Baldev Ramji Mirdha

A commemorative postage stamp on the Birth Centenary of Kisan Kesari Baldev Ram Mirdha, founder of ‘Marwar Kisan Sabha’ and ‘Rajasthan Kisan Sabha’ :

Issued by India

Issued on Jan 17, 1989

Description of design : The stamp and first day cover are based on the sculpture of K. S. Radhakrishnan. The stamp is designed by India Security Press, Nashik Road. The first day cover is designed by Sankha Samanta and the cancellation by Alka Sharma.

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Single colour

Denomination : 60 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 x 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported unwatermarked adhesive gravure coated stamp paper

Number Printed : 10,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printed : India Security Press

Name : Baldev Ram Mirdha

Born on Jan 17, 1889 at Kuchera, Nagaur district, Rajasthan, India

Died on Aug 2, 1953

About : 

• Shri Baldev Ramji Mirdha was born on 17^th January 1889 in a farmer’s family in village Kuchera in district Nagaur of Rajasthan. He passed Matric examination and joined service in the former Jodhpur State. By dint of hard work and honesty he rose to become a high police official. His interest and commitment however lay elsewhere.
• At that time the lot of farmers was very unenviable everywhere but much more so in the native States. He found the feudal exploitation of farmers unbearable and vowed in his heart to fight it. He started the Marwar Kisan Sabha to organise farmers and held many massive rallies and demonstrations. After the formation of Rajasthan he established the Rajasthan Kisan Sabha and enlarged the ambit of his activities. He was working in cooperation with Lok Parishad and Congress leaders like Jai Narain Vyas. It was after consultations with Jawahar Lal Nehru and Govind Ballabh Pant that Rajasthan Kisan Sabha was merged with the Indian National Congress on the eve of the first General Elections.
• Baldev Ramji Mirdha was a great social worker and made it the foundation of his political work. He started a movement for helping the backward classes and enabling them to take water from the village well. He started a movement for abolition of customs like feasts after death. These activities enraged the entrenched leaders of society who carried on a tirade against him. He believed that education was necessary for liberating an individual and started a number of schools and hostels in rural areas. Students from these institutions are in the forefront of political and social life of the State. His various activities for organising the Kisans fighting for their right to be masters of the land that they cultivated earned him the title of “Kisan Kesari”. He died on 2^nd August 1953 in harness while going to address a Kisan conference.