thomson (1843-53) first of all paid attention to the
indigenous schools and issued strict instructions to all his
subordinate officers to encourage people to receive education in
the indigenous schools. He submitted a detailed report-to the
government, for opening new schools in the villages on 18
November 1846 which was rejected. He was asked to submit a
58
Ibid.
54
Table 2.2
Indigenous School’s in Haryana in 188059
Schools District
in Towns in Villages
Villages without Schools
Panipat
Hissar
Delhi
Rohtak
Gurgaon
56
13
297
22
50
50
20
24
24
50
416
587
386
275
1230
revised report which he submitted on 19 April 1848. The revised
scheme was approved by the Court of Directors. On the
experimental basis, the scheme was put into effect in eight
districts in February 1850. Haryana was, however, again ignored
owing to financial constraints.60
In Haryana region, only the indigenous schools
functioned during this period. Their description has been given
by A. Roberts in his report for the year 1849 in the following
words: Panipat district in 1849 had 105 schools. It was composed
of the Parganas of Sonipat, Panipat and Karnal. Of 105 schools,
13 were Persian, 15 Arabic, 27 Hindi or rather Mahajani, Sanskrit
32.. . Mr. Johanson, the Deputy Collector, estimated that
proportion of the school taught children to the whole population
was 1.8 percent. Delhi district had 321 schools of which 270
were in the city, 8 in suburbs and 43 in the interior district.
Rohtak had 46 schools while Gurgaon had 100 schools.61
59
Leither, G.W. op.cit, p. 18, Thornton, Memorial on the Statistics of Indigenous Education within
the North West Province, 1850,pp. 18-19. 60
Lt. Governor’s Circular letter dated June 1845, vide Richey, Selections from the Educational
Records, Part-II, pp. 236-39. 61 Lt. Governor N.W.P. to the Govt. of India, dated 18 November 1846, vide Home Public
Proceeding, No. 11, 5 December 1946; Richey, Vol II, pp. 250-42, Thomson, Dispatched, Vol. 1,
pp. 329-33.
55
The vernacular education had been greatly neglected
before Dalhousie. In 1853, he introduced the Thomasonian
system of vernacular education in the whole of N.W.R However,
his most important contribution in the field of education was the
famous education dispatch of Charles Wood, popularly known as
"Wood's Dispatch", which is called as "The Magna Carta of
English Education in India." This Dispatch laid down a definite
educational policy for the country, which continued to be the
basis for many years to come.62
Wood's Dispatch,
fortunately, solved the financial
problem to some extent. It proposed a grant-in-aid system so that
private institutions could take over the burden of higher
education and released government funds for the education of the
predominantly rural masses. A separate Department of Education
was established. On the recommendation of the Wood's Dispatch
in 1855, the Department of Education with the money thus saved
opened many Tehsildari schools in the districts of Delhi, Gurgaon
and Rohtak in 1856. After sometime Tehsildari schools were also
opened in the remaining districts.63
The functioning of the Tehsildari schools was
satisfactory. The course of instruction in them consisted of
"reading, writing, grammar, composition, arithmetic, mensuration,
algebra up to quadratics, the first four books of Euclid, the
history and geography of India, general geography, ancient
history the elements of political economy and plane-table
surveying. ' ' The medium of instruction was "either Hindi or Urdu
and in many instances both the ' vernaculars".64
Middle schools, on the pattern of Tehsildari schools,
were opened in towns, such as Shahabad, Ladwa, Thanesar,
62 Ibid. 63
K.C. Yadav, op.cit., p.251. 64
S.C.Mital, Haryana: A Historical Perspective, NewDelhi, 1986, pp. 71-72.
