Pundit Sunder Lal Sharma

September 28, 1990

Pundit Sunder Lal Sharma

A commemorative postage stamp on the 50^th death anniversary of Pandit Sundarlal Sharma, Gandhi of Chhattisgarh :

Issued by India

Issued on Sep 28, 1990

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 : Indigenous Un W/M Gravure Coated Stamp Paper

Number Printed : 10,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure Process

Printed : India Security Press

Name : Sunder Lal Sharma

Born on Dec 21, 1881 at Chamshur, Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, India

Died on Sep 28, 1940

About :

Pundit Sunder Lal Sharma was born on 21^st December 1881 at Rajim, the historical city of Chhatisgarh in Raipur district of Madhya Pradesh. He was the pioneer of the freedom struggle in this area and was called “the Chhatisgarhi Gandhi“.
Sunder Lal Sharma established the Rajim Kavi Samaj in 1898-99. As a literary luminary of Hindi, he shaped the Chhatisgarhi dialect into a language by composing the poetic word named “Chhatisgarhi Dan–Lila” in 1905. In the same year he initiated the freedom struggle against the British Rule in the area. He started the “Jungle Satyagraha” by organising the tribals in the inaccessible forests in 1916-17. He led the famous Kandel Nahar Satyagraha. He accompanied Gandhiji on his visit to Chhatisgarh from Calcutta. He was imprisoned on the charge of sedition for one year in May, 1922. He went to jail, time and again, during Nagpur Flag Satyagraha in 1930 and in 1932.
As a social reformer, he opened a new chapter for the scheduled castes belonging to the Satnami castes by offering Janeu (the sacred thread) to them. This revolutionary and courageous task made the Hindus call him “the Chamar Brahmin“. In a bid to remove untouchability he entered the temple of Rajim along with the so-called lower caste people. He struggled for the welfare of the untouchables, the downtrodden and the exploited classes till his last breath.
In 1927, he started the historical march of 700 Kms from Dhamtari to Kakinada to take part in the Kakinada Congress session. He donated his entire property and dedicated himself to the service of the nation, till his death on 28^th September, 1940. A research chair has been instituted in his name in Ravi Shankar University, Raipur and the library there is also named after him.
Text: Courtesy B.L. Mishra, Chairman Pundit Sunder Lal Sharma Memorial Committee.