Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, revered as the pioneer of India’s farmer movement, holds a place of immense respect in the nation’s history of freedom and social reform.
Subhas Chandra Bose once described him as ‘a magical force upon earth’, while Bihar’s legendary leader Shri Babu served as secretary in the provincial Kisan Sabha he founded.
Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran movement, Sahajanand brought the cause of peasants to the forefront of India’s struggle for independence.
He championed the call to abolish the zamindari system, challenging entrenched feudal powers at a time when much of the political leadership hailed from landlord families.
Born on February 22, 1889, in Deva village, Dullahpur, Ghazipur, Swami Sahajanand began life as an ascetic after losing his wife at a young age.
He studied Sanskrit, grammar, and philosophy in Kashi and Darbhanga between 1910 and 1912, later engaging in community reform among the Bhumihar Brahmins.
His meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 drew him into the Non-Cooperation Movement.
By 1927, he had settled at Sitaram Ashram in Bihata, Patna, and two years later broke away from caste-based organisations to form the Provincial Kisan Sabha, initiating a mass struggle against landlord oppression and for peasant land rights.
In 1936, the All India Kisan Sabha unanimously elected Swami Sahajanand as its president during its founding session in Lucknow.
Under his leadership, the Sabha demanded the abolition of zamindari and cancellation of all peasant debts. The movement soon drew literary giants like Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Mahashweta Devi, and Nagarjun to its cause.
Even during the devastating 1934 Bihar earthquake, he led relief efforts, proving his commitment extended beyond ideology to action. Before his death in Muzaffarpur on 26 June 1950, he wrote that “true freedom lies in restoring the rights of those who have been deprived.”
Swami Sahajanand’s vision inspired post-independence land reforms and the end of zamindari, yet his dream of social justice remains incomplete.
Recent farmer movements across India echo his enduring call for dignity, equality, and empowerment of those who feed the nation.
Also Read: Select Works Of Farmers’ Leader Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Released; Presented To KC Tyagi
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