56
Kaithal, Sadhoura, Sonipat, Gurgaon , Palwal, Panipat, Hansi,
Hissar, Jhajjar, Bahadurgarh and Rohtak .65
High schools were
established at Karnal and Rohtak in 1856 and at Bhiwani, Rewari,
and Jagadhari in 1857.66
In 1856-57 eight Zila or superior schools
were also opened at Thanesar, Karnal, Gurgaon, Rohtak, Jhajjar
and Hissar, the last had 411 students on its rolls. The government
also set up halkabandi or circle schools financed jointly by the
Government and the public i.e. one school in every circle (halka)
comprising 10 to 20 villages to cater to the needs of people living
in remote areas. Since the halkabandi schools catered to the
needs mostly of the peasantry the subjects taught here were
closely connected with agricultural pursuits and requirements.67
Nevertheless, education was still not popular with the
masses. The' peasants usually did not send their boys to schools,
as their help was required in agriculture. On the whole the
percentage of the number of scholars to the total number of male
children fit to go to the schools has been given in the table
below:
Table 2.3 68
Percentage of school going
children in Haryana in 1856-
57 Districts
Percentage of total number of
scholars to the number of male
children fit for schooling
Panipat 6.4
Rohtak 2.8
Gurgaon 3.4
Hissar 2.2
Delhi 10.95
65
The Punjab Education Report, 1866-67, pp.15-16. 66 Ibid. 67
C.L. Kundu and Uday Shankar,Op.cit.,P. 6,and S.C. Mittal, op.cit. pp. 72-73. 68
The Calcut ta Review, Vol . XIX,1850, p . 175.
57
Though the colonial regime had started new education in
the Punjab since its annexation, yet there was very slow progress
in this regard. The reasons for its educational backwardness were
many. First of all, the region of Haryana was prominently
dominated by peasantry, which were hand to mouth at that t ime,
and were not in a position to pay high fees for the new education.
Secondly, though the new education was quite liberal and there
was no barrier for getting it, parents had lack of interest in
imparting education to their wards. Thirdly, there was a lapse on
the part of the government, which did not deem it fit to make it
popular among the rural folk. Fourthly, The volunteer
organizations, agencies and individuals were also not very active.
Moreover, the value of the new education was not properly
understood by the people of Haryana at that t ime.
The Second - 1858-1900
After the Uprising of 1857 was suppressed, the territory
comprising Haryana was detached from the North West Province
and merged with Punjab. The administration of Sir John
Lawrence69
was very harsh towards the ‘Native States’. Except
for the petty states of Pataudi, Dujana and Laharu, all others were
confiscated.70
Ballabhgarh and Farukhanagar were merged with
Gurgaon District and Jhajjar, Dadri were parceled out among the
loyal chiefs of Punjab. Maharaja Narender Singh of Patiala got
the Paragana of Narnaul.71
Maharaja Sarup Singh of Jind was
given the confiscated estate of Dadri and some village in the
69. Buddha Prakash, Haryana Through The Age, 1967 (Kurukshetra) p. 93
70. K.C.Yadav – The Revolt of 1857 in Haryana, 1977, p. 122
71. Griffin, The Rajas of the Punjab.
58
Khurd (Mahendergarh)72
Paragana. Raja Bahadur Singh of Nabha
received the Paragana of Bawal (Jhajjar State).73
Post Revolt the Haryana region was divided into two
divisions (1) Delhi Division, comprising the district of Delhi,
Gurgaon and Panipat with Divisional headquarters at Delhi and
(2) Hissar Division, comprising the district of Hissar, Sirsa and
Rohtak, alongwith a portion of the confiscated Jhajjar state with
divisional headquarter at Hissar.74
The spread of education in Haryana after the revolt of 1857
was suppressed and the rule of East India Company was replaced
by that of the Crown. The new government became interested in
education and therefore, the period of later 19th
century
witnessed a growth in public instruction.75
In 1860 the modifications introduced were that the
Vernacular schools which formed the great majority, were
transferred to the charge of Deputy Commissioner. To begin with
the situation was dismal in almost all the districts comprising the
Haryana region. Ambala had 54 schools imparting education to
2894 scholars.76
It was the maximum number in Haryana. Karnal
had 34 schools educating 1130 students only. Gurgaon also had
34 schools. However, the number of scholars was 1895. The
situation was almost similar in Rohtak where 1068 students got
education in 32 schools.
72. Ibid, pp 393-408
73. Ibid, pp 465-468
74. Gazetter of India, Haryana district for different districts and different years.
75. Foreign Miscellaneous, no 365, National achieves of India, p. 305. 76
Foreign Miscellaneous, No. 365, National Achieves of India, p. 305.
