Letter re: Godha Ram Channon's Trip to India
DESCRIPTION
A copy of a speech given in honor of Godha Ram Channon and the work he did for the Indian independence movement. The speech highlights aspects of Channon’s efforts and celebrates his returning visit to India after 40 years of living abroad. Channon worked with Lala Har Dayal, founder and organizer of the Ghadar Party during the First World War and organized meetings between India’s and other countries’ leaders.
THEMES
Visitors & Exchanges
ADDITIONAL METADATA
Subject(s): Godha Ram Channon
Type: Correspondence
Location:
TRANSCRIPTION
Friends, Brothers and Sisters, Mr. and Mrs. Ahuja –-
We all know by this time why we have gathered together here this afternoon. We are here to honor Mr. Godha Ram Channon who is returning to India to pay a visit to our motherland after living almost 40 years abroad. During these years he has been devoting most of his time to the cause of the freedom of India.
First he worked with our great leader, Lala Har Dayal, who was the founder and the organizer of the Ghadar Party. During the First World War, Mr. Channon was very active in organizing the revolution in India to get rid of British domination and was arrested with several others of our countrymen and tried here in San Francisco for his activities. He was sent to jail for one year. After the end of the First World War, he like many of our compatriots, realized that by seeking the help of the foreign countries for the cause of the freedom of India, we will simply be taking the risk of changing the masters. The movement for the freedom of the country must be spontaneous and be instituted within the country. When Mahatma Ghandi took the lead of the India National Congress, most of us here dedicated to support the Congress and Mr. Cannon took a leading pass in this work. He helped to organize meetings for leaders traveling through this country and helped all others to the best of his ability whenever he was called upon. Besides, he helped to organize meetings among Americans to carry on propaganda for the cause – especially at the time of the United Nations Conference at San Francisco 1945, he made a very valuable contribution then. He not only devoted all his time for the organization, but also gave his office up and converted it into the headquarters of the India National Committee at a time when it was almost impossible to find any office in San Francisco. As a matter of fact, he was the originator of the idea that we should organize and present the case of the freedom if India before the world at that occasion. The work we all did at the United Nations Conference’s meeting undoubtedly directly influenced the leaders of the world who had gathered together here. The late President Franklin D. Roosevelt became greatly interested and brought pressure on the British government who finally agreed to leave India. Mr. Cannon was also the organizer of our society and was elected President for more than six times.
Now that our country is free, he has decided to pay a visit to his homeland. Although the partition of the country has brought much misery to the people of India – specially to his own relatives who were driven out of the west Punjab and all became homeless and refugees – yet he likes to go and see things for himself.
Now that our country is free, he has decided to pay a visit to his homeland. Although the partition of the country has brought much misery to the people of India – specially to his own relatives who were driven out of the west Punjab and all became homeless and refugees – yet he likes to go and see things for himself.
He will be leaving San Francisco on Saturday, November 3rd. Let’s all wish him the best of luck and bid him a fond Bon Voyage.
We all know by this time why we have gathered together here this afternoon. We are here to honor Mr. Godha Ram Channon who is returning to India to pay a visit to our motherland after living almost 40 years abroad. During these years he has been devoting most of his time to the cause of the freedom of India.
First he worked with our great leader, Lala Har Dayal, who was the founder and the organizer of the Ghadar Party. During the First World War, Mr. Channon was very active in organizing the revolution in India to get rid of British domination and was arrested with several others of our countrymen and tried here in San Francisco for his activities. He was sent to jail for one year. After the end of the First World War, he like many of our compatriots, realized that by seeking the help of the foreign countries for the cause of the freedom of India, we will simply be taking the risk of changing the masters. The movement for the freedom of the country must be spontaneous and be instituted within the country. When Mahatma Ghandi took the lead of the India National Congress, most of us here dedicated to support the Congress and Mr. Cannon took a leading pass in this work. He helped to organize meetings for leaders traveling through this country and helped all others to the best of his ability whenever he was called upon. Besides, he helped to organize meetings among Americans to carry on propaganda for the cause – especially at the time of the United Nations Conference at San Francisco 1945, he made a very valuable contribution then. He not only devoted all his time for the organization, but also gave his office up and converted it into the headquarters of the India National Committee at a time when it was almost impossible to find any office in San Francisco. As a matter of fact, he was the originator of the idea that we should organize and present the case of the freedom if India before the world at that occasion. The work we all did at the United Nations Conference’s meeting undoubtedly directly influenced the leaders of the world who had gathered together here. The late President Franklin D. Roosevelt became greatly interested and brought pressure on the British government who finally agreed to leave India. Mr. Cannon was also the organizer of our society and was elected President for more than six times.
Now that our country is free, he has decided to pay a visit to his homeland. Although the partition of the country has brought much misery to the people of India – specially to his own relatives who were driven out of the west Punjab and all became homeless and refugees – yet he likes to go and see things for himself.
Now that our country is free, he has decided to pay a visit to his homeland. Although the partition of the country has brought much misery to the people of India – specially to his own relatives who were driven out of the west Punjab and all became homeless and refugees – yet he likes to go and see things for himself.
He will be leaving San Francisco on Saturday, November 3rd. Let’s all wish him the best of luck and bid him a fond Bon Voyage.
PROVENANCE
Collection: Godha Ram Channon, Papers of
Item History: 2015-03-27 (created); 2017-02-22 (modified)
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