Arun Kumar Gupta Today citizens of lower caste have all the rights as per the constitution but about 100 years ago the circumstances were extremely different. They were hated and they were called many names, thus facing a lot of discrimination. There were instances when they were not allowed to draw water from the wells. Their entry into the temples was also prohibited. They were not even given admission to educational institutions. Even if fortunately a lower caste child got admission to an educational institute, they were made to sit separately from the other children. Witnessing these atrocities, the heart of Veer Ram Chandra would rot and he took a vow to bring Vedic socialism into the society. Veer Ram Chandra was 22 years old and belonged to a wealthy family. His father was a cashier in Hiranagar tehsil. Veer Ram Chandra received his early education in the middle school of Hira Nagar and on the recommendation of his revered father, he was appointed treasurer and replaced his father in Tehsil Hiranagar (Jammu province). He was unwilling to join government service but was forced by his father to serve. He was transferred to Tehsil Kathua and then to Samba. At both these places, he built AryaSamaj temples and made their doors open for untouchables. In Samba, a dear friend of his was the Deputy Postmaster in Samba in those days and became Veer Ram Chandra’s assistant in this work. Some people spoke out about the activities related to the untouchability by communicating them to Veer Ram Chandra and this led to his transfer to Akhnoor tehsil. There he accelerated the work related to the upliftment of untouchables and downtrodden members of society. As a result, many people became his enemies there, who kept preventing Veer Ram Chandra from doing social welfare. He continued his mission, ignoring these threats, and remained resilient. Under this mission, one day he made a program to open a school for lower caste children in a village named Bathera and to allow them to fill water at the well. A huge convention was also planned in Bathera. While leaving Akhnoor, he came to know that people from nearby villages were gathering in Bathera and plans were being made to kill Veer Ram Chandra and the members of the lower caste who planned to participate in the event. In such a situation, Veer Ram Chandra’s companions advised him to postpone this program, but he rejected the advice of his companions as he was unshakable in his resolution. Thus, he along with his companions held the Om flag in his hand and the sky-piercing shout of ‘Maharishi Dayanandki Jai’ was resonating. As they reached Bathera, shouts of “Kill Ram Chandra”, started blowing all around, and at the same time, lathis started raining on Veer Ram Chandra who fell to the ground and achieved martyrdom. Veer Ram Chandra was brought to the hospital in Jammu for treatment but he remained unconscious. After three consecutive days of unconsciousness, on January 22, 1923, this messiah of universal brotherhood left for his heavenly abode. At the time of his martyrdom, Veer Ram Chandra was just 26 years of age. Belonging to a wealthy family, he could have lived his life lavishly, but the urge to follow the path shown by Maharishi Dayanand took him to the path of martyrdom in his youth. The news of Veer Ram Chandra’s sacrifice spread like wildfire in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. As the news spread of many Arya Samaj members from various cities of Punjab especially Lahore, Gujranwala, Pathankot, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, etc. reached Jammu and performed the his last rites in a complete Vedic manner. Gopal Shastri, Pt. Chamupathi., Diwan Niranjan Das, and Lala Gangaram were a few of the notable personalities on this sad occasion. A tribute meeting was organized in which it was decided to build a memorial of Veer Ram Chandra in Bathera along with an annual fair in his memory. Arya Samaj Dayanand Marg, City Chowk, Jammu showed unwavering dedication and continues to organize the fair on 22nd January every year, along with managing the school as well as conducting a free eye camp for the poor people of Bathera, thereby, ensuring free treatment to them. Thus, keeping the legacy of Veer Ram Chandra alive till date. The school was recognized by the Government and is continuing to function with the efforts of the core committee of Arya Samaj, Dayanand Marg, City Chowk, Jammu. All the Arya Samajis of Jammu and Kashmir are participating this year to commemorate the 100th year of the martyrdom of Veer Ram Chandra and will pay their tribute to the departed soul by organizing the Bathera Mela where in a Vedic Hawan is performed followed by rishi langer for all the participants. Award ceremony of the Bathera School also takes place, thus making the day memorable for the students of the school who are now educated only because of the sacrifice of Shaheed Veer Ram Chandra. (The writer is the President of Arya Samaj Dayanand Marg, City Chowk, Jammu
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