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ranjitjat
January 26th, 2003, 04:59 AM
He also welcomed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Pandit Motilal Nehru and donated 5000 rupees to the Congress Party in 1928. Other leaders who have been his guests include Gandhiji, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Acharya Kriplani and Rajgopalacharya. He also donated money to all of them whenever they asked for it.

He gave the largest donation for Jat High school in Rohtak in 1913. Then in 1916, he gave 61,000 rupees for the school again, and he also announced that whoever comes first in the school in the next year will recieve a gold medal and a scholarship from him. The first person to get this gold medal and the scholarship was Ch. Surajmal of village Khanda, District Hissar.

Then he donated to Jat School in Khedagadi in Delhi, Inter College in Barot, Meerut and also Benares Hindu University which was built by Pandit Malviya. He also gave 50,000 rupees to Indraprasth College, 65,000 rupees to Swami Kesvanand High School in Sangria, 4 lakh to Jat High School in Hissar, 10,000 rupees to All India Jat Mahasabha in Muzaffarnagar in 1906. In 1925, Jat Mahasabha was held in Pushkar where he gave 5000 rupees, and he gave 2,500 rupees to Delhi Youth Jat Sabha.

There is a very famous story about the time that Rabindranath Tagore was asking Ch. Chhaju Ram for charity money. Ch. Chhaju Ram asked him who was their biggest donor so far. Poet Tagore said the biggest donor was Mr Birla who had given 5000 rupees. Ch. Chhaju Ram immediately donated 20,000 rupees.

Similarly he also surprised Mahatma Gandhi by giving more than expected. Gandhiji asked for 11,000 rupees, and Ch. Chhaju Ram gave him 26,000 rupees.

In Bhiwani, he opened a hospital called Lady Haley hospital in memory of his daughter Kamala who passed away at an early age. This cost him 5 lakh rupees where the patients were treated for free. This hosipital is still functioning in Bhiwani today.

In a village called Meeran in Bhiwani, he built the biggest water tank.

In 1910, he gave Arya Muni the money needed to translate the vedas and sastras into Hindi.

Dr. Kanungo wanted to write a history of the Jats, and Ch. Chhaju Ram paid for all the costs.

Ch. Chajju Ram was also the godfather of Ch. Chotu Ram, and paid all his education expenses. He built him bungalows called "Neeli Kothi" in Rohtak, and "Shakti Bhavan" in Lahore. Then he became MLC (Member of Legislative Assembly) in Punjab in 1926.

In 1931, he was given the knighthood title for Public Service and was therefore knows as Sir Chhaju Ram.

He also helped the famine victims and the flood victims in 1899. He opened an orphanage in Bhiwani. He gave 150,000 rupees for relief work, and 3 lakhs for water supply in Bhiwani city in 1928.

His estate included the following villages : Shekhupura, Alipura, Alakhpura, Kumharon ki Dhani, Kargasar, Jaamni and Moth Luhari.

Then he gave Maharaja Bharatpur Krishna Singh a loan of 2 lakh rupees in 1926.

Ch. Sir Chhaju Ram is the greatest donor that the Jat community has ever produced. He often said, "I have seen the greatest poverty in my childhood, and today the world calls me a millionaire. I was born in such a Jat community where no one has ever entered the world of business. But I am a very successful businessman. Since God has been so kind to me, so anything I do for my people in the name of God is little. Everything which I give to the poor, God gives me back in profits. My dream is to earn money and spend it on educating and feeding the poor people of this country, which has been successful. So, now if I die, I will not have any regrets."

Money often makes a person very obstinate, but he always remained, fair, god-fearing, humble and a kind man. He lived simply, and wore Khadi clothes with a Kesariya pagdi. We should all take inspiration from such a great and god-like man.

He passed away on the 7th of April, 1943 at the age of 82.

When Ch. Chotu Ram heard the news, his eyes filled with tears and he said, "India's most generous man, the father of the poor and the orphans, and the helper of the downtrodden and my own godfather will live forever in our hearts and continue to inspire us forever. I offer my homage to him, and pledge to live on the path that he showed us all. God bless his soul."

As long as there are JAT Kshatriyas on this earth, Ch. Chhaju Ram will remain an inspiration for all the JAT Kshatriyas in this world.Long live the good name of Ch- Sir CHHAJU RAM LAMBA OF ALAKH PURA BHIWANI
HARYANA -INDIA

urmiladuhan
January 26th, 2003, 10:15 AM
Ch. Chajju Ram's life is remarkable. Money can make or break a man, and from reading about his life here, it is obvious he never let ups and downs in his life affect his obligations to his community and society.

Thankyou Dudee jee for writing on this great man.

ravichaudhary
January 27th, 2003, 04:37 AM
We need more such stories. They are there, not well known, and I look forward to them being recorded

Ravi Chaudhary

scsheorayan
January 27th, 2003, 08:58 AM
There are not many Chhaju Ram Alakhpuria he was unique and is remembered and honoured due to his selfless service to mankind and Jat community in particular. We all can learn from him probably every one can not be as wealthy as he was or as generous but we can always try to learn the principles by which he lived. "Apne liye jiye to kya jiye, Tu ji aye dil jamane ke liye".