Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda hails from a patriotic Jat family of Haryana. He was born at Sanghi, District Rohtak. His father, Zaildar Chaudhary Motu Ram Hooda, was an agriculturist but unlike most other zamindars had a nationalist outlook. He was one of the topmost leaders of Rohtak, a zealous social reformer and the founder of the first public high school in Rohtak. He joined hands with the Congress and fought for a seat in the Punjab Council on Congress ticket in 1924. Ranbir Singh was educated at Vaish High School, Rohtak and Ramjas- College, Delhi from where. he obtained his B.A. degree in 1930.
It was in 1940 that he first joined the freedom movement as an individual satyagrahi under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. He was arrested and sentenced to ashort term of imprisonment. Immediately after his release he defied the ban. Lest the police should lay their hands upon him, he went underground but under Gandhiji’s instructions he made a voluntary surreader to the authorities and was put him behind the bars. Whea he was set free, he resumed his active participation in the national struggle. The result was that he was taken in custody and kept in detention during the whole of the Quit India movement. He was released from prison in 1945 along with thousands of other freedom-fighters. In all lhe was in jail for a period of four years.The impact of Chaudhary Ranbir Singh’s struggle on his family was tremendous. The whole family made great sacrifices. His father resigned his post of “Zaildar”, while his uncle, Dr. Ramji Lal, gave up his lucrative job of Civil Surgeon. In consequence, the members of the family were subjected to great harassment. For instance, his elder brother was falsely implicated in a murder case.
Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda all along showed deep interest in the welfare of Kisans. He founded the Rohtak Krishak Multipurpose Cooperative Societies. He was Secretary of the Socialists-sponsored Punjab Kisan Sabha in 1946. Then, he was also President of the District Kisan Sabha. In 1950 he was elected General Secretary of the Bharat Kisan Congress. In 1949-50, he was selected Delegate to the International Agricultural Producers Conference but was unable to attend it.
Prompted by the same urge for the upliftment of Kisans, he started a chain of Primary schools in his own district. In 1946 he laid the foundation of the Subash High School at Rohtak.To keep his people well posted with latest happenings, te brought out a Hindi weekly entitled Haryana.
In 1947 he was elected to the Constituent Assembly and three years later he became member of the Indian Parliament. As M.P. he served on a number of important Commitees, such as Standing Commitee on Agriculture and Standing Committee on Rehabilitation.
Hooda had set a record for being a member of seven different houses in India’s democratic history, a feat that has been registered and acknowledged by the Limca Book of Records. On 1 February 2011, Government of India released a commemorative postage stamp in his remembrance, Hooda died at the age of 94 on 1 February 2009. He was few of the surviving members of the Constituent Assembly of India during his death. He is survived by his sons Chaudhary Bhupinder Singh Hooda ( former CM of Haryana), Inder Singh and Dharmender Singh. Two of his sons, Pratap Singh and Joginder Singh, had died earlier.
References :-
- Eminent Freedom Fighters Of Punjab by Fauja Singh (1972)
- Abhishek Kadyan (1 February 2009) Ch Ranbir Singh Hooda member of India’s Constituent Assembly is no more. indymedia.org.uk
- Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda, who was minister in Punjab & Haryana and went to jail 5 times
- Ranbir Hooda’s name enters in Limca Book of Records