Lesser Known Heroes of the freedom movement

Legacy

Kanaklata, being the youngest
freedom fighter from Assam,
continues to be an inspiration
to many in north-eastern India.
She was martyred when she
was only 17 years of age and
her valour stands testament to
the fiery spirit that reigned
young women and men and pushed them to fight for the independence of our
nation.
In her honor, the Indian Coast Guard has named the Fast Patrol Vessel “ICGS
Kanaklata Barua” which was commissioned in 1997. The only all women bank
in Assam is named Kanaklata Mahila Urban Co- operative Bank Ltd.There are
several women empowerment schemes by the Government of Assam in her
name. A life size statue of her was unveiled at Gauripur Dhubri in Assam in
2011.

41

We are the youths from the banks of Brahmaputra
We are not afraid of death

We burn like sparks from the sacrificial fire of
Freedom

If ever our leaders fail

We don't care

We shall march forward

We shall offer our necks At the altar of sacrifice
with our blood

Our hearts wail at the misfortune of our
motherland Oh you, the supreme commander of

the nation

Do once command again

Once again utter the war cry

Let us once again redden the white waters of our
land with blood.

42

Rash Behari Bose
1886-1945

43

Rash Behari Bose was born
on May 25, 1886 in
Bardhaman district of
undivided Bengal. He was
educated at Dupleix college
at Chandernagore, a French
colony with a mix of
Francophile and Bengali
culture. Early influences that
left a lasting impression on him were the French Revolution, Ananda Math, the
Battle of Plassey, as well as his teacher Charu Chand, a man of radical ideas. He
was deeply anguished by the Partition of Bengal and it helped shape the
revolutionary in him. He moved out of Bengal to avoid police heat during the
Alipore Bomb trials and joined as Head Clerk at the Forest Research Institute,
Dehradun. There, he developed an acquaintance with the Jugantar group,
Bagha Jatin and other Bengal Revolutionaries. Bose was the linchpin of the
“Delhi Conspiracy” to assassinate the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, on December
23, 1912 at Chandni Chowk, Delhi. He was also a key figure in the Ghadar
Revolution, along with Sachin Sanyal. The Ghadar aimed at shifting the
loyalties of the 30,000 odd Indian troops stationed in India and was a part of the
larger Zimmerman Plan. The revolution was planned for February 21, 1915, but
it failed after betrayal by a fellow Ghadarite. In order to avoid capture, Bose fled
to Japan in the guise of PN Thakur, who was a relative of Rabindra Nath Tagore,
where he continued to serve the cause of freedom. There, he changed his
location 17 times to avoid deportationii. Later, he married a Japanese national,
Toshiko, with whom he had fallen in love.

44

Contribution in the last phase of the Indian freedom struggle

Bose convened a conference in Tokyo in March, 1942, which decided to establish
the Indian Independence League (IIL). The Indian National Army (INA) was
constituted on September 1, 1942 as the military wing of the IIL. The Indian
prisoners of war captured by the Japanese on the Malaya and Burma fronts were
encouraged to become the soldiers of the INA. In May, 1943, Netaji reached Japan
by a submarine. Both the Bose revolutionaries met a month later, when speaking
naturally in Bangla, Rash Behari transferred the control and leadership of the
Indian Independence League to Netaji. Although he handed over the reins of the
IIL, he yet remained a key advisor and strategist of the INA. The INA fought
together with the Imperial Japanese Army against the British forces in the
campaigns in Burma, in Imphal and at Kohima, and later against the successful
Burma Campaign of theAllies.

Contribution to Indo-Japanese Relations

After the death of his wife in 1925, Bbose decided to partner with his father-in-law
to set up a small restaurant that would sell Indian-style curry and rice. “Bose of
Nakamuraya” became a household name in Tokyo and was famously christened
the “taste of love and revolution”. With over 600 crore servings being served
annually, the Nakamuraya Indo-Karii continues to be a Japanese favourite.
Bose was also a prolific writer on Indian affairs in Japanese newspapers and
magazines. His relentless advocacy helped build the opinion of the Japanese public
and government in favour of India's independence. Recognizing his contributions
towards Japanese public life, the Japanese government honoured him with the
Order of the Rising Sun.

45

Legacy

Bose's revolutionary career spanned four decades and he inspired hundreds of
other revolutionaries. While in India, he was a key figure in the revolutionary
struggle between 1905 and 1915. Even when he was away from his motherland
between 1915 and 1945, he continued to serve the cause of India's independence
with undiminished zeal.

