Shyamji Krishna Varma

Why is in news? PM pays tributes to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his Jayanti

Shyamji Krishna Varma (4 October 1857 – 30 March 1930) was an Indian revolutionary fighter, an Indian patriot, lawyer and journalist.

He was a noted scholar in Sanskrit and other Indian languages.

He pursued a brief legal career in India and served as the Diwan of a number of Indian princely states in India.

He was the admirer of Dayanand Saraswati's approach of cultural nationalism.

Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS): It was an Indian organisation founded in London in 1905 that sought to promote the cause of self-rule in British India. The organisation was founded by Shyamji Krishna Varma, with support from Bhikaji Cama, Dadabhai Naoroji and S.R. Rana.

India House: He founded India House in London. It was a student residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 which was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britain.

Indian Sociologist: He founded Indian Sociologist in London. The monthly Indian Sociologist became an outlet for nationalist ideas.

In 1905, he founded the India House and The Indian Sociologist, which rapidly developed as an organised meeting point for radical nationalists among Indian students in Britain at the time and one of the most prominent centres for revolutionary Indian nationalism outside India.

His movements were closely watched by British Secret Services, so he decided to shift his headquarters to Paris, leaving India House in charge of V.D. Savarkar.

Shyamji left Britain secretly before the government tried to arrest him.

It was Shyamji who first advocated non-violent means of getting rid of the British and using withdrawal of cooperation with the colonial administration as the most effective weapon for this purpose. Gandhiji built on this and evolved Satyagraha as a tool to oust the British much later.