Important Organisations in Indian National Movement

The growth of political consciousness in modern India during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led to the formation of numerous political, socio-religious, revolutionary, and labor organizations. These bodies provided structured platforms for mass mobilization, constitutional agitation, social reform, and armed resistance against British colonial rule. From early regional associations established by the western-educated intelligentsia to revolutionary networks and trade union federations formed abroad, these organizations collectively shaped the trajectory of India’s struggle for independence.

Early Political Associations (Pre-1885)

Before the establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885, early political associations operated primarily at regional levels in Bengal, Bombay, and Madras. Led by landholders, lawyers, and intellectuals, these groups focused on administrative reform, taxation relief, and civil rights.

Major Early Political Bodies

• Bangabhasha Prakasika Sabha (1836): Formed in Bengal by associates of Raja Ram Mohan Roy; recognized as one of the earliest political organizations in India.
• Zamindari Association / Landholders’ Society (1838): Founded in Calcutta by Dwarkanath Tagore, Prasanna Kumar Tagore, and Radhakanta Deb to protect the interests of landlords through constitutional means.
• Bengal British India Society (1843): Established to collect and disseminate information regarding the actual condition of the people under British rule.
• British Indian Association (1851): Created by merging the Landholders’ Society and the Bengal British India Society; sent petitions demanding legislative representation and fiscal relief.
• East India Association (1866): Founded in London by Dadabhai Naoroji to inform the British public and Parliament about Indian grievances.
• Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (1870): Established by M. G. Ranade, G. V. Joshi, and S. H. Chiplunkar to act as a mediating bridge between the government and the public.
• Indian Association of Calcutta (1876): Founded by Surendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohan Bose to unite people on a common political platform; protested against lowering the age limit for Civil Services examinations.
• Madras Mahajan Sabha (1884): Established by M. Veeraraghavachariar, B. Subramania Aiyer, and P. Anandacharlu to coordinate local political demands.
• Bombay Presidency Association (1885): Founded by Pherozeshah Mehta, K. T. Telang, and Badruddin Tyabji in response to reactionary Lyttonian policies.

Socio-Political and Ideological Associations

Several organizations combined social reform with political consciousness, advocating moral discipline, secularism, and nation-building.

• Servants of India Society (1905): Founded in Pune by Gopal Krishna Gokhale to train national missionaries for public service and promote constitutional reforms.
• Social Service League (1911): Established in Bombay by N. M. Joshi to secure better life and work conditions for the masses.
• Home Rule Leagues (1916): Two distinct leagues were launched by Bal Gangadhar Tilak (in Belgaum) and Annie Besant (in Adyar, Madras) to demand self-government (Swaraj) through mass education and agitation.

Revolutionary Organizations (India and Abroad)

Revolutionary associations sought to overthrow British rule through armed rebellion, political assassinations, secret societies, and military mutinies.

Secret Societies and Revolutionary Groups

• Anushilan Samiti (1902): Prominent secret revolutionary group in Bengal founded by Pramathanath Mitra, Jatindranath Banerjee, and Barindra Kumar Ghosh.
• Abhinav Bharat Society (1904): Founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Ganesh Savarkar as a secret society following the earlier Mitra Mela (1899).
• Ghadar Party (1913): Formed in Astoria, Oregon, and headquartered in San Francisco (Yugantar Ashram) by Sohan Singh Bhakna and Lala Hardayal to spark an armed revolt in India.
• Hindustan Republican Association / HRA (1924): Established in Kanpur by Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Ram Prasad Bismil, and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee. Reorganized in 1928 as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, under Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad.

Working Class and Communal Formations

The post-World War I period witnessed the rise of organized labor unions and communal political organizations alongside the mainstream nationalist movement.

Labor and Communal Organizations

• All India Trade Union Congress / AITUC (1920): Founded in Bombay with Lala Lajpat Rai as its first President to represent Indian labor domestically and at the International Labour Organization.
• Punjab Hindu Sabha (1909): Formed by Lal Chand and U. N. Mukherji to oppose separate electorates granted under the Morley-Minto Reforms.
• Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (1915): Formed at Haridwar by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Lala Lajpat Rai, and the Maharaja of Darbhanga to unify Hindu political interests.

Key Nationalist Organizations at a Glance

Key Exam Facts

• Bangabhasha Prakasika Sabha (1836) was the first political organization formed in Bengal.
• The Landholders’ Society (1838) introduced methods of constitutional agitation to India.
• Dadabhai Naoroji established the East India Association in London in 1866.
• Surendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohan Bose founded the Indian Association of Calcutta in 1876.
• Gopal Krishna Gokhale established the Servants of India Society in 1905 and launched its English organ The Hitavada in 1911.
• The Abhinav Bharat Society originated from the Mitra Mela, established in 1899 by the Savarkar brothers.
• Sohan Singh Bhakna served as the founding President of the Ghadar Party in 1913.
• The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) was formed in Kanpur in 1924 and renamed HSRA in Delhi in 1928.
• Lala Lajpat Rai served as the first President of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) in 1920.
• The All-India Hindu Mahasabha was established during the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar in 1915.