Had Rash Behari Bose and Subhas Chandra Bose succeeded in militarily
liberating India from the clutches of British rule, Indian history would
undoubtedly have taken an entirely different turn. A fierce revolutionary, a
relentless champion of independent India and a leading advocate of Asian
solidarity, Rash Behari Bose will be remembered as an inspiration by generations
to come.

“I was a fighter. One more fight.
The last and the best.”
- Rash Behari Bose

References

46

Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy

The dawn of Independence for India was a culmination of sacrifices, toil and
bloodshed of thousands of freedom fighters, born out of their love for their
motherland. We remember the faces of only a few leaders. This does not mean
that we have forgotten others. This is an opportune moment to remember them
and commemorate their sacrifice. Here, we shall take you through a history of the
Delhi-Lahore conspiracy case.

The Delhi-Lahore conspiracy was a series of assassination attempts on Lord
Hardinge and Commissioner Lawrence Gordon. Rash Behari Bose was the
brain behind this conspiracy. He was an important member of Yugantar or
Jugantar which had started in the guise of a fitness club. On December 23,
1912, a bomb was thrown at the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, when his procession
was moving through Chandni Chowk. The viceroy and his wife were
wounded in the attack. Rash Behari Bose, Bhai Balmukund, Basanta Kumar
Biswas, MasterAmir Chand andAvadh Bihari were the conspirators.

47

The Plot

Rash Behari Bose trained his domestic help Basanta Kumar Biswas as his aide. In
due course, he sent Basanta away to Lahore and hot him a compounder's job with
the help of fellow freedom fighter Bal Mukund. Using a strong underground
network, Bose moved bombs from Chandernagore to Lahore and Delhi while
lamenting to his officers that his cook had run away and that he was searching for
him! Basanta Kumar Biswas was moved to Delhi from Lahore on December 21,
two days before the attempted assassination.
On the fateful day of December 23, 1912, Biswas would sneak into the crowd
disguised as a lady and Rash Behari Bose was present there to coordinate the
operations. There are conflicting accounts about who threw the bomb, with both
Bose and Biswas named in the records. The generally accepted view is that Bose
was the one who threw the bomb at Lord Hardinge.

The Execution

Lord Hardinge was severly injured in the bomb attack as he rode past atop an
elephant, but he escaped alive while his mahout was killed. Rash Behari Bose
would escape and re-join his work in Dehradun as if nothing had happened. To
rub salt into the wounds of the British, he would organize a strong public
condemnation of the attack! Such audacity would be unimaginable in today's
world.

48

Lahore Conspiracy

Within months of the Delhi bomb attack on Lord Hardinge, Rash Behari Bose
would strike again with an attack on former sub-divisional officer of Sylhet,
Lawrence Gordon in LahoreMay 17, 1913. Gordon was then the Commissioner
of Lahore. He was notorious for unleashing extreme cruelty on the locals during
his tenure in Sylhet. This time, the bomb was hurled by Basanta Kumar Biswas.
Unfortunately, the mission failed this time too.

The Trial

Biswas and the other aides of Rash Behari Bose, namely Bal Mukund, Amir
Chand and Avadh Behari were caught again by the British and hanged to death in
1914 for their role in the Delhi-Lahore conspiracy case. Rash Behari Bose,
though suspected, remained elusive.

49

What If Viceroy Hardinge had died?

1. The course of the freedom struggle would have been more radical and the
British regime would have been more repressive.

2. Chelmsford would not have succeeded and the Montagu-Chelmsford
reforms would have been differently shaped.

3. The arrival of Gandhi in 1915 would have been differently received by the
administration and the masses.

Impact on the Freedom Struggle

Instilled deep patriotism, courage and a sense of sacrifice
Created panic amongst the British that even high-ranking officials were not
safe. Inspired millions of youth to join the fight for freedom.

50

Matangini Hazra

51

Let us take you to the time when millions of Indians
were revolting against the British government.While
the revolutionaries were devising their own ways to
shock the colonial power, Mahatma Gandhi and the
Indian National Congress were exhorting Indians to
protest against the unjust taxes and rules enforced by
the British.

Among the hundreds who led these protests,
Matangini Hazra, a woman from West Bengal, stands
out. Born in the small village of Hogla in Tamluk, a
town in Bengal presidency, she would go on to
become a highly respected figure in the history of the
Indian Independence movement. She did not obtain a proper education due to her
father Thakurdas Maity's poor financial condition.

