Educational Work
The eighth of the Ten principles of the Arya Samaj points out to the Arya that he should
endeavor to diffuse knowledge and dispel ignorance. In Punjab and the United Provinces the
Samaj have done excellent work ahead of the missionary effort. No single organization
could claim to have as many schools for boys and girls as the Samaj. For the boy’s
education there were two types of colleges, one affiliated with the Government University
and other independent of official control.
Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College at Lahore - The aim of this educational institution is
briefly referred to as “It will be conceded by all right-thinking minds that to
secure the best advantages of education, it is necessary to make it national in tone and
character. The rush of foreign ideas has no doubt, the effect of enlightening and
improving thousand minds. But foreign education has produced a schism in society that is
truly deplorable. The reaction towards national education is asserting itself everywhere
and the demand for the study of national literature is growing.
Thus we have to make a provision for the efficient study of the national language and
literature, and to carefully initiate the youthful mind into habits and modes of life
consistent with the national spirit and character. Influenced by these considerations we
propose to establish an educational institution, which will supply the shortcomings of the
existing systems and combine their advantages. The aim would be spread knowledge of moral
and spiritual truths by insisting on the study of classical Sanskrit, to assist in the
formation of sound and energetic habits by a regulated mode of living, to encourage sound
acquaintance of with English literature”.
While D’s death did caste a deep gloom over his followers, it created a desire for
expressing gratitude by some permanent commemoration of the great man. The movement foe
giving practical shape to the movement for the study of the Vedas and classical Sanskrit
literature could no longer be postponed. It inspired his followers to set up the Dayanand
Anglo-Vedic Colleges, schools, Gurukuls.
The objectives of the D.A.V. College are -
The first D.A.V. would never have happened had it not been
for the efforts of Lala Hansraj. It was due to his efforts that the first Dayanand
Anglo-Vedic High School, Lahore was opened on Ist June 1886. It owed nothing to the
government and was entirely funded out of public contributions. Here English education was
to be offered under the protective coloring of Indian cultural tradition. It attempted to
make Western education safe by harnessing both its scientific quest as well as liberal
leanings to the service of the community. Under Lala Hansraj who remained its principle
for 28 years “it became the foremost agency for planting a sturdy and independent
nationalism in Punjab”.
Another notable person that we cannot afford to forget is Lala Munshi Ram, the founder of
the Gurukula at Kangri. It is impossible to think of the Samaj without these two names. By
1914, the Samaj had the largest number of institutions in Northern India and probably the
second largest in the country.
The Gurukula - another college was established by the vegetarian section of the
Samaj. A section of the Samaj felt that that the already established D.A.V. institutions
did not come up to the Vedic education ideals hence they felt the need for an educational
system with high proficiency in Vedic Sanskrit and character building on Vedic lines.
Established in 1902, the objectives of the scheme are -
Its aim is the reviving of the ancient system of Brahmacharya, of rejuvenating and
resuscitating ancient Indian philosophy and literature, of building up Hindi literature,
of producing preachers of the Vedic religion etc. Quoting Mr Myron Phelps of America on
the objects of the Gurukula “Our model is the Great University of Ancient India, such
as that of Taxila near Rawalpindi”. The missionaries and the Muslims tried their best
to poison the years of the Govt. on the activities of the Gurukula but fortunately the
then Lft-Governor of the province, Sir James Meston, visited the Gurukula and gave it a
clean chit. In fact so impressed was he that he laid the foundation stone of a sister
institution at Mathura, where he paid a high tribute to Lala Munshi Ram.
Besides these two colleges, the Arya Samaj have founded a large number of boy’s
schools, Primary and Secondary, Gurukulas and Patchalas. For the girls the Samaj maintains
a large number of schools and colleges. One of them is the Kanyamahavidyala at Jullundar.
My mother studied there, she tells me it was a beautiful school with hostels for the girls
too. It was founded by Lala Deva Raja of Jullunder.
While I have not managed to get an exhaustive list, some of the educational institutions
of Higher Learning under D.A.V. College Trust are - D.A.V. Colleges at Amritsar,
Jullundar, Ambala, Chnadigarh, Abohar, Sholpaur, Batala, Hans Raj College in Delhi, D.A.V.
College for Women at Yamunanagar, Dayanand Ayur-Vedic College in Jullundar, Dayanand
Polytechnic in Amritsar. Am sure there are many more. There are four Arya Vidya Mandir
schools in Mumbai run by the Arya Samajis there.