Jairamdas Daulatram

Jairamdas Daulatram
Jairamdas Daulatram on a 1985 stamp of India
3rd Governor of Assam
In office 27 May 1950 – 15 May 1956
Chief Minister	Gopinath Bordoloi Bishnuram Medhi
Preceded by	Sri Prakasa
Succeeded by	Fazal Ali
2nd Minister of Agriculture
In office 19 January 1948 – 13 May 1950
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	Rajendra Prasad
Succeeded by	Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi
1st Governor of Bihar
In office 15 August 1947 – 11 January 1948
Chief Minister	Shri Krishna Sinha
Preceded by	Sir Hugh Dow (As Governor under British rule)
Succeeded by	Madhav Shrihari Aney
Personal details
Born	(1891-07-21)21 July 1891 Karachi, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died	1 March 1979(1979-03-01) (aged 87) Delhi, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Occupation	Politician

Jairamdas Daulatram (21 July 1891 – 1 March 1979) was an Indian political leader in the Indian independence movement. After India's independence, Daulatram served as the Governor of the Indian states of Bihar and later Assam.

Early life[]

Jairamdas Daulatram was born into a Sindhi Hindu family in Karachi, Sindh, which was then part of the Bombay Presidency in British India on 21 July 1891.

His academic career was brilliant throughout. After taking his degree in law, he started a legal practice, but soon gave it up as it often led to conflict with his conscience. In 1915, Jairamsingh came into personal contact with Mahatma Gandhi, who had then returned from South Africa, and became his devoted follower. At the Amritsar session of the Indian National Congress in 1919, he worded Gandhi's resolution in such a way that it avoided an impending rift between Gandhi and his other Congress colleagues. Since then Gandhi came to repose great faith in him. Gandhi spoke of him as 'one of the greatest persons in India'. He compared him with pure gold saying : 'I swear by Jairamdas. Truer man I have not had the honour of meeting.' Jairamdas enjoyed the trust and affection of Mrs. Sarojini Naidu who described his as a 'Lamp in the Desert' because of his services in the Sindh, which was mostly a desert. His ties with Sardar Patel and Dr. Rajendra Prasad were also very close.

Freedom struggle[]

Jairamsingh Daulatram became a participant as an activist in the Home Rule Movement led by Annie Besant and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, demanding "Home Rule", or self-government and Dominion status for India within the British Empire. He also joined the Indian National Congress, which was the largest Indian political organisation. Daulatram was deeply influenced by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, which advocated simple living, and a struggle for independence through ahimsa (non-violence) and satyagraha.^[1] perhaps Gandhi's sweetest relations were with Jairamdas. At the Amritsar session of the Congress, 1919, acute differences had arisen on the reforms resolution between Gandhiji on the one hand and Tilak, C.R. Das and Mohammed Ali on the other. Recalled Gandhiji years later: ``Jairamdas, that cool- headed Sindhi, came to the rescue. He passed me a slip containing a suggestion and pleading for a compromise. I hardly knew him. Something in his eyes and face captivated me. l read the suggestion. It was good. I passed it on to Deshbandhu. "Yes, if my party Will accept it" was his response. Lokmanya said, "I don't want to see it. If Das has approved, it is good enough for me.' Malaviyaji (who was presiding anxiously) overheard it, snatched the paper from my hands and, amid deafening cheers, announced that a compromise had been arrived at."

When Gandhiji was launching the Salt March in 1930, he wrote to Jairamdas, who was then member of the Bombay Legislative Council: ``I have taken charge of the Committee for Boycott of Foreign Cloth. I must have a whole-time secretary, if that thing is to work. And I can think of nobody so suitable like you. Jairamsingh immediately resigned his seat, took up the new charge, and made a tremendous success of the boycott of foreign cloth.

Daulatram participated in the Non-cooperation movement (1920–1922), agitating against British rule through non-violent civil disobedience. Daulatram rose in the ranks of the Congress and became one of its foremost leaders from Sindh. He was a leading activist in the Salt March (1930–31) and the Quit India movement (1942–45), being imprisoned by British authorities. Daulatram was shot and wounded in the thigh when police opened fire on street protestors agitating outside a magistrate's court in Karachi in 1930.^[1]

Post-independence[]

India became an independent nation on 15 August 1947 but was simultaneously partitioned to create a separate Muslim state of Pakistan; Daulatram's native Sindh was included in Pakistan, of which Karachi became the national capital. Daulatram stayed in India and was appointed the first Indian Governor of Bihar, a post he held until 1948, when he was appointed the Union Minister for Food Supply. Daulatram represented a constituency from East Punjab in the Constituent Assembly of India and contributed in drafting and shaping the Constitution of India.^[2] He served as a member of the advisory, union subjects, and provincial constitution committees.^[2] From 1950 to 1956, Daulatram served as the Governor of Assam.^[2] When he was Governor of Assam he had explained Major Bob Ranenglao Khathing about the limitations of the central government regarding reaching Tawang. Major Bob along with TC Allen last British intelligence officer touched Tawang on February 7, 1951; and raised Indian flag at Tawang. Thus, Jairamdas Daulatram was in a way, instrumental in raising Indian flag at Tawang. Ref: June 2020, Road to Galwan, From Where It Began By Deepti Singh Published by notion press.com

Preservation of Sindhi literature[]

Jairamsingh Daulatram was one of the founding members of the Akhil Bharat Sindhi Boli Ain Sahit Sabha (All India Sindhi Language and Literature Congress).^[3]

References[]