Fondly known as Gandhi buri or old lady Gandhi, Matangini was born into a poor
family and was married off to Trilochan Hazra, a 60-year-old widower,at a very
young age. By the age of 18, she was already a widow and returned to her
hometown. Thereafter, she devoted herself to social service, working tirelessly for
others. In 1905, at the age of 35 years, Matangini also became an active participant
in the independence movement and became a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

On December 19, 1929, the Indian National Congress passed the historic 'Poorna
Swaraj' (total independence) resolution and instructed citizens to observe January
26, 1930 as Poorna Swaraj Day. The Poorna Swaraj declaration was followed by
the announcement of the Civil Disobedience Movement which was led by
Mahatma Gandhi. Protesting the taxation on salt production, Mahatma Gandhi led
his followers on a 26-day march which lasted from March 12, 1930 to April 6,
1930. By this time, Matangini had become a dedicated believer in Gandhi's
principles. She served the poor and the diseased and also spun her own yarn and
wore khadi. However, the turning point in her life came a few years later. On
January 26, 1932, hundreds of men were marching the streets to bring attendtion to
the atrocities of the British government. As they passed Matangini's home, this 62-
year old courageous woman joined them, marching with them and shouting
slogans of independence.

Later that year, she drew salt at the Alinansal centre which led to her arrest by the
British police, who made the frail old lady walk several miles before imprisoning
her. She was promptly released, but neither the unfair sentence nor the arrest
deterred Matangini from her goal.

52

Following this incident, Matangini participated in the abolition of the Chowkidari
tax movement. The Chowkidari tax was
the tax collected from villagers to fund a
small police force in their area. It was not
only unfair to the local people but police
troops were also used as spies against the
villagers by the British Government. In
1933, while she was attending the sub-
divisional conference of the Indian
National Congress, the British police
started a baton charge against the
attendees. Matangini received several
blows and was severely hurt in the
process. In the same year, she was
marching with fellow protestors to an
illegally constructed court. The then
Governor of Bengal, Sir John Anderson,
had built the court to punish those that
participated in the Chowkidari
movement. Even though he had ensured
tight security on the premises, Matangini
sneaked in and staged a black-flag
demonstration. She was arrested once
again and this time was awarded a six
months imprisonment sentence in
Berhampur.
This arrest further strengthened Matangini's resolve to fight for India's
Independence. In August 1942, the INC launched the Quit India Movement, and
Gandhi's passionate call to “Do or Die” inspired millions across the country.

53

The night that he delivered the speech, all prominent leaders of the Congress were
arrested by the Government. Left leaderless, the supporters of the Congress started
initiating their own protests, demanding that the British Quit India immediately.
Matangini, who was then 71 years old led a band of 6000 protestors, a majority of
whom were women, to take over the Tamluk police station. The plan was to take over
the police station and establish home rule in this small town.

54

Just as the team reached the outskirts of the town, the British police arrived and
declared the assembly unlawful and ordered them to disband. Matangini stepped
forward, reportedly to request the police to not fire at the protestors, but the police
ignored her request and fired a bullet which hit her arm. Holding the Indian national
flag in one hand, and backed by 6000 people behind her, all of whom had gathered
with the resolve to fight against the British, Matangini stood her ground.The police
fired two more bullets,which hit her other arm and then her forehead. “Matangini led
one procession from the north of the criminal court building; even after the firing
commenced, she continued to advance with the tricolour flag, leaving all the
volunteers behind. The police shot her three times. She continued marching despite
wounds to the forehead and both hands,” reported the Biplabi newspaper.

55

Still holding the flag, this brave lady succumbed to her wounds, uttering the words
Vande Mataram. Matangini is one of the many people who gave up their lives in the
freedom struggle, but unlike many who have been forgotten, her contribution to the
freedoms truggle was recognized and given the importance it deserved. To
commemorate the incident that cost Matangini her life, a statue was erected at the
place where she was killed in Tamluk I 1977. In fact, hers was the first statue of a
woman in Independent India. Several schools and housing colonies are also named
after her and in 2002, when the nation celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Quit
India Movement, the Department of Posts, Government of India, issued a Rs. 5
postage stamp in her honour. Hazra Road in Kolkata is named after her. Shahid
Matangini Hazra Government College for Women, Chakshrikrishnapur, Kulberia
has been set up to commemorate the memory of the fearless fighter and continue the
legacy of enlightenment and empowerment of women that she has bequeathed to the
country.

