SURENDRANATH BANERJEE

Sir Surendranath Banerjee (10 November 1848 – 6 August 1925) was one of the earliest Indian political leaders during the British Raj. He founded the Indian National Association, one of the earliest Indian political organizations, and later became a senior leader of the Indian National Congress. He was also known as Rashtraguru (the teacher of the nation).

• Surendranath Banerjee was born in Kolkata (Calcutta), to a Bengali Brahmin family.
• He was deeply influenced in liberal, progressive thinking by his father Durga Charan Banerjee, a doctor.
• Banerjee was educated at the Parental Academic Institution and at the Hindu College.
• After graduating from the University of Calcutta, he traveled to England in 1868, along with Romesh Chunder Dutt and Behari Lal Gupta, to compete in the Indian Civil Service examinations.
• He cleared the competitive examination in 1869, but was barred owing to a dispute over his exact age. After clearing the matter in the courts, Banerjee cleared the exam again in 1871 and was posted as assistant magistrate in Sylhet.
• However, Banerjee was dismissed soon from his job owing to racial discrimination. Banerjee went to England to protest this decision, but was unsuccessful.
• During his stay in England (1874–1875), he studied the works of Edmund Burke and other liberal philosophers. These works guided him in his protests against the British. Surendranath Banerjea is often called "the Indian Burke".
• Upon his return to India Surendranath became Professor of English in the Metropolitan Institution. Later he joined the Free Church College at Kolkata. In 1882, he started a school which later grew into a Surendranath college (Lord Ripon College).
• The British respected him and referred to him during his later years as Surrender Not Banerjee.
• He was elected to the reformed Legislative Council of Bengal in 1921, knighted in the same year, and held office as minister for local self-government from 1921 to 1924.
• He was defeated at the polls in 1923. Surendranath died at Barrackpore on August 6, 1925.

His Contribution to India's Freedom Struggle

Surendranath Banerjea drew much inspiration from a great Italian nationalist Joseph Nlazzini (1805-1872). Surendranath's contribution to India's freedom struggle was as follows:

1.     Fight against Injustice and Repression:  

Surendranath took to public life in 1876, the year in which he founded the Indian Association on 26 July 1876. The object of the Association was to agitate for the introduction of political reforms in India. In 1877, the age-limit for the Civil Service Examination was reduced from 21 to 19. Surendranath made a tour of India, protesting against the reduction of the maximum age-limit. He fearlessly criticised such measures as the Arms Act and the Vernacular Press Act.

"The great words 'Representative Institutions' were written in characters of gold in the banner that the Congress unfurled... Every nation must be the arbiter of its own destinies."

2.   Elective Offices were just a Means to serve People:

Surendranath was elected to the Kolkata Corporation in 1876 and was there for more than two decades. He was elected to the Bengal Legislative Council in 1894, 1896 and 1900. Surendranath transformed his civic and political duties into means to serve people.

3.   Convened Indian National Conference in 1883 (A Pillar of Congress in its Early Days):

Surendranath took the lead in convening the Indian National Conference in 1883. It was the first organisation of an all-India character. In 1885, the Indian National Congress was born. Indian National Conference welcomed the birth of the Congress and soon came the merger of the two bodies. He was elected the Congress President in 1895 at Poona and in 1902 at Ahmedabad.

4.   His Role as a Journalist:

For several years, Surendranath edited 'The Bengalee' which had been founded by him in 1879. This paper very much criticised the Ilbert Bill and the Vernacular Press Act.

5.     A Firm Believer in India's Right to Self-Government:

He was a firm believer in India's right to Self-Government. His best known book is 'A Nation in Making' which was widely acclaimed.

6.   Constitutional Means for the Attainment of India's Goals:

His principle was "Opposition where necessary, Cooperation where possible." He disapproved of violent activities. He urged Indians to boycott foreign goods. He supported the Swadeshi Movement. He said, "take the Swadeshi vow and you will have laid broad and deep the foundations of your industrial and political emancipation."