Jayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan, fondly known as JP or Lok Nayak, was born on 11 October 1902 in Sitabdiara, Uttar Pradesh. He joined the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1919 and left college to support the freedom struggle. After studying sociology in the USA, JP returned to India and joined the Indian National Congress in 1929 under Mahatma Gandhi’s mentorship.
JP became a key leader of the Congress Socialist Party, a left-wing group within Congress, and was jailed multiple times during the freedom struggle. During the Quit India Movement in 1942, he escaped from prison and went underground to continue the fight for independence. After independence, JP left Congress and electoral politics, dedicating himself to social causes like Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan Movement.
In the 1970s, JP returned to politics, leading movements against corruption and calling for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution) against Indira Gandhi’s government. When the Emergency was declared in 1975, he was jailed but continued to inspire resistance. After the Emergency, JP guided the formation of the first non-Congress government in India. Known for his integrity and simplicity, he became a beloved mass leader and was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1999.
Trivia : JP’s wife, Prabhavati Devi, was also a freedom fighter and lived at Sabarmati Ashram during the independence struggle.
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