3 Review(s)

Major Addresses is the third in the five-volume series ‘Selected Works of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati’. These addresses were primarily delivered by Sahajanand on the forums of the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha as well as the All India Kisan Sabha between 1935 and 1949, with the final given at the conference of the Virakta Mahamandal. They mark the evolution of the national movement as well as that of peasant movement in India. Some of the ideas presented here are specific to the context of colonial India but his core ideas remain relevant even today: how to intensify the popular movement to establish a new and revolutionary social order marked by equity and justice. As Sahajanand was involved in both the national and peasant movements, he was aware of their multiple vantage points and stressed their inter-relationship. In these addresses, he underlines the pressing need for the Kisan Sabha to be an independent organization, both in organizational and ideological terms, within the nationalist movement. At the time of Independence, he refused to join any government office and continued working for a new revolutionary social order, ultimately leading to the establishment of Kisan Mazdur Raj. These addresses are testament to his selfless and sincere commitment to the cause of a new social order favourable to the peasants.