Arya Samaj and DAV Movement
Arya Samaj (the society of nobles) is a Hindu sect founded in 1875 by Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, whose aim was to re-establish the Vedas as the source of all truth. He opposed social evils such as casteism, child marriage, superstition, untouchability, ill-treatment of widows, and inequality between sexes. He also advocated for the education of girl children and emphasized equipping girls and boys with the technical skills to enable them to unleash their latent talents.
After the demise of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, many thinkers and educationists such as Mahatma Hansraj, Lala Lajpat Rai, Rai Bahadur Lala Lal Chand, Bhai Parmanand and many more nurtured and promoted the legacy of Dayanand Saraswati. Instead of creating memorials of Swamiji, it was decided to take forward his legacy in the form of promotion of education. The DAV Movement grew as a combination of Vedic Wisdom and contemporary educational practices, both ancient and the modern. The acronym DAV translates as ‘Dayanand Anglo Vedic’, the mélange of the Vedas and modernity.
To take the movement forward, Mahatma Hansraj established the first DAV School at Lahore on June 1, 1886. He served the school as its headmaster with an inspiring vision and unending passion. He never drew any salary for his work during his tenure as he believed it to be a service to the DAV movement.As a result of his efforts, the school grew into a college, and he became its first Principal. He was dedicated, hardworking and selfless till his death in 1938. What started as a small endeavour with one school has transformed into the largest non-governmental educational venture in the country. With a thousand schools and colleges pan India and abroad, the DAV College Managing Committee is thriving and growing each year.It has a vast network of schools, colleges and universities, thereby including education at all levels within its purview.