56

Bina Das

57

This young girl, Bina Das, was born on August 11, 1911 in Nadia District of
undivided Bengal. Her father Benimadhav Das, was well known abmong the other
revolutionaries of Bengal. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had been inspired by her
father. Bina started her education at St. John Diocesan School. She realized in her
childhood that although the British were Christians, they did not follow the tenets
of Christianity in India. They were very cruel as rulers of India. Initially, Bina was
influenced by Gandhi, but later, she came in contact with Subhas Chandra Bose and
felt that violent movement was needed to overthrow the British rule. Bina came to
Kolkata to study for a B.A. (Hons.) degree in English at Bethune College. Both she
and her elder sister, Kalyani, joined the Chhatri Sangha, a semi-revolutionary
organization, and started participating in active social service.

Photo: Article published on Reading Eagle, in 1932

58

Role in the Freedom Struggle

While she was a fearless woman freedom fighter who actively
participated in various rallies and protests organized across the
country against the British Raj, Bina was among the first women
who took up arms against this foreign rule. She is remembered
for her daring attempt to murder the English Governor and
University Chancellor, Stanley Jackson.
The incident took place on February 6, 1932, when Bina, who
was there to receive her degree, opened five rounds of bullets at
Stanley Jackson in the Convocation Hall of Calcutta University.
Jackson ducked and managed to escape alive. Her grip on the
weapon was perhaps not strong enough as she had only recently learned to use the
revolver.
Although she failed to kill Jackson, she inspired hundreds of women to come out
and take part in the Freedom Struggle. She was arrested but did not give out the
names of her accomplices during the grueling interrogation.

“I confess that I fired at the Governor on the last Convocation day at the
Senate House. I hold myself entirely responsible for it. My object was to die
and if I had to die, I wanted to do it nobly, fighting against this despotic
system of government which has kept my country in perpetual subjection to
its infinite shame and endless sufferings, and all the while fighting in a way
which cannot but tell. I fired at the Governor impelled by my love for my
country which is being repressed and what I attempted to do for the sake of
my country was a great violence to my own nature too,” Bina said in a
statement before the tribunal of the Calcutta High Court.

She was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment. Bina Das was called Agnikanya
to respect and honour her fiery spirit.

59

She was released early in 1939. The Second World
War had begun. Bina, although physically weak,
was full of nationalistic zeal. She took active part in
the Quit India Movement in 1942. She was arrested
again and was imprisoned during the years 1942-
1945. On her release, she became a member of the
Bengal Provincial Legislative Assembly. After
independence, Bina was again elected as an MLAin
the first assembly election of West Bengal. She
married another revolutionary, Jatish Chandra
Bhowmik. Both Bina and Kalyani, her elder sister,
remained active in the freedom struggle during this period. They played a major role
in the rehabilitation of refugees from East Bengal and the tortured women who came
to India after independence. She was conferred the Padmashri in 1960 for her social
work. However, she refused to accept the pension due to a freedom fighter by stating
that she had only performed her duty to Mother India.

60

Parallel Governments-
Experiment in Self-Rule

61

After the failure of Cripps mission, Congress, under the leadership of Mahatma
Gandhi took a call for the Quit India Movement on August 8, 1942. Gandhiji gave
a mantra to the people, “Here is a mantra, a short one that I give you. You may
imprint it on your heart and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The
mantra is, “Karo ya Maro”, “Do or Die”. However, all major leaders of Congress,
including Gandhi, were arrested by the British on the morning morning of August
9, 1942. But the people of India showed a great resolve to follow Gandhi's mantra.
One of the manifestations of this can be seen in a parallel governments established
by the people in Baliya in present-day Uttar Pradesh, Satara in Maharashtra,
Punnapra-Vayalar in Kerala and in Tamluk in West Bengal.

62

Baliya

Chittu Pandey headed the National Government declared and established on August
19, 1942, for a few days before it was suppressed by the British. The parallel
governments succeeded in getting the Collector to hand over power and release all the
arrested Congress leaders. Within a week, however, soldiers marched in and the
leaders had to flee. Chittu Pandey used to call himself a Gandhian.

Satara

British rule was effectively overthrown in large parts of Satara district (now
bifurcated into Satara and Sangli districts) of western Maharashtra during those years.
The prati sarkar movement was a type of guerilla struggle and it operated in over 150
villages with solid peasant support. There were raids on taluka treasuries and
armories. The prati sarkar took over many of the functions of the government.

