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53-540: A number of Indians, notably Shyamji Krishna Varma , had formed the India House in England in 1905. This organisation, with the support of Indian luminaries like Dadabhai Naoroji , Lala Lajpat Rai , Madame Bhikaji Cama and others, offered scholarships to Indian students, promoted nationalistic work, and was a major platform for anti-colonial opinions and views. The Indian Sociologist , published by Krishna Varma,

106-646: A base in England at India House. However, he rejected the petitioning, praying, protesting, cooperating and collaborating policy of the Congress Party, which he considered undignified and shameful. Shyamji Krisha supported Lokmanya Tilak during the Age of Consent bill controversy of 1890. In 1897, following the harsh measures adopted by the British colonial government during the plague crisis in Poona , he supported

159-584: A daughter of a wealthy businessman of the Bhatia community and sister of his school friend Ramdas. Then he got in touch with the nationalist Swami Dayananda Saraswati , a reformer and an exponent of the Vedas , who had founded the Arya Samaj . He became his disciple and was soon conducting lectures on Vedic philosophy and religion. In 1877, a public speaking tour secured him a great public recognition. He became

212-675: A hostel for Indian students, based at 65, Cromwell Avenue, Highgate. This living accommodation for 25 students was formally inaugurated on 1 July by Henry Hyndman , of the Social Democratic Federation , in the presence of Dadabhai Naoroji , Lala Lajpat Rai , Madam Cama , Mr. Swinney (of the London Positivist Society ), Mr. Harry Quelch (the editor of the Social Democratic Federation's Justice ) and Charlotte Despard ,

265-614: A lapse of almost six years. He published two more issues of Indian Sociologist in August and September 1922, before ill health prevented him continuing. He died in hospital at 11:30 p.m. on 30 March 1930 leaving his wife, Bhanumati Krishnavarma. News of his death was suppressed by the British colonial government in India. Nevertheless, tributes were paid to him by Bhagat Singh and other inmates in Lahore Jail where they were undergoing

318-629: A lecture on "the origin of writing in India" to the Royal Asiatic Society . The speech was very well received and he was elected a non-resident member of the society. In 1881, he represented India at the Berlin Congress of Orientalists . He returned to India in 1885 and started practice as a lawyer. Then he was appointed as Diwan (chief minister) by the King of Ratlam State; but ill health forced him to retire from this post with

371-425: A long-term drawn-out trial. Maratha , an English daily newspaper started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak paid tribute to him. He had made prepaid arrangements with the local government of Geneva and St Georges cemetery to preserve his and his wife's ashes at the cemetery for 100 years and to send their urns to India whenever it became independent during that period. Requested by Paris-based scholar Dr Prithwindra Mukherjee,

424-713: A lump sum gratuity of Rs.32,052 for his service. After a short stay in Mumbai, he settled in Ajmer , headquarters of his Guru Swami Dayananda Saraswati , and continued his practice at the British Court in Ajmer. He invested his income in three cotton presses and secured sufficient permanent income to be independent for the rest of his life. He served for the Maharaja of Udaipur as a council member from 1893 to 1895, followed by

477-664: A number of inflammatory articles by Raja Mahendra Pratap , as well as increasingly anti-British and pro- Central Powers articles and propaganda. By May 1916, the tone in the paper was deemed serious enough for the British Raj to intercept its issues. In 1916, the Berlin Committee established the Provisional Government of India in Kabul. Its formation infers the seriousness of intention and purpose of

530-585: A postal stamp on Shyamji Krishna Varma on 4 October 1989. Jnanendra Das Gupta Jnanendra Chandra Das Gupta (German form: Inanendra ) (1888 – ?) was an Indian-born chemist who developed a thermosetting plastic called Indolack while working in the Swedish company Perstorp. This led to the development of the first plastic called "isolit" used in Sweden. Das Gupta was born in India. He studied pharmaceutical chemistry under Fritz Ullmann (1875-1939) at

583-600: A profound effect on the political and social situation in Afghanistan. It catalyzed political change that ended with the assassination of Habibullah in 1919 and the transfer of power to Nasrullah and, subsequently, Amānullah; the Third Anglo-Afghan War began, which led to Afghan Independence. The committee was formally disbanded in November 1918, with most of the members shifting their attention to

