Motilal Roy
{{For|the 19th century Bengali actor, director, writer and Jatra artist|Motilal Ray}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Motilal Roy
| image = শ্রী মতিলাল রায়.jpg
| birth_date = January 5, 1883
| birth_place = Borai Chanditala, Chandannagore, Hooghly district, British India
( Now in West Bengal, India)
| occupation = Revolutionary leader, journalist, social reformer
| death_date = {{death date and age|1959|4|10|1883|1|5}}
}}
Motilal Roy (January 5, 1883 — April 10, 1959) was a Bengali revolutionary and journalist who founded the Prabartak Sangha, a nationalist organisation for social works.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ihgaAAAAMAAJ|title=Message and Mission of Prabartak Samgha|access-date=December 3, 2017|last1=Sangha|first1=Prabartak|year=1970}}
Early life
File:Prabartak Sangha buildings 07.jpg
Motilal Roy was born at Borai Chanditala, Chandannagore, Hooghly district in British India. His father was Biharilal Singha Roy. Their family was from Uttar Pradesh. After his only daughter died, Roy was attracted to Vaishnavism and in 1920 he organised a group to serve poor people.{{Cite book|title=Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Bibliographical Dictionary) (in Bengali)|last=Volume 1|first=Subhodh Chandra Sengupta & Anjali Basu|publisher=Sahitya Samsad|year=2002|isbn=81-85626-65-0|location=Kolkata|pages=390–391}}
Activities
Motilal joined in the movement against Partition of Bengal (1905) in 1905. Latter he was attached with armed revolutionaries of Bengal. He collected that revolver and supplied to Kanailal Dutta by Shrish Chandra Ghosh for the assassination of Naren Goswami in 1908. Roy established the Prabartak Sangha under the inspiration of Sri Aurobindo. Roy's home as well as the Sangha were the important safe house of Indian freedom fighters. Hundreds of Indian independence activists took shelter in Roy's house. Being a senior member of the revolutionary group he provided money and arms to the revolutionaries.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1050206/asp/calcutta/story_4342475.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050420043337/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050206/asp/calcutta/story_4342475.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 20, 2005|title=Next weekend you can be at Chandernagore|date=February 6, 2005|website=telegraphindia.com|access-date=December 3, 2017}} in 21 February, 1910 Aurobindo reached at Chandannagar and stayed in Roy's house for 42 days safely before going Pondicherry. Roy assumed the title of Sangha Guru or the chief spiritual leader of the organization.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hlasAgAAQBAJ&q=motilal+roy+prabartak+sangha&pg=PA333|title=The Lives of Sri Aurobindo|last=Peter Heehs|year=2008|publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=9780231140980|access-date=December 3, 2017}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qOaDAAAQBAJ&q=motilal+roy&pg=PA71|title=The Life and Times of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh|last=Kaushal Kishore|date=January 2016|publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |isbn=9788184303681|access-date=December 3, 2017}} He also established school, library, students hostel publication house and Khadi business for people. A fortnightly journal of his organisation named Prabartak was edited by another senior revolutionary Manindra Nath Nayak.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cjAweaCPLD0C&q=Manindra+Nath+Nayak+Prabartak&pg=PA349|title=Chandernagore: From Boundage to Freedom, 1900-1955|last=Sailendra Nath Sen|year=2012|publisher=Primus Books |isbn=9789380607238|access-date=December 4, 2017}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Indian Revolutionary Movement}}
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Category:Revolutionaries of Bengal during British Rule
Category:20th-century Hindu religious leaders
Category:Indian independence movement
Category:Revolutionary movement for Indian independence