Shyamji Krishna Varma and India House
Shyamji Krishna Varma was an Indian revolutionary, lawyer, and journalist who founded India House in London, an important center for anti-colonial political activism outside India. Born on October 4, 1857, in Mandvi, Kutch (present-day Gujarat), he combined scholarly work in Sanskrit and law with political radicalism. His establishment of India House, the Indian Home Rule Society, and the journal The Indian Sociologist created an overseas headquarters for radical Indian nationalists. This network inspired young revolutionaries, facilitated the distribution of nationalist literature, and organized international support for India’s independence during the early twentieth century.
Early Life, Education, and Intellectual Foundations
Personal Background and Academic Pursuits
Shyamji Krishna Varma completed his early education in Bhuj and Mandvi before moving to Bombay for higher studies at Wilson Giles College. He mastered Sanskrit and became a disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj. In 1877, he toured India promoting Vedic philosophy and reformist ideals.
The Oxford Years and Legal Career
In 1879, with the endorsement of Monier Monier-Williams, Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford, Varma joined Balliol College, Oxford. He graduated in 1883 and presented a paper on “Origin of Writing in India” at the International Congress of Orientalists in Berlin. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1884, becoming the first Sanskrit scholar to address the venue.
Service in Princely States
Upon returning to India in 1885, he practiced law in Ajmer and served as Dewan (Chief Minister) in the princely states of Ratlam, Udaipur (Mewar), and Junagadh. Disillusioned by British political officers’ interference in native governance and the persecution of nationalists following the 1897 Pune plague assassinations, Varma left India permanently for England in 1897.
Foundational Initiatives in London
The Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS)
On February 18, 1905, Varma founded the Indian Home Rule Society in London. The organization aimed to secure self-government for India through propaganda and mass education among Indian students in Great Britain. Its founding members included Bhikaiji Cama, Dadabhai Naoroji, and S. R. Rana.
The Indian Sociologist
In January 1905, Varma launched The Indian Sociologist, a monthly journal subtitled An Organ of Freedom, and Political, Social, and Religious Reform. The publication served as a venue for anti-colonial discourse, advocating absolute self-rule and political resistance. It carried quotes from Herbert Spencer, whose philosophy of sociology deeply influenced Varma.
India House: Structure and Purpose
On July 1, 1905, Varma inaugurated India House at 65 Cromwell Avenue, Highgate, London. Functioning as a student hostel, political club, and operational base, India House provided subsidized accommodation to Indian students studying in the United Kingdom. It offered fellowship programs, including the Herbert Spencer Lectureship and Dayananda Saraswati Fellowship, to bring bright Indian scholars to Europe for political and academic training.
| Component | Key Objective & Details |
| Indian Home Rule Society | Political organization formed in 1905 to advocate Indian self-government in Great Britain. |
| The Indian Sociologist | Monthly nationalist journal published from London and Paris between 1905 and 1922. |
| India House | Student hostel at 65 Cromwell Avenue, Highgate, inaugurated on July 1, 1905. |
| Fellowship Schemes | Endowments offering 2,000 Rupees to Indian graduates to pursue higher studies in Europe. |
The India House Network and Radicalization
Key Members and Associates
India House attracted prominent Indian revolutionaries and intellectuals. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar arrived in 1906 under an India House fellowship and emerged as a central political leader within the hostel. Other key members included Madan Lal Dhingra, V. V. S. Aiyar, Lala Har Dayal, M. P. T. Acharya, and Chatturbhuj Amin.
Political Activities and Literature
India House functioned as a secret operational base where members studied revolutionary strategy, trained in arms handling, and printed nationalist propaganda. Savarkar authored The Indian War of Independence 1857 while residing at India House, and members smuggled copies of the book into India hidden inside false-bottomed trunks.
The Curzon Wyllie Assassination
On July 1, 1909, Madan Lal Dhingra assassinated Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, a political aide-de-camp to the Secretary of State for India, at an event in London’s Imperial Institute. This act focused British police scrutiny on the India House network, forcing its remaining members to disperse across Continental Europe and North America.
Shift to Europe, World War I, and Final Years
Operations in Paris and Geneva
Anticipating British legal action, Varma moved his headquarters to Paris in 1907, leaving Savarkar in charge of India House. In Paris, he collaborated with Bhikaiji Cama and S. R. Rana to maintain the Paris Indian Society. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, French authorities pressured anti-British activists, prompting Varma to relocate to neutral Geneva, Switzerland.
International Diplomacy and League of Nations
From Geneva, Varma published The Indian Sociologist until 1922 and lobbied international diplomats. He offered an endowment to the Swiss government to establish a lectureship on freedom and independence at the University of Geneva. He died in Geneva on March 30, 1930.
Key Facts for Quick Revision
- Birth & Death: Born October 4, 1857, in Mandvi, Kutch; died March 30, 1930, in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Academic Mentor: Monier Monier-Williams, who recruited him as a Sanskrit assistant at Oxford University.
- Philosophical Influence: Deeply influenced by Swami Dayananda Saraswati and sociologist Herbert Spencer.
- Administrative Roles: Served as Dewan in Ratlam, Udaipur, and Junagadh princely states.
- Founding of IHRS: Established the Indian Home Rule Society in London on February 18, 1905.
- Journal Published: Launched The Indian Sociologist in January 1905.
- Hostel Location: Opened India House on July 1, 1905, at 65 Cromwell Avenue, Highgate, London.
- Key Fellowship Names: Endowed the Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Herbert Spencer Fellowships for Indian students.
- Key Associates: Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Madan Lal Dhingra, Bhikaiji Cama, Lala Har Dayal, and V. V. S. Aiyar.
- Ashes Return: In August 2003, his and his wife Bhanumati’s ashes were brought back to India from Switzerland and preserved at Kranti Teerth memorial in Mandvi.