Punnapra-vayalar

In March 1946, Alappuzha was filled up by Travancore police to crack down on
members of the All Travancore Trade Union Congress (ATTUC). In response, over
2,000 communists attacked police stations all across Allapuzha and practically
established their own communist government. The communist government was
established from Cehrthala toAllapuzha, a stretch of 40 kilometres.

63

Tamluk

The Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar had set up police stations, military departments, courts and
even a system for revenue collection. The government functioned from December 17,
1942 to August 8, 1944. It was dissolved on the explicit directions of Mahatma Gandhi,
taking note of the end of the Quit India Movement.
The parallel government was proof of India's courage in the face of British oppression.
The parallel governments also acted as the final nail in the coffin of British rule in India.
When our leaders were released from prison, they saw a new energy in the public's eyes.
This motivated them to take the struggle to its next level and to India's independence on
August 15, 1947.
Although some critics say that the parallel governments followed violent methods to
establish themselves and also that they could not sustain, it would be difficult to gloss
over the contribution made by these systems of indigenous governance. The message to
the British was loud and clear – India is not weak.

64

Jatindra Nath Das

65

Jatindra Nath Das

Jatindra Nath Das, popularly known as Jatin Das,as an Indian revolutionary who
was born in Calcutta on October 27, 1904. He was inspired by the Bengal
revolutionaries at a very young age. Soon, he joined the Anushilan Samiti, a
revolutionary group in Bengal. He also participated in the Non-Cooperation
Movement, started by Mahatma Gandhi, in 1921. At that time, Jatin Das was only
17 years old. While still in college he got arrested and was imprisoned at the
Mymensingh Central Jail, for his political activities. There, he began a hunger
strike to protest against the ill treatment meted out to political prisoners. He fasted
for twenty days and it was only when the jail superintendent apologized that Jatin
Das gave up his fast. He was in touch with various revolutionaries who were
working across the country. He is also known to have manufactured explosives for
Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries.
Not long after, he was arrested on June 14, 1929 for revolutionary activities. He was
imprisoned in Lahore Jail and was tried in the Lahore Conspiracy case. Here too, he
noticed that the condition of Indian prisoners was deplorable as compared to British
prisoners. Prisoners' clothes were not washed for days and the kitchen was run in an
extremely unhygienic way. He went on hunger strike to protest against these
conditions on July 13, 1929 and his fast lasted 63 days. The jail authorities were
compelled to force feed him. While the jail committee recommended that he should
be released unconditionally, the government disagreed and decided to release him
on bail.

66

Jatin Das passed away on September 13, 1929

His funeral procession started from Lahore to Calcutta by train. His funeral
procession was led by Durga Bhabhi. Crowds rushed towards the railway station
to pay homage to him. Subhas Chandra Bose received the coffin at Howrah
railway station and led the funeral procession to the cremation ground. Many
leaders from across the country paid tributes to Jatin Das. Mohammad Alamand
Ggopi Chand Bhargava resigned from the Punjab Legislative Council in protest
at the injustice done to Jatin Das by the British. Motilal Nehru proposed a censure
motion. The adjournment of the central legislative assembly was proposed and
carried out. Jawaharlal Nehru remarked, “another name has been added to the
long and splendid roll of Indian martyrs. Let us bow our heads and pray for the
strength to act, to carry on the struggle, however long it may be and whatever the
consequences, till victory is ours.” Subhas Chandra Bose called Jatin Das the
“young Dadhich of India” after the mythological yogi who sacrificed his life in
order to kill a demon.

67

He was a crusader for the rights of political prisoners.

A postage stamp to honour Jatin Das issued by the
Department of Posts, Government of India
68

Nana Patil

The saga of his efforts to establish Parallel Government
(prati sarkar) in the Satara-Sangli region of Maharashtra

during the Quit India Movement

69

“Kranti Sinh” Nana Patil and
the Prati Sarkar at Satara

Nana Patil was an Indian freedom fighter from Maharashtra and a parliamentarian
in independent India. He is popularly known as Kranti Sinh or the Revolutionary
Tiger in the region due to his activities during the Quite India Movement. Along
with his fellow revolutionaries, he set up a parallel government in the Satara region
of Maharashtra. This parallel government lasted longer than any of the similar
structures that were set up in other parts of our country.
He was born in the year 1900 in Bahegaon, Maharashtra. His full name was Nana
Ramchandra Pisal and he was the founder member of the Hindustan Republican
Association which went underground between 1929 and 1932. Post-independence,
he was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1957 and 1967 from Beed
constituency of Maharashtra. He dedicated his life to economic and social uplift of
the poor in the region through instiutions like the Prarthana Samaj. He died in1976.