59
Table- 2.477
District wise Distribution of Schools and Students
in Haryana 1860-1901
District Year No of
schools
Students
attending
schools
English
Govt.
schools
Vernacular
Govt.
schools
Vernacular
Aided
schools
English
Govt.
aided
schools
Ambala 1860-61 54 2894 — — — —
1870-71 73 4929 — — — —
1877-78 — — — — — —
1880-81 124 8319 3 95 24 2
1890-91 136 10277 3 108 23 2
1900-01 180 9133 — — — —
Karnal 1860-61 34 1137 — — — —
1870-71 52 1399 — — — —
1877-78 49 2750 1 42 6 —
1880-81 43 1961 7 35 1 —
1890-91 69 2,483 6 — — —
1900-01 203 5393 — — — —
Rohtak 1860-61. 32 1,068 — — — —
1870-71 34 1,791 — — — —
1877-78 48 2,680 — — 4 1
1880-81 48 2,798 8 40 — —
1890-91 132 3,380 — — — —
77
Imperial Gazetteer of India, Punjab-Vol I, District Gazetteer of different districts and different
years.
60
1900-01 98 5,097 — — — —
Hissar 1860-61 23 976 — — — —
1870-71 27 1,846 — — — —
1877-78 24 1,294 1 20 3 —
1880-81 30 742 9 21 — —
1890-91 112 3,636 — — — —
1900-01 105 5,085 — — — —
Gurgaon 1860-61 34 1,895 — — — —
1.870-71. 34. 2,224 — — — —
1877-78 67 3,655 1 59 6 1
1880-81 76 3,199 8 68 — —
1890-91 116 4,693 — — — —
1900-01 128 5,139 — — — —
However, Hissar was the most neglected district having
976 scholars on roll in the 23 schools. The table gives the
consolidated picture of the number of schools for each districts
of Haryana from 1860-61 – 1900-01.
In 1863-64 a separate inspectorate of schools was
established to supervise the progress of education in Haryana in
1863-64. The Punjab Education Department launched a scheme
for the development of education in the areas acquired after
1857. The scheme envisaged improvement of indigenous schools
and the establishment of a school at the center of six villages in
Haryana region.78
78
Foreign Miscellaneous, p. 305.
61
Since no time limit was fixed for the completion of the
project, it moved at a very slow pace upto 1870. But after 1870
when political normalcy had been achieved development of
education also got escalated.
In 1870-71 Ambala showed a remarkable increase in
both the number of schools and the number of scholars. The
number of schools increased to 73 and that of the scholars rose to
4929. Karnal also did not lag behind in the number of schools,
which rose to 52. However, the scholars only marginally
increased to 1399. In Gurgaon the number of schools remained
the same. But there was an appreciable increase in the number of
scholars to 2224. Rohtak also showed only a little increase in the
number of schools, which rose to 34, but the number of pupils
showed an immense rise to 1791. There was a marginal increase
recorded in Hissar in the number of schools, which rose to 27.
However, there was a two fold increase in the number of scholars
which increased to 1846.79
Before 1871 the main difficulty of the education
department was financial crunch. The funds mainly came from,
the imperial revenues and the local revenues, the latter consisting
of Educational Cess, Endowments, Subscriptions and Donations,
Fees and Private Contribution. Sunder Mayo's Financial
Decentralisation Scheme of 1870 and the Punjab Local Rates Act
of 1871, in the course of next few years, the amount hitherto
received from the Educational Cess was doubled, and there was.
Also increase in assignments made by municipalities. In 1876 the
annual expense borne by the state in teaching one student was
79
Punjab Annual Report, 1867-68, p.9.