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636-734: Is known to have corresponded with the nascent Soviet Government. In 1918, Pratap met the Russian leader Leon Trotsky in Petrograd before meeting the Kaiser in Berlin; he urged both to mobilise against British India. Under pressure from the British, the Afghans withdrew their cooperation and the mission closed down. The Niedermayer–Hentig Expedition , with associated liaisons of the German mission had

689-471: Is not simply justified, but imperative". In 1905, he founded the India House and The Indian Sociologist , which rapidly developed as an organised meeting point for radical nationalists among Indian students in Britain at the time and one of the most prominent centres for revolutionary Indian nationalism outside India. Krishna Varma moved to Paris in 1907, avoiding prosecution. Shyamji Krishna Varma

742-587: The Amir of Afghanistan should declare war against Britain while Mahmud al Hasan sought German and Turkish help. Hasan proceeded to Hijaz . Ubaid Allah, in the meantime, established friendly relations with the Amir. At Kabul, Ubaid Allah, along with some students who had preceded him to Ottoman Turkey to join the Caliph 's " Jihad " against Britain, decided that the pan-Islamic cause would be better served by focusing on

795-850: The Czar in Russia. As these students were political novices, Oppenheim sought to find more prominent revolutionaries who would carry more weight in the community. Otto Gunther von Wesendonck, a young officer of the Auswärtiges Amt , was given the task of organising revolutionary outbreaks along the Indian and Russian border. With the help of their close acquaintance Anna Maria Simon, Abhinash Bhattacharya and Virendranath Chattopadhyaya issued similar statements against Britain and France, which were distributed in Austria-Hungary , Switzerland and

848-674: The Indian Freedom Movement . This group was met by the Indo-German-Turkish mission to Kabul in December 1915, headed by Oskar von Niedermayer and including among its members Werner Otto von Hentig , the German diplomatic representative to Kabul; and Raja Mahendra Pratap , Barkatullah and other prominent nationalists from the Berlin group. Known as the Niedermayer–Hentig mission, it brought members of

901-482: The Inner Temple in 1909. This decision was revisited in 2015, and a unanimous decision taken to posthumously reinstated him. In the 1970s, a new town developed in his native state of Kutch , was named after him as Shyamji Krishna Varmanagar in his memory and honor. India Post released postal stamps and first day cover commemorating him. Kuchchh University was renamed after him. The India Post has issued

954-685: The Irish Republican and suffragette . Declaring India House open, Hyndman remarked, "As things stands, loyalty to Great Britain means treachery to India. The institution of this India House means a great step in that direction of Indian growth and Indian emancipation, and some of those who are here this afternoon may live to witness the fruits of its triumphant success." Shyamji hoped India House would incubate Indian revolutionaries and Bhikaiji Cama , S. R. Rana , Vinayak Damodar Savarkar , Virendranath Chattopadhyaya , and Lala Hardayal were all associated with it. Later in 1905, Shyamji attended

1007-593: The Netherlands in addition to Germany, attracting editorial comments. The duo, with the help of Frau Simon, set up meetings with the Berlin Foreign office. Arriving at Berlin, they were assigned a building in the Schöneberg suburbs, as their new headquarters. In their first meeting with the foreign office liaison Max von Oppenheim , on 3 September 1915, Chattopadhyay (also known as Chatto) identified

1060-795: The Technische Universität Berlin and received a doctorate for his thesis titled " Studien über 2-Chloranthrachinon-3-carbonsäure ". His study in Germany was sponsored in 1911 by the National Council of Education Bengal and the Indian Association (through donations from Taraknath Palit ) for the Cultivation of Science. He worked for a while as a chemist at Hoffmann La Roche in Basel and in 1914, he

1113-480: The Amir made no commitment to the group, they found support amongst the Amir's immediate and close political and religious advisory group, including his brother Nasrullah Khan , his sons Inayatullah Khan and Amānullāh Khān , and religious leaders and tribesmen. Afghanistan's then most influential newspaper, the Siraj al-Akhbar , took Barkatullah as an officiating editor in early 1916. Its editor Mahmud Tarzi published

