Ram Kishan (7 November 1913 — 1971) was the 4th Chief Minister of Punjab from 7 July 1964 — 5 July 1966. He was a senior member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

party. Additionally he is a recognized member of India's freedom struggle against the British and was an associate professor in the political science department at

Oakland University Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...

. Kishan was awarded the title of "Comrade" due to his extensive involvement in India's freedom struggle from British rule.

Freedom struggle

In early June 1940,

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperia ...

surveyed the

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

situation and came to the conclusion that Indian freedom fighters should have first hand knowledge as to what was happening abroad, and should join the fight against

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. After considering the various means with the Comrades of various organisations and parties he found no other alternative but to travel abroad. Initial detail plan of escape was primarily consulted and discussed with Niranjan Singh Talib, editor of "Desh Darpan". Sardar Baldev Singh and the former

Defence Minister of India The Minister of Defence (''Rakshā Mantrī'') is the head of the Ministry of Defence and a high ranking minister of the Government of India. The Defence Minister is one of the most senior offices in the Union Council of Ministers as well as b ...

. Talib introduced Achhar Singh Chhina to execute the plan. The executive committee of Communist Party of Lahore decided that Chhina, whose Soviet name was Larkin, one of the organisers of Kirti in

North West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...

, should meet Bose in order to chalk out the detail escape plan. Chhina visited

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

and met Netaji. Bose further suggested to Chhina to approach Soviet premier

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

for armed help for India's struggle against independence. In order to vouch for his intentions to seek Soviet support for India's freedom movement, his speeches should be studied and not the changes in his political principles. For this purpose Chhina visited the Frontier Province to make arrangements for his escape to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. In June, Chhina and Kishan met Bhagat Ram Talwar in his village in North West Frontier. Talwar was member of

Forward Bloc The All India Forward Bloc ( AIFB) is a left-wing nationalist political party in India. It emerged as a faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose. The party re-established as an independent political party a ...

and was engaged in secret activities of Kirti Party. They requested him to help Bose to reach the border of Soviet Union crossing through the tribal belt of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Talwar agreed to make arrangements for the stay of Netaji at

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

and from there for his escape to

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. After making necessary arrangements he returned to Calcutta to bring Netaji to

, but Bose was arrested for taking part in Black Hole of Calcutta Movement in 1940 and consequently could not avail himself of the opportunity.Sisir Kumar " Netaji and India's Freedom: Proceedings of the International Netaji Seminar (India) 1975 p153.

Personal life

Kishan was survived by one son and two daughters. His son, Abhay Krishan Mehta went on to become a prominent NRI in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, co-founding the Indian Business Council and emerging as a leading figure in the community.

References

External links

Profile on Lok Sabha website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kishan, Ram Chief Ministers of Punjab, India Punjabi people Oakland University faculty Year of death missing People from Jhang District Chief ministers from Indian National Congress 1913 births Indian independence activists from Punjab, India