Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav

Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav (3 March 1920 – 16 January 2006), known as Sher-e-Bihar, and Ramlakhan Babu, was an Indian freedom fighter, social reformer, educationist, and politician. His political journey, which spanned more than 50 years, began in the post-independence era as a member of the Zilla Parishad in 1947 and reached its peak with his appointment as a Union Minister in the Central Government in 1994. He was elected to the 10th Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, from the Arrah in 1991 as a member of the Janata Dal. He later joined the Congress under controversial circumstances which helped save Narasimha Rao Government during no confidence vote on 28 July 1993. He also served as the Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers in the Narasimha Rao Government.

He served as a multi-term Member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly and held multiple key portfolios as a state minister. He first became a Cabinet Minister in 1963 in Krishna Ballabh Sahay ministry. He was accorded the third place in the ministry after Chief Minister Sahay and his deputy Satyendra Narain Singh. A veteran freedom fighter, Shri Yadav was a key figure from Bihar in India's freedom struggle. His younger grandson Jai Vardhan Yadav was elected Member of Legislative Assembly from Paliganj in between 2015 and 2020.

Early life and independence movement Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav was born on 9 March 1920 in the then Harirampur village of Patna district in the state of Bihar. Shri Yadav was the youngest of four brothers. After completing his Matriculation from Parvati High School, Bikram, Shri Yadav got admitted to BN College, Patna. His active participation in Mahatma Gandhi's Swadeshi Movement, led to him being jailed by the British. As a result, he could not appear for his intermediate examination. It was only after the intervention of the then Chief Minister of Bihar, Dr. Shri Krishan Singh, that Shri Yadav got the opportunity to appear in the Intermediate examination from Patna College. Subsequently, due to his continued involvement in the freedom struggle, the British Government declared him to be a 'dangerous student', a proclamation for student activists who provoked young crowds against the British Raj. This prevented him from pursuing his higher education. He is until date regarded as one of the tallest Yadav leaders of all times in Bihar and an icon.

Contributions as a philanthropist and educationist Ramlakhan Babu used to consider education as a celebration of awakening and consciousness. He firmly believed that countering exploitation and tyranny is possible only through education. This is the reason why he took a keen interest in establishing educational institutions in Bihar and Jharkhand. In an interview to India Today, he is quoted to have said, "For me the farmer comes first. And I am willing to sacrifice anything for him. For the farmer, whatever I have to do, I will do."

Birth anniversary celebration

Annually, Shri Yadav's memorial ceremonies are held across Bihar in different institutions established by him, key amongst which is the Shri Krishna Chetna Parishad, Patna. Here, dignitaries have included present and former Chief Ministers of Bihar, politicians, educationists, social thinkers and philanthropists over the course of the years. They gather together to celebrate his legacy and offer homage to his statue installed in the premises.

Memorial ceremony and birth anniversary celebration in 2023

A memorial ceremony to commemorate 103rd Birth Anniversary of Shri Yadav was held at Shri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 26 March 2023. In his address, he said "No leader of Bihar has built colleges on such a large scale. When we were MLAs, we had seen his ministerial tenure from close quarters. He believed in us a lot. He inspired people from all sections of the society to read. He wanted education to reach all the people."

On this occasion, the Chief Minister released the book "Ramlakhan Singh Yadav – Personality and Works" written by Dr. Raghuvar Prasad. Dr Prasad has also done his PhD on Shri Yadav as a subject.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also announced that going forward, Shri Yadav's birth anniversary will be celebrated as a state ceremony and his statue will be installed in Patna. He launched the campaign "Chalo Chalen Kalam Ki Aur". During the program, a short film based on the personality and work of late Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav was screened.