70

Parallel Government or Prati Sarkar

During the Quit India Movement of 1942, the top leadership of the Congress,
including Gandhiji, was imprisoned. Nana Patil organized a meeting of Congressmen
in Satara and declared the region independent of British rule. A parallel government
was set up. An armed wing known as “Toofan Sena” was also formed which raided
armory and trains carrying salaries of British officials. Hausabai Patil, daughter of
Nana Patil also participated in the activities of the Toofan Sena. The parallel
government took control of 150 villages and functioned from 1943 to 1946. It
undertook many functions of government such as administration of justice,
maintenance of law and order etc. Lok Adalat-like panchayats were organized to
resolve contentious issues. Prati Sarkar carried out some reformist programmes like
prohibition, removal of untouchability, spreading literacy, preaching the importance
of self-reliance & land reforms and equal distribution of land, simple marriages
involving smaller expenses, protection of women especially widows.

Impact on the freedom struggle

At a very critical juncture in the independence struggle, he provided people with the
self-confidence to fight against the British. According to V. S. Page, a freedom fighter
who later became the Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (1960-1978),
while talking about the Patri Sarkar says, “Nana Patil, by his powerful oratory and by
his persistent efforts of ten long years' work to propagate Congress ideology among
the rural masses became the symbol of the freedom struggle in the Quit India
Movement and even afterwards in Satara district. In many villages…people
successfully led Morchas and hoisted national flags on village chavadis.”

71

Legacy

His active efforts before and after independence contributed towards the
development of the Satara-Sangli region in Maharashtra. The region continues to
be relatively better placed in terms of development compared to other regions of
Maharashtra. He also led an effective cooperative movement in the region. Many
ballads were composed and sung in his memory in the oral tradition of the region.

References

72

Ram Prasad Bismil

73

Ram Prasad Bismil was born on June 11, 1897 at Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Being born in an enslaved land, the circumstances of his birth made sure that young
Ram was going to be a youth with fire in his veins. He knew of the treatment of
Indians and their leaders by the British and resented it vehemently. When he was 18,
Bhai Parmanand, a freedom fighter was unfairly given a death sentence. Angered by
this unfair sentence, Bismil wrote a poem in Hindi titled “Mera Janm”, which
showed his desire to get rid of the British and their oppressive rule in India. This was
where the seeds of revolution were sown into Bismil's willing and fertile mind.

Revolutionary activities

Ram Prasad Bismil was involved in the freedom struggle from a very young agae.
He is famous for the Mainpur conspiracy, the Hindustan Socialist Republic
Association and the Kakori dacoity. He formed a revolutionary organization called
Matri Vedi. He did not want to abide by the rules of quiet suffering and ahimsa
advocated by Gandhi. In order to fund his movement he took to looting the
government treasury. He was found guilty in the Kakori train robbery and was
hanged along with his compatriots in Gorakhpur.

74

Bismil in our times

We have much to learn from revolutionaries like Bismil, especially in a turbulent
world where ideologies clash and we have become complacent because we now
lead comfortable lives. The youth lacks the fire to make this country a nation of
realities that would make a freedom fighter like Bismil proud. But have we
shackled ourselves again? As we dive into the life of this exceptional leader, may
words alone, be our weapons.

“ Sarfaroshi ki tammanah ab hamare dil
main hai, Dekhna hai zor kitna bazu-e-qatil main hai

Waqt aane pe bata denge tujhe aye asman
Hum abhi se kya batayein kya hamare dil main hai!”

These lines encapsulate the bravery and selflessness of the young man who was
put to death by hanging on December 19, 1927. He was but 30 years old, a
quintessential revolutionary youth, a warrior whose words and actions were true
to his aim.

75

Ours is the talk in the field of foe, See! which stage has reached this
show. O Countrymen! you learn to sacrifice, The secret of life is to cut

across flow Take it to shore very soon O Sailor! The boat of our
country is out of the row.

How be remove the dark of distress, This is now only our worry
and woe. Hang me up for the sake of freedom, Rest is the "will" of

a 'Bismil's "woe".

I 1 Raj Singh Tomar 76

The Ghadar Party
ਗ਼ਦਰ ਪਾਰਟੀ

77

The Ghadar movement, meaning “revolt” or “rebellion”, was started by Indian
immigrants who went and settled in the United States of America and Canada in
search of job opportunities and were subjected to racial discrimination. The party
was multi-ethnic and built on democratic values.

