The great lawyer Chittaranjan Das was born on Nov 5, 1870.He belonged to a highly educated family with rich cultural surroundings. Bhuvan Mohan, his father was a solicitor by profession and also worked as a reporter and editor in the English church weekly, the Brahmo Public Opinion.
Chittaranjan Das completed his graduation in 1890 from Presidency College, Kolkata, West Bengal. He went abroad to England to sit for the Indian Civil Service examination. He failed to clear the examination. When he returned to India in 1893, he began practicing law in the Calcutta High Court.His career rose to fame when he successfully defended Aurobindo Ghose in the 1908 Alipur bomb case. Das set up an undergraduate union and also raised his voice for the use of Bengali language in university examinations. He substantially contributed with Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghose in writing Bande Mataram, an English weekly. He also tried to instill the ideas of Swaraj among the young Indian freedom fighters. He was involved in active politics from 1917 to 1925.
Chittaranjan Das also put the idea of reconstructing villages through the incorporation of local self-government and cooperative credit society systems. He also wanted to give a new face to the cottage industry. He became a prominent figure in the Indian National Congress, known for his innate skills in public speaking and political insight.
He joined hands with Gandhi in the Non -Cooperation Movement. In 1921, along with his wife and son, he was arrested by the British Government. Das realized that political stability could only be brought in India by reuniting the Hindus and Muslims. He always believed in self-rule and attained the title of Deshabandhu meaning friend of the country.
Das always had a flair for writing and this was evident from his literary magazines, Narayan, Mala, Sagar Sangit, Kishore-Kishoree and Antaryami.
Like Gandhiji, Das believed in the idea of non-violence. He felt that education was mandatory for our country. He laid emphasis on women liberation and aided Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's movement for widow re-marriage. He passed away on June 16, 1925.
| Born | 5 November 1870 |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Father | Bhuban Mohan Das |
| Died | 16 June 1925 (aged 55) |
| Education | Educated in England, |
| Profession before joining politics | Lawyer (Barrister) |
| Known for contribution as | Major figure in the Indian independence movement |
| Political Career | Indian National Congress , Swaraj Party |
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