62
estimated at Rs.813-10-7 which rose yet further in the following
years80
In the Haryana region English teaching schools were
opened in 1877-78. Karnal had one English Govt School,
Gurgaon also had one English Govt, school along with another
English Govt. aided school. Same was the situation in Rohtak,
whereas in Hissar there was one English Govt. School. During
this period the number of schools had shown an appreciable
increase to 48 in Rohtak and 67 in Gurgaon, whereas the number
declined to 24 in Hissar and 49 in Karnal.81
An Education Commission was set up in 1882. The
recommendations of the Commission continued to supply
guidelines in all parts of the educational movement. In 1883-84 a
sum of Rs.8000/- from Provincial Revenue was assigned for the
establishment of new Primary Schools on the condition that an
equivalent amount should be devoted to the same purpose from
Local Fund. In 1886-87 a further allotment of over a lakh of
rupees from Provincial Revenue was made for the extension and
improvement of Primary Education All these developments
resulted in the increase of Primary Schools in an appreciable
number in all the districts of Haryana.82
As a result Ambala had 136 schools, with 10277
scholars; Karnal had 69 schools with 2483 scholars; Gurgaon had
116 schools with 4693 scholars; Rohtak had 132 schools with
3380 scholars and even Hissar had 112 schools imparting
education to 3636 scholars, in 1890-91.83
80
Punjab Annual Report, relevant years. 81 Punjab Administrative Report 1888-89, p. 167. 82
Report of the National Council on Women’s Education, 1958-59, para-17. 83
Journal of Haryana Studies Vol. I, No. 2, 1969,p. 15.
63
It is difficult to estimate the pecuniary contribution of the
provincial revenues for each district separately. The study,
therefore, is restricted to the expenditure on Education as borne
by the district boards and municipal boards which are supposed
to be the main sustenance for school education in their respective
areas.
The performance of the local bodies may be judged better
with the help of the following table which can claim to be
representative for the period of our study for there was no
significant shift in administrative policy in regard to the role of
the local bodies after 1889 the year for which the figures are
given.
Table 2.584
Statement of Expenditure on Education from District Board
Funds 1889-90
District 25% of district
fund income
exclusive of
excluded for
education
Minimum
Provision made
By Govt. made
Actual gross
expenditure
Other than that
on sch. Building
Ambala 26510 29982 25983
Karnal 26363 27463 23376
Kaithal 20077 32593 288665
Hisar 36393 37661 17626
Gurgaon 31468 33373 24459
The table 3.5 shows that the district boards were required
to spend 25% of their income on education. Column III in the
table includes 25% of District. Board’s income plus the grant
84. Report on the Progress on Education of Punjab 1889-90, p. 12.
64
obtained from the state treasury and amount earned through fees
etc. The table reveals that no District Board spent the required
amount of money among all the Haryana districts. Hissar present
the most dismal picture as it spent only about 50% of the
required amount.
The third 1901-1947
Various Hindu organizations opened the maximum number
of schools, as many as 33 in five districts, 11 each in Ambala and
Hissar, 6 in Gurgaon, 4 in Karnal and 1 in Rohtak. The table
given below highlights it.
Table 2.685
Private organizations working for promotion of education
Haryana during 19th
century
District Hindu
Organizations
Muslim
Organizations
Sikh
Organizations
Christian
Organizations
Ambala 11 1 1 1
Gurgaon 6 - - -
Hissar 11 2 - 2
Rohtak 1 1 - -
Karnal 4 1 - -
Table 2.786
District Expenditure
Ambala District Rs, 72,615
Karnal District Rs, 53,650
Hissar District Rs. 44,863
Rohtak District Rs. 44,047
Gurgaon Rs. 46,83
85
Gazetteer of Haryana district relevant years
86. S.C.Mittal, Haryana : A Historical Perspective, New Delhi, 1986, p. 74
65
To sum up, it can be said that the slow development in
education greatly affected the progress of the region in various
fields. Even the total expenditure on education was very low.87
The condition of education in Haryana by 1901 was far
from satisfactory. The major factors responsible for the
backwardness were as follows. Haryana was economically poor
which witnessed drought or famine every three third or fourth
year. The government had administrative apathy towards the
people of Haryana. The private institutions also did not play any
effective role here in this field and there was social in difference
towards education.88
Table 2.8
Literacy rate in 1900-1901 in Haryana89
District Total
percentage
Male
Percentage
Female
Percentage
Ambala 4.3 7.5 0.4
Karnal 2.4 4.3 0.1
Hissar 2.7 5.0 0.1
Rohtak 2.7 5.0 0.1
Gurgaon - -
Table 2.9 90
PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HARYANA 1903-04
District Total School
Hisar 122
Karnal 234
Rohtak 109
Ambala 172
Gurgaon 125
87. Punjab Education Report, 1900-01, Appendix, Table 62
88. K.C.Yadav, op.cit., 103-104.
89- The table based on the various district Gazette of Haryana.
90. Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provisional Series 1908, p 273-330.
66
The table shows that the condition of Karnal district was
very good and that of Rohtak district was very pitiable condition
was very pitiable in education in 1903-04.
Table 2.10
Progress of education Haryana 1910-191191
District Total
Population
Number of
school
going
student
Student School
Ambala 689970 87498 9559 221
Hissar 804889 67074 6529 154
Karnal 779787 66649 5831 169
Gurgaon 643177 53598 6308 142
Rohtak 541489 4524 6746 162
By the end of the First World War (1914-18) the
government became serious regarding primary education by
passing the Punjab Primary Education Act, 1919. In the district
Rohtak alone there came up 271 school for boys and one for
girls.92
Many primary schools were raised to the middle standard
and one to the high school standard. Two dozen high schools
were started in the region. To satisfy the needs of the people in
the field of higher education the government started an
intermediate college at Rohtak in May 1927.93
91. Census of India-1911, vol. 1, part II, Census of India 1921, Vol. 1, Part-I, K.C.Yadav, Haryana
studies History and Culture, p. 108
92. Rohtak District Gazetteer, 1970. P. 256
93. Ibid.
67
Table 2.1194
Subsidiary 1930-31
Schools Scholars Districts
or Tehsils Male Females Males Females
Average number
of Scholars per
schools Total
1 2 3 4 5 6
Hisar 465 42 25565 1605 54
Hisar 111 14 6377 603 56
Hansi 90 7 5484 278 59
Bhiwani 79 11 4932 410 59
Fatehabad 77 6 3081 146 39
Sirsa 108 4 5691 168 52
Rohtak 415 55 36634 4821 82
Rohtak 114 15 10566 732 88
Jhajjar 144 17 13300 461 85
Gohana 70 8 5359 306 73
Sonepat 87 15 7409 322 76
Gurgaon 357 22 25641 1052 70
Gurgaon 58 5 4827 275 81
Ferozpur
Jhirka
61 2 4151 71 63
Nuh 51 2 3895 78 75
Palwal 58 6 3935 348 67
Rewari 80 4 5787 170 71
Balabgarh 45 3 3046 110 66
Karnal 528 40 27634 1478 51
Karnal 172 14 9139 622 52
Panipat 118 10 5842 272 48
Kaithal 145 9 7124 363 49
Thanesar 93 7 5529 221 58
Ambala 390 46 38014 2810 94
Ambala 75 18 9256 1152 112
Kharar 114 12 10231 689 87
Jagadhari 57 4 5195 252 89
94. Report, The progress of education in Punjab different years, Haryana district gazetter different
states and different years.
68
The table shows the number of schools and scholars in
Tehsils and districts, according to the return as supplied by the
director, public instructions region for the year 1930-31
After the Second World War (1939-45) the government
opened some more primary and middle schools and almost every
big village of note was given a high school. Besides, a number of
religious and cast organizations also played quite a good role in
providing the people with educational facilities of these all, Arya
Samaj did the most useful work by founding a number of schools
and Gurukulas, and it also opened one college each at Ambala
and Hissar. The Sanatan Dharm Sabha followed it and started a
number of high schools and a college at Ambala.95
The Jat
Mahasabha started a high school and a college at Rohtak, the
Yadav Mahasabha similarly founded a high school and a college
at Rewari, the Vaishyas opened schools and colleges at Bhiwani
and Rohtak. At Bohar (district Rohtak) an Ayurvedic institute
was started by the Head of the Asthal at that place.96
Yet the percentage of il literacy was very high, the quality
of education in the primary middle and high schools was very
poor, the facilities for colleges and higher education were
inadequate, and the study of medical science, engineering,
agriculture, and other professional subjects was badly neglected.
Thus on the whole the state of education in this region till 1947
was quite dismal.
95. Ibid, C.L.Kundu and Uday Shankar.
96. Report of the Haryana Development Committee, pp 136-137. And Haryana D.G. for different
year.