“WE ARE NOT SIKHS OR PUNJABIS.
WE DON'T WANT ANY MULLAHS OR PUNDITS.

OUR RELIGION IS PATRIOTISM.”

This was their slogan. The Ghadarites had their headquarters at San Francisco.
Within a year, however, they were spread all over the world across the Americas,
Europe andAsia.
Secularism was their ideology. Their weekly paper 'The Ghadar' declared that they
wanted brave soldiers to stir up mutiny in India.

Plan and Programme

The Ghadar party was formed on April 21, 1913. Sohan Singh Bakna was the
first president and Lala Hardayal was its first secretary. According to the
Ghadar Party, India was to be liberated in stages, by revolutionary means. For
this purpose, they sought the assistance of anti-British powers. They started
imparting military training to Indians, particularly to students. They wanted to
establish a system of self-government in India based on the principles of liberty,
equality and fraternity. It had an international outlook and also assisted the
resistance movements in other colonies.

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Komagata Maru Incident

'Komagata Maru', a Japanese coal-carrier turned passenger ship, contracted by an
Indian, Gurdit Singh from Singapore, was carrying Indian passengers, including
some Ghadarites. It sailed from South East Asia for Vancouver in 1914. However,
the ship was not allowed to dock in Canada by the government of that country.
When the ship sailed back to Kolkata, the passengers were forced to stay aboard
and when they resisted, they were fired upon by the British. Hundreds succumed to
this arbitrary and cruel show of force. The incident found its place in the media and
was carried into the annals of history as a marker of the indifference and negative
outlook of the colonial power.

Ghadarites in India

Ghadarites regarded World War 1 as a golden opportunity to establish self-rule in
India. Rash Behari Bose collaborated with the Ghadarites to mobilize arms and
revolutionaries. A spy exposed their plans to the British who arrested the top brass
of the party on their arrival from abroad. This stymied irreparably the working of
the party.

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Success of the Party

The movement was successful in mobilising Indian emigrants' opinion on the
freedom struggle. It did sensitise Indians living abroad about the mis-rule in British
India. It made the Indian migrants aware of their rights and the importance of liberty
and equality.

Impact of the Party

Gulab Kaur – a female comrade, inspired by Ghadarite ideals, left her family abroad
and travelled to India to be an active party member. It inspired many later
revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, who idolized Kartar Singh, a Ghadarite. The
Ghadar Party's values of democracy in the party, voting against racial
discrimination are guiding principles of our democracy even today.

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Sardar Udham Singh

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Biography of a patient revolutionary

Born in December, 1899 at village Sunam in Sangrur district of Punjab to Tehal
Singh Kamboj and Narain Kaur, Udham Singh was a Ghadarite and followed the
ideology of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. He passed away on
July 31, 1940.

The Man Who Witnessed
the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Udham Singh was among the thousands of people who had gathered at the
Jalianwalla Bagh on April 13, 1919, to celebrate the annual Baisakhi festival.
The city of Amritsar was already on edge over arrests of several national leaders.
The Lieutenant Governor of Punjab Province, General Michael O'Dwyer, had
deputed Brigadier-General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer to restore “law and
order.”

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The Massacre

The Hunter Commission Report

The Hunter Commission report that was published in
1920, spoke of 379 dead and 1100 wounded. However,
the fatalities estimated by the INC were as follows -
more than 1,500 injured, with approximately 1,000
dead. The report was an eye-wash intended to absolve
Dyer of his crime.

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The Avenger

At age 20, Udham Singh travelled to East Africa to
work as a labourer. Then, he moved to the USA,
where he joined the Ghadar Party, a revolutionary
group formed by immigrant Punjabi-Sikhs for
India's Independence from British rule. He returned
to Punjab in 1927 on the orders of his idol, Bhagat
Singh, but was arrested and jailed for four years for possession of illegal arms and
for running the Ghadar Party's publication, Ghadar di Gunj.
Released in 1933, he escaped to Germany before reaching England in the same year
with the aim of assassinating General Michael O'Dwyer, who had justified the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre as a “correct action”. On March 13, 1940, he shot Dwyer
at Caxton Hall, London. Udham Singh did not flee from the spot and was arrested for
the killing. During his trial, he said that he had waited 21 years to kill General
Michael O'Dwyer as the British official“wanted to crush the spirit of my people, so I
crushed him.”