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1166-472: The Berlin Committee and its goals. The committee is known to have sent missions to the Middle Eastern cities of Istanbul and Baghdad , and Kabul , Afghanistan . The committee soon established contacts with Indian revolutionaries, including Bagha Jatin . They visited armament and explosives factories to identify war material, and met with Indian prisoners-of-war held in Germany to recruit them to

1219-478: The British press were anti–Shyamji and printed several allegations against him and his newspaper. He defended them boldly. The Times referred to him as the "Notorious Krishnavarma". Many newspapers criticised the British progressives who supported Shyamji and his view. His movements were closely watched by the British secret service, so he decided to shift his headquarters to Paris , leaving India House in charge of Vir Savarkar . Shyamji left Britain secretly before

1272-891: The Ghadar Party. The culmination of the American efforts was the Annie Larsen arms plot . The Berlin-Indian Committee (which became the Indian Independence Committee after 1915) created an Indo-German-Turkish mission to the Indo-Iranian border to encourage the tribes to strike against British interests. At this time, the Berlin Committee was in touch with the Khairi brothers (Abdul Jabbar Khairi and Abdul Sattar Khairi) who had settled in Istanbul at

1325-471: The Indian movement to India's border, and carried messages from the Kaiser, Enver Pasha , and Abbas Hilmi , the displaced Khedive of Egypt , expressing support for Pratap's mission. They asked the Amir to move against India. The mission's immediate goal was to rally the Amir against British India and to obtain a right of free passage for the conspirators from the Afghan Government. Although

1378-576: The President Woodrow Wilson Lectureship for the discourse on the best means of acquiring and safe guarding national independence consistently with freedom, justice, and the right of asylum accorded to political refugees. It is said that the league rejected his offer due to political pressure from British government. A similar offer was made to the Swiss government which was also turned down. He offered another lectureship at

1431-600: The Swiss government imposed political restrictions during the entire period of World War I . He kept in touch with his contacts, but he could not support them directly. He spent time with Dr. Briess, president of the Pro India Committee in Geneva, whom he later discovered was a paid secret agent of the British government. He offered a sum of 10,000 francs to the League of Nations to endow a lectureship to be called

1484-646: The United Congress of Democrats held at Holborn Town Hall as a delegate of the India Home Rule Society. His resolution on India received an enthusiastic ovation from the entire conference. Shyamji's activities in England aroused the concern of the British government: He was disbarred from Inner Temple and removed from the membership list on 30 April 1909 for writing anti-British articles in The Indian Sociologist . Most of

1537-629: The assassination of the Commissioner of Plague by the Chapekar brothers but he soon decided to fight inside Britain for Indian independence. Ordained by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya samaj, Shyamji Krishan Varma upon his arrival in London stayed at the Inner Temple and studied Herbert Spencer 's writings in his spare time. In 1900, he bought an expensive house in Highgate . He

1590-517: The banquet given by Press Association of Geneva where 250 journalists and celebrities, including the presidents of Swiss Federation and the League of Nations. Shyamji's offer was applauded on the spot but nothing came of it. Shyamji was disappointed with the response and he published all his abortive correspondence on this matter in the next issue of the Sociologist appearing in December 1920, after

1643-653: The enmities to support their goals. As early as 1912, the German Foreign Office had considered supporting the Pan-Islamist and Bengali revolutionary movement in India to weaken the British position. The Kaiser had considered the option on 31 July 1914 when Russian mobilisation was confirmed, and the scope of British mobilisation against Germany was becoming evident. In September 1914, the German Chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg ,

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1696-466: The first non- Brahmin to receive the prestigious title of Pandit by the Pandits of Kashi in 1877. He came to the attention of Monier Williams , an Oxford professor of Sanskrit who offered Shyamji a job as his assistant. Shyamji arrived in England and joined Balliol College , Oxford on 25 April 1879 with the recommendation of Professor Monier Williams . Passing his B.A. in 1883, he presented

1749-600: The goals and requirements of the committee: With the help of Oppenheim, messages were sent out to Indian students in German universities, as well as Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands, who were likely to share the same views. Among those who joined the organisation at the time were Dr. Dhiren Sarkar, Chanji Kersasp, N. S. Marathe, Dr. J. N. Dasgupta , and C. Padmanabhan Pillai, quickly joined by his brother, Champak Raman Pillai . The 'Champak-Chatto' Berlin Committee

