2017-02-18 Sat

Shyamaji Krishna Varma was a great nationalist, a journalist, a lawyer and a revolutionary, who fought the British from their own soil. He was the first Indian Bar-at-law, and a graduate of Balliol College, Oxford University.

He was also a noted scholar in Sanskrit for which he was denoted as 'Pandit' by Kashi pundit’s organization. Greatly influenced by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, he became his ardent devotee, a member and then the president of Bombay Arya Samaj.

On 18th Feb 1906 Shyamji established "The Indian Home Rule Society” in London. He established India House as a hostel for Indian students based at 65, Cromwell Avenue, Hughgate in London. India House soon developed as an organized meeting point for radical nationalists among Indian students in Britain and one of the most prominent centers for revolutionary Indian nationalism outside India. Most famous among the members of the organization were V. D. Savarkar, Madam Kama, Sardar Singh Rana, Madan Lal Dhingra, Gandhi ji.

To honor this personality India Post issued a commemorative stamp of 60 Paisa in 1989. The stamp portrays the image of Shyamji Krishna Verma and his name written in English and Hindi. On the left of the stamp we see our tricolor flag!