The Trial

“I do not care about dying. We are suffering from the British Empire.
I am not afraid to die. I am proud to die for my country. I want to
help my native land in getting freedom and I hope I hope when I
am gone, my countrymen will drive out the Englishmen,"
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(Un)Making of a Nation

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Why This Topic?

When we were informed about the focal theme, Making of a Nation, what struck
us as a group was that while many freedom fighters and leaders paved the way to
the Independence of India, there was one crucial episode which,in many ways,
led to the beginning of a parallel phenomenon of Partition- Making of Two
Nation States.

We acknowledge the role of the preceding decades – the communal riots of the
1890s, the Partition of Bengal in 1905, Creation of the Muslim League in 1906,
the outcome of the Minto-Morley Reforms (1909), the 1916 Lucknow Pact,
Jinnah's 14 points and the 1937 election results, among many others.

What marks a departure from a unified call for freedom, is the explicit demand
for a separate state in the Lahore Resolution, and beginning of a process which,
we believe has had painful and long-lasting ramifications in the geo- political,
cultural, psychological nation scape in the aftermath of Partition, and continues
even till this day.

We chose to present and analyse the impact of the Lahore Resolution of 1940,
for it marked the onset of a most unfortunate historical mishap (event) - the
eventual human tragedy of the Partition of the Subcontinent in1947.

In many ways the joy of independence was (de)coupled with the pain and
trauma of Partition. Was Partition inevitable? In the end we leave this question
to the readers to reflect upon.

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The Cartographic Impact
Pre and Post 1947

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The Lahore Resolution of 1940

The Lahore Resolution of 1940 was, in a way, an echo of the poet philosopher
Iqbal's formulation of a separate cultural identity based on racial, social and
cultural aspirations. Henceforth, the Muslim League became the authoritative
and representative body of the Muslims, and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, its sole
spokesman.
On March 23,1940, the All India Muslim League passed a resolution (popularly
known as the Pakistan resolution) for the partition of the country at Minto Park,
Lahore, a furlong from the Great Fort, and facing the Mughal emperor
Shahjahan's Badshahi mosque.The resolution reads as follows:
“... no constitutional plan would be workable in this country or acceptable to the
Muslims unless it is designed on the following basic principle, viz., that
geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be
constituted with territorial adjustments as may be necessary, that the areas in
which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the North-Western Zones
of India should be granted to constitute 'independent states' in which the
constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.”

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The resolution did not contain the word 'Pakistan'
Jinnah complained later that the Hindu and British press foisted the word
'Pakistan' and felt grateful for this help as a single word 'Pakistan' crystallised,
cryptically and coherently, in one sweep the aspirations of millions of Muslims.
The resolution used words like independent states, autonomous, federation,
regions, zones, areas. Like most political resolutions, it was left vague and was
possibly, hastily conceived and drafted. The resolution met with unanimous
approval.

How was the Resolution received?

Historians and politicians have viewed the Pakistan resolution from different angles.
1. C. Rajagopalachari was the first one to condemn it as a “medieval
concept - a quasi-tribal point of view” and a product of a “diseased
mentality” that threatened to lead to disaster.
2. Sir Chottu Ram, the Punjab union's minister, thought it “an absurd
proposition.”
3. The Hindustan Times described it a “mock heroic at Lahore”.
4. Jawaharlal Nehru called it a “mad scheme.”

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Historians and politicians have viewed the Pakistan resolution from different angles.
5. Mahatma Gandhi regarded the two-nation theory as “untruth”.

6. To the Viceroy Linlithgow, it was Jinnah's “political manoeuvering and
taking a position against the Congress”.

7. To Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland and Secretary of State for
India, it spoke of despair.

8. In the Sole Spokesman, Ayesha Jalal argues that the resolution was a
bargaining counter devised to protect Muslim interests and a strategic ploy,
which had the merit of being acceptable to the Muslim majority provinces.

9. According to Jalal, Jinnah, a versatile tactician, did not want Pakistan but
kept his options open.

10. To R. Coupland, the resolution was partition, pure and simple. In his
analysis of the Pakistan resolution, R.J. Moore showed how Jinnah drew
mainly from a flurry of schemes prepared for safeguarding Muslim
interests and thereby produced a blueprint for the partition of the country.

Our presentation thus examines how Jinnah and the Muslim League adopted
the course they did, in passing the resolution when just three years earlier,
there was no sign that such a course was possible. In 1935 Jinnah did not
reject the Federal principle. We are compelled to wonder, then, why this volte
face?

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