1802-592: The government tried to arrest him. He arrived in Paris in early 1907 to continue his work. The British government tried to have him extradited from France without success as he gained the support of many top French politicians. Shyamji's name was dragged into the sensational trial of Mr Merlin, an Englishman, at Bow Street Magistrates' Court, for writing an article in liberators published by Shyamji's friend, Mr. James. Shyamji's work in Paris helped gain support for Indian Independence from European countries. He agitated for

1855-420: The late Dayananda Saraswati , the founder of Arya Samaj , along with another four fellowships in the future. In 1905, Shyamji focused his activity as a political propagandist and organiser for the complete independence of India. Shyamji made his debut in Indian politics by publishing the first issue of his English monthly, The Indian Sociologist , an organ and of political, social and religious reform . This

1908-549: The nascent Soviet Russia . Between 1917 and 1920, most of the members became active Communists. Shyamji Krishna Varma Shyamji Krishna Varma (4 October 1857 – 30 March 1930) was an Indian revolutionary fighter, an Indian patriot, lawyer and journalist who founded the Indian Home Rule Society , India House and The Indian Sociologist in London . A graduate of Balliol College , Krishna Varma

1961-594: The nationalist cause. Lala Har Dayal , who had fled to Germany after his arrest in the United States, was convinced to lend his support to the committee's cause. They established contacts with the Ghadarite movement in the United States. Dr. Dhiren Sarkar and N.S. Marathe left for Washington, D.C., on 22 September 1915 and, through the German Ambassador, Johann von Bernstoff , established links with

2014-762: The onset of the World War I . In 1917 they had proposed to the Kaiser a plan to lead tribes in Kashmir and North-West Frontier Province against British interests. Another group, led by the Deobandi Maulana Ubaid Allah Sindhi and Mahmud al-Hasan (principle of the Darul Uloom Deoband ), had traveled to Kabul in October 1915 with plans to initiate a Muslim insurrection in the tribal belt of India. Ubaid Allah proposed that

2067-425: The position of Diwan of Junagadh State. He resigned in 1897 after a bitter experience with a British agent that shook his faith in British rule in India. Having read Satyarth Prakash and other books of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Shyamji Krishna Varma was very much impressed with his philosophy, writings and spirit of Nationalism and had become one of his ardent admirers. It was upon Dayanand's inspiration, he set up

2120-486: The release of Savarker and acquired great support all over Europe and Russia. Guy Aldred wrote an article in the Daily Herald under the heading of "Savarker the Hindu Patriot whose sentences expire on 24 December 1960", helping create support in England, too. In 1914 his presence became an embarrassment as French politicians had invited King George V to Paris to set a final seal on the Entente Cordiale . Shyamji foresaw this and shifted his headquarters to Geneva . Here

2173-459: The revolutionaries. The government had Raja Mahendra Pratap as president, Barkatullah as Prime Minister, Ubaid al Sindhi as the Minister for India, Maulavi Bashir as War Minister and Champakaran Pillai as Foreign Minister. It tried to gain support from the Russian Empire , Republican China , and Japan. Galib Pasha joined them in proclaiming jihad against Britain. Following the February Revolution in Russia in 1917, Pratap's Government

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2226-405: The student leaders in India House. In 1909, Madan Lal Dhingra , closely associated with the India House, shot and killed William Hutt Curzon Wyllie , the political ADC to the Secretary of State for India. In the aftermath of the assassination, India House was rapidly suppressed. Evidence found showed that Browning pistols were being sent to India in order to bring about an armed revolution. Savarkar

2279-474: The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi agreed to repatriate the ashes. Finally on 22 August 2003, the urns of ashes of Shyamji and his wife Bhanumati were handed over to then Chief Minister of Gujarat State Narendra Modi by the Ville de Genève and the Swiss government 55 years after Indian Independence . They were brought to Mumbai and after a long procession throughout Gujarat, they reached Mandvi, his birthplace. A memorial called Kranti Teerth dedicated to him

2332-472: Was a notable anti-colonial publication. Prominent Indian Nationalists associated with the India House included Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (also known as Veer Savarkar), Virendranath Chattopadhyaya (alias Chatto), and Har Dayal . The British government kept track of India House because of the nature of its work and the increasingly inciting tone of The Indian Sociologist, which proposed killing British colonial officials. English detectives followed and watched

