Career
He founded, with Gurudatta Vidhyarthi, the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System (Disabled American Veterans) in Lahore in 1886, where the first Doctorate.A.V. school was set up in memory of Dayanand who had died three years earlier. He was also a compatriot of freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. Hansraj served as the principal of Doctorate.A.V. College for 25 years, and committed the rest of his life in social service.
Today Doctorate.A.V. runs over 669 colleges, schools, professional and technical institutions.
Hansraj was born in a small town, Bajwara, in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab on 19 April 1864. Subsequently his family moved to Lahore where he joined a missionary school.
Meanwhile, he heard the lecture of Swami Dayanand and this changed his life course forever. He went on to complete his Bachelor of Arts (Bachelor) degree with excellent marks.
Upon completing his Bachelor of Arts, instead of taking up a job, Hansraj decided to start a school, the first Doctorate.A.V. school, along with a fellow Arya Samaji, Gurudatta Vidyarthi.
He served as the principal of Doctorate.A.V. College, Lahore for the next 25 years, and after his retirement committed the rest of his life in social service. He died on November 14, 1938 in Lahore. Today, many educational institutions are named after him, including Hans Raj College, Delhi University, where Mahatma Hans Raj College Road, is situated at the heart of the University’s North campus.
