Swami Agnivesh A short Biography

Swami Agnivesh is a social activist and a self titled Swami.He was born as Shyam Vepa Rao on September 21, 1939, in Sakti, Chhattisgarh. Agnivesh received his degrees in Law and Economics in Calcutta.He also worked as a lecturer of Business Management at St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, from 1963 to 1968
Later in 1968, Agnivesh went to Haryana to join the Arya Samaj and on March 25, 1970, Agnivesh took the sanyas vows. He was expelled from the organization in August 2008, after 17 of the 19 Arya Samaj Pratinidhi Sabhas in India expressed opposition to him.

Agnivesh became a member of the Legislative Assembly of Haryana in 1977, and served as a State Minister for Education from 1979 to 1982.In 1981, while still a minister, he founded the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, which continues to raise issues bonded labour in India, especially in the quarries in and around Delhi; he remains the chairperson of the organization. After leaving the Ministry, he was arrested twice, spending a total of 14 months in jail on charges of subversion and murder, of which he was later acquitted

Recently, Agnivesh became the target of public furore for being a government’s mole in Team Anna during Anna Hazare’s fast for a strong Jan Lokpal from 16th to the 28th of August, 2011. This was conjectured upon by some when his video appeared on Youtube in which he was allegedly seen talking to someone addressed as Mr.Kapil on his cellphone. The video shows him asking Mr.Kapil not to relent to the demands of Anna Hazare’s aides and advises him to talk “firmly.” He is also heard describing Team Anna as “mad elephant”. Agnivesh denied these allegations saying that he was not talking to Kapil Sibbal, but to Kapil Muni. Subsequently, the media published an interview with Kapil Muni, who categorically denied talking to Agnivesh and slammed the self-styled swami for being unhappy with Anna hazare’s aides on not being appointed as a negotiator during the protests.

He is best known for his work against bonded labour through the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, which he founded in 1981. Agnivesh also founded and become president of the World Council of Arya Samaj, which he describes as an associate of the original Arya Samaj, and served as the chairperson of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery from 2001 to 2004. Agnivesh has been controversial due to his anti-Hindu statements.

Agnivesh testified before the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Later he created a new task for emancipation of womanhood, which was a helpful factor in the Commission of Sati (prevention) Act of 1987.
In 2005, Agnivesh was part of a two week campaign against female foeticide that traveled across India.
Agnivesh also argued at a conference on economic development and religion sponsored by the World Bank that people should be allowed full freedom of movement across borders through the elimination of all passports and immigration laws.
In 1968, Agnivesh went to Haryana to join the Arya Samaj and on March 25, 1970, Agnivesh took the sanyas vows.He was expelled from the organization in August 2008, after 17 of the 19 Arya Samaj Pratinidhi Sabhas in India expressed opposition to him.
In 2008, he addressed a large gathering at the Anti-Terrorism Global Peace Conference, at Ramlila Grounds, organized by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and several Islamic organizations, where he stated, “It is wrong to attribute the wrongdoings of a few individuals to the whole community. I would not mince words to say that the United States is the terrorist number one. To defame the Koran and Islam is the worst form of terrorism. Islam stands for peace and brotherhood and there cannot be a bigger lie than saying that Muslims are terrorists.” Swami Agnivesh is also a proponent of interfaith dialogue and is a member of the Board of World Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute.

In 2005, Agnivesh stated that the Puri Jagannath Temple should be opened to non-Hindu.This lead to the priests of the temple condemning his remarks as “purely anti-Hindu in nature” and burning him in effigy.

In May 2011, hundreds of Hindu priests protested against Swami Agnivesh’s claim that ice stalagmite that they believe resembles Lord Shiva is just a piece of ice; during the protest the priests burned him in effigy.

He has received several awards including
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award
Right Livelihood Award 2004
M.A.Thomas National Rights Award 2006