Published Paper Details:

The Gadar Movement (1913-1915) was one of the most important anti-colonial movements in Indian history. It was organized among Indian workers on the Pacific Coast of North America. This paper studies the leaders of the Gadar Movement in a comparative and analytical way. It examines figures such as Sohan Singh Bhakna, Baba Jawala Singh, Lala Hardayal, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Sant Baba Wasakha Singh Dadehar, Hafiz Abdullah, Karim Bux, Nawab Khan, and Bhai Parmanand. The central argument is simple: the movement's internal ideological diversity was not a weakness. It was its greatest political and organizational strength. Each type of leader could reach a different section of the Indian diaspora. The paper uses a typological framework. Five types of revolutionary leadership are identified: the philosopher-revolutionary, the patriarchal organizer, the martyr, the spiritual revolutionary, and the cultural nationalist intellectual. Bhai Parmanand receives special attention. He combined the Arya Samaj tradition of Hindu cultural reform with revolutionary anti-colonial politics. This placed him at the centre of the movement's deepest internal tensions. The paper examines what these tensions meant for the long-term trajectory of Indian nationalism. The paper argues that studying the Gadar leaders comparatively gives a much richer understanding of the movement than studying them separately. It also argues that Bhai Parmanand deserves far more scholarly attention than existing literature has given him.