Swami Kumaranand

Swami Kumaranand Biography

Swami Kumaranand was a freedom activist and freedom fighter who lived in British era. He, on behalf of the Communist Party was the first person to move the resolution for Poorna Swaraj (complete independence) in 1921, at the Congress session, Ahmedabad, along with Hasrat Mohani. Urdu poet and activist Mohani gave India the memorable slogan of Inquilab Zindabad at the same session. Initially a politician associated with Congress, he later became a Communist, and was a key builder of the communist movement in Rajputana and Madhya Bharat.

Kumaranand hailed from Rangoon, and belonged to a Bengali family. His birth name is Dvijendra Kumar Naag, and he was born on 16 April 1889. His father was the Commissioner at the capital of Burma (now Myanmar). Kumaranand completed his education from Dacca and Kolkata. His meeting with Swami Satyananda of Utkal proved to be a major turning point of his life. Deeply influenced by nationalist thoughts, he decided to join freedom struggle movement.  He visited China in 1910 and met Sun Yat-Sen, the founding father of the Republic of China. Once he returned to India, he got arrested at Kolkata and was jailed for 9 years.

Once released from jail, he actively participated in freedom struggle movement. Following his meeting with Mahatma Gandhi, he decided to support non-cooperation movement. He also organized a peasant conference in Beawar in 1921, along with Indulal Yagnik. Prior to it, he became a member of All India Congress Committee, and was a key figure in the left-wing of the Congress. He along with Hasrat Mohani called for complete freedom at the Congress session, Ahmedabad in 1921. But Gandhi rejected that move initially.

With early 1930s, he got associated with trade unions, and organised a trade union of textile mill workers in 1931. He supported the candidature of Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939 Indian National Congress session. In 1957 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, he unsuccessfully contested Beawar seat. He died on 29 December 1971. Swami Kumaranand Memorial Society was established in his honour in 1975.

Published: October 11, 2018

Updated: October 11, 2018