Sohan Singh Josh (1898–1982) was an Indian communist activist and freedom fighter. Meerut prisoners outside the jail

Life

Josh was born on 12 November 1898 at village Chetanpura in

Amritsar district Amritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab. Located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district. As of 2011, it is the second most populous dist ...

, Punjab Province,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His father, Lal Singh, wished for his son to be educated but there was no school nearby, so Sohan Singh entered school rather late. He passed the Middle standard examination from Church Mission School, Majitha, and the Matriculation examination from D.A.V. School, Amritsar. For his tertiary education, Josh joined the Khalsa College, Amritsar, but had to leave soon after owing to financial difficulties. Following his short tenure at Khalsa College, Josh went to

Hubli Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad distr ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

and later to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

where he worked up to 1918 in the Censor's office. He returned to Amritsar later to pursue a career as a school teacher. In 1921, Josh took an active interest in the

Akali movement The Akali movement , also called the Gurdwara Reform Movement, was a campaign to bring reform in the gurdwaras (the Sikh places of worship) in India during the early 1920s. The movement led to the introduction of the Sikh Gurdwara Bill in 1925, w ...

for the liberation of

gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

s from

mahant Mahant () is a religious superior, in particular the chief of a temple or the head of a monastery in Indian religions. James Mallinson, one of the few westerners to be named as a mahant, describes the position of a mahant as a combination of a ...

s. Josh zealously opposed the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

in India, and as a result of his anti-British activities was arrested. He was tried and sentenced to three years imprisonment. At that time he became the member of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee and the

Shiromani Akali Dal The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: ''Supreme Akali Party'') is a centre-right sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. Although there are man ...

. Josh was a prolific writer. In 1925 he helped to bring out a revolutionary paper, ''Kirti'', which was main vehicle for

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary* * who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer * * in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian national ...

to propagate his ideas. Josh was a leader both of the Kirti Kisan Party and the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, being one of several people who were prominent in both organisations simultaneously. He was imprisoned for his role in the

Meerut Conspiracy Case The Meerut Conspiracy Case was a controversial court case that was initiated in British Raj in March 1929 and decided in 1933. Several trade unionists, including three Englishmen, were arrested for organizing an Indian railway strike. The Bri ...

, was released in November 1933 and thereafter aligned himself with the Communist Party of India. In 1943 he became the editor of a newly founded communist paper, ''Jang-i-Azadi''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Josh, Sohan Singh Indian independence activists from Punjab (British India) History of Punjab People from Amritsar district Revolutionary movement for Indian independence 1898 births 1982 deaths Indian revolutionaries Communist Party of India politicians from Punjab, India Prisoners and detainees of British India