Pandit Sheel Bhadra Yajee was born on 22nd March, 1906 at Bhaktiyarpur village in Patna district of Bihar.
Yajee's participation in the freedom movement began in 1928 when, as a student, he attended the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. He joined the Congress Socialist Party four years later and became involved in the Kisan movement. Later, he came in close touch with Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi.
In 1939, he joined Bose to found the All India Forward Bloc. He was actively associated with the INA movement. Yajee raised his voice against caste prejudices and other social evils. He was a firm believer in the active participation of the peasants, workers and the middle classes in the struggle for the transformation of society. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 27 April 1957 to 2 April 1958, 3 April 1958 to 2 April 1964, and 3 April 1966 to 2 April 1972.
Yajee authored several books such as A Glimpse of the Indian Labour Movement, Forward Bloc and Its Stand, Is Socialism a Necessity to India, and True Face of Monopolistic American Democracy. The government of India issued a commemorative stamp on him on 28 January 2001.
