Cyclist turned Freedom Fighter : Janki Das

Cyclist turned Freedom Fighter : Janki Das

Today is 71^st Death Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. And the Nation is also celebrating 150^th Anniversary year of his Birth. This is a trifling token to bring some untouched dimensions of the Great Soul.

Jankidas Mehra is more known to mass as an Actor of Indian Cinema. Jankidas made his debut in Hindi cinema by playing a major role in ‘Khazanchi’ (1941) produced in Lahore. His next film came in 1946, titled ‘Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani’. From then, Jankidas continued to play roles in the film industry with increased vigour. In a career spanning up to six decades, Jankidas appeared in over 1000 films.

But he was world wide known as cyclist.   Throughout his career, Jankidas Mehra was the recipient of numerous national and international awards.  In cycling, apart from being a renowned Olympian, Jankidas broke eight world records in cycling between 1934 to 1942. Jankidas stopped cycling actively when he met Mahatma Gandhi at a World Sports Congress meet in Zurich. Gandhi advised Mehra not to represent British India and also urged him to join the freedom struggle. At the same meet, Jankidas became the first Indian to have hoisted India’s national flag (pre-independence) at the World Sports Congress. In 1946.

Mahatma Gandhi never missed any opportunity to bring people from different walks of life in the main fold of Indian freedom movement.