Public Life
This chapter presents brief vignettes of Ruchi Ram Sahni’s growing involvement in public life, starting with his involvement mobilizing public support for Lord Ripon’s Local Self-Government Resolution in 1881; he also helped organize a public meeting in protest at Surendranath Banerjea’s arrest for contempt of court in the so-called ‘Idol Contempt’ case. Sahni describes the early excitement caused by Congress activity in the Punjab and loyalist efforts to counter it. Since he was a Government servant, Sahni did not participate actively in the affairs of the Indian National Congress, but he became a keen sympathizer after a long discussion with the Congress founder, A.O. Hume. He attended many annual Congress sessions as a visitor, including the memorable ‘Bradlaugh Session’ held in Bombay in 1889.