2385-518: Was a noted scholar in Sanskrit and other Indian languages. He pursued a brief legal career in India and served as the Divan of a number of Indian princely states in India. He had, however, differences with Crown authority, was dismissed following a supposed conspiracy of British colonial officials at Junagadh and chose to return to England. An admirer of Dayanand Saraswati 's approach of cultural nationalism , and of Herbert Spencer , Krishna Varma believed in Spencer's dictum: "Resistance to aggression

2438-581: Was among the earliest members of the German Friends of India or Berlin Committee , a revolutionary group begun by Virendranath "Chatto" Chattopadhyaya and supported by the German Foreign Office where Das Gupta had a friend in the Sinologist Herbert Mueller (1885-1966) (who allegedly later worked for ComIntern ). Gupta later worked for the Indian National Army . Sometime later he moved from Switzerland and began to work in Sweden at Skånska Ättikfabriken AB (which later became Perstorp AB) founded by Wilhelm Wendt in Skåne 1881. In 1918 he developed Indolack based on

2491-498: Was an assertive, ideological monthly aimed at inspiring mass opposition to British rule, which stimulated many intellectuals to fight for the independence of India. On 18 February 1905, Shyamji inaugurated a new organisation called The Indian Home Rule Society . The first meeting, held at his Highgate home, unanimously decided to found The Indian Home Rule Society with the object of: As many Indian students faced racist attitudes when seeking accommodations, he founded India House as

2544-605: Was authorised by the Kaiser to sanction German activity against British India. The German effort was headed by Max von Oppenheim , an archaeologist and the head of the newly formed Intelligence Bureau for the East . He was to organize the Indian student groups into a cohesive group. Oppenheim also convinced Har Dayal of the feasibility of the project. A group of Indians resident in Germany, headed by M. Prabhakar (then teaching at Düsseldorf after graduating from Heidelberg ), along with Abd ur Rahman and A Siddiqui, had issued statements condemning England and France for their support of

2597-712: Was born on 4 October 1857 in Mandvi , Cutch State (now Kutch , Gujarat ) as Shamji, the son of Krushnadas Bhanushali (Karsan Nakhua; Nakhua is the surname while Bhanushali is the community name), a labourer for cotton press company, and Gomatibai, who died when Shyamji was only 11 years old. He was raised by his grandmother. His ancestors came from Bhachunda (23°12'3"N 69°0'4"E), a village now in Abdasa taluka of Kutch district. They had migrated to Mandvi in search of employment and due to familial disputes. After completing secondary education in Bhuj , he went to Mumbai for further education at Wilson High School. Whilst in Mumbai, he learned Sanskrit . In 1875, he married Bhanumati,

2650-401: Was built and inaugurated in 2010 near Mandvi . Spread over 52 acres, the memorial complex houses a replica of India House building at Highgate along with statues of Shyamji Krishna Varma and his wife. Urns containing Krishna Verma's ashes, those of his wife, and a gallery dedicated to earlier activists of Indian independence movement is housed within the memorial. Krishna Verma was disbarred from

2703-432: Was deported from England, and denied asylum by the French government on a stop in Marseilles) while Krishna Varma successfully fled to Europe . Those who continued the struggle, including Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, moved to Germany, while a number of the leadership moved to Paris . This set of fugitives would later coalesce in the Berlin Committee. At the outbreak of World War I, Indian nationalists looked for ways to use

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2756-457: Was founded. Although the group urged him, Oppenheim refused to approach Shyamji Krishnavarma , then in Geneva , nor did he try to reach Lala Lajpat Rai , then in the United States. The latter was suspected by British intelligence in the United States to be deeply involved in the seditionist movement although he personally refused to enter an alliance with another Imperialist Power. In 1915, Har Dayal and Barkatullah became actively involved in

2809-404: Was inspired by Spencer's writings. At Spencer's funeral in 1903, he announced the donation of £1,000 to establish a lectureship at University of Oxford in tribute to him and his work. A year later he announced that Herbert Spencer Indian fellowships of Rs.2,000 each were to be awarded to enable Indian graduates to finish their education in England. He announced additional fellowship in memory of

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