Eternal India Encyclopedia

FREEDOM MOVEMENT

Eternal India encyclopedia

Madam Bhikhaji Rustam Cama, who has been called the Mother of the Indian Revolution, left India for Europe (Paris) in 1902 and dedicated her life to the service of her motherland by means of revolutionary propaganda in Europe and America. She was the first Indian woman revolutionary at a time when women did not participate in public life. She represented India at the International Socialist Congress at Stuttgart in 1907. She moved there the following resolution: “That the continuance of British rule in India is positively disastrous and extremely injurious to the best interests of India, and lovers of freedom all over the world ought to co- operate in freeing from slavery the fifth of the human race inhabiting that oppressed country, since the perfect social state demands that no people should be subject to any despotic or tyrannical form of Government.” She made a fiery speech enumerating the evils of British rule in India and concluded her address by unfolding the National Flag designed by herself, a banner of three horizontal bands - green, golden yellow and red. The British delegation opposed the resolution and left the conference in protest. The resolution was not allowed to be put to vote by the President on the ground that it was not submitted to the International Bureau. Cama went to London in 1908 to meet Bipin Chandra Pal and join forces with other revolutionaries living there. In 1909 she went to Paris. Following the entente between Britain and France in 1914 the Bande Mataram which she edited in Paris was suppressed by the French authorities. When Indian troops arrived in France, Madam Cama tried to instigate them with revolutionary ideas and even proceeded to Marseilles for the purpose. The British Government took strong objection to her activities and tried to get her deported to England. But the French Government did not agree to this proposal and interned Cama, along with an associate, in French territory. She returned to India in 1935 when 74 and died a year later in Bombay with no one to recall her sacrifices and achievements. During the Non-co-operation Movement, and even more in the Civil Disobedience movement, women came out of their homes to risk their lives, suffer blows, injuries, insults and go to prison. Many women ‘dictators’ ably conducted the Civil Disobedience Movement on behalf of the Congress ‘war councils’ at the city and district levels. In the Resolution of Remembrance (January 26, 1931) the Congress recorded its ‘homage and admiration for the womanhood of India who, in the hour of peril for the motherland.... stood

shoulder to shoulder with their menfolk in the frontline of India’s national army to share with them the sacrifices and triumphs of the struggle.’

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya also took part in the political struggle and suffered imprisoflment. She along with some others founded the All India Congress Socialist Party. Latika Ghose founded the Mahila Rashtras- angha. The members of this organisation picketed foreign liquor shops and courted arrest. Urmila Devi founded the Nari Satyagraha Committee whose programme included boycott of foreign goods, propagat- ing the cult of Swadeshi, starting women’s societies (Mahila Samities) to bring about communal amity and calling upon women to join the National Congress etc. Bengali women took part not only in non-violent activities but were initiated into the cult of revolutionary activities. * Pritilata Wadedar and a group of women revolutionaries attacked the Pahartali European Club in Chittagong. * On December 14,1931 two girl students of Comilla, Santi Ghosh and Sunity Chowdhury, shot dead C.G.B. Stevens, the District Magistrate, in his bungalow.

Statue of Kanakalata Barua - shot dead while trying to hoist National flag on Gohpur Police Station 25th Sept. 1942. In the last phase of the struggle which began with the Quit India movement women freedom fighters like Matangini Hazra, Ka- nakalata Barua and others were shot dead while leading the movement. Matangini, an old lady of 73, led a procession in Midnapore, with the national flag firmly in her hands.

BENGAL GOVERNOR SHOT AT BY GIRL STUDENT SIR STANLEY'S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE

"The Government troops fired, hitting her on both hands; her hands dropped but not the national flag which she held tightly. She advanced requesting Indian troops to cease firing, give up their jobs and join the freedom movement. Only a bullet she received in reply which ran right through her forehead ami she fell dead. ‘As she lay in the dust sanctified by her blood, the national flag was still in her grip, yet lying unsullied. A soldier ran and kicked the flag to the ground.' {Rebel India , Ed Bejam Mitra and Phani Chakraborty, 1946).

Hindustan Times 8, February, 1932.

* On February 8, 1932 while. Stanley Jackson, Governor of Bengal and Chan- cellor of the Calcutta University, was attending the annual convocation, Bina Das (later Bhowmik) fired at him with a revolver but failed to hit him. * On May 8, 1934 there was an abortive attempt to kill the Governor, Anderson, on the Lebong race course near Darjee- ling. Ujjala Majumdar (later Rakshit) was arrested for her complicity in the offence and sentenced to rigorous im- prisonment for 14 years. There were other women who gave shel- ter to the revolutionaries in their houses unmindful of the consequences. * Sabitri Devi of Dhalghat. a village near Chittagong, gave shelter to Masterda (Surja Sen), who was an absconder from justice, along with his followers, Nirmal Sen, Apurba Sen and Pritilata Wadedar in her house.

Among the multitudes imprisoned in the Quit India movement in 1942 was Mahatma Gandhi's wife, Kasturba, who was interned along with her husband and died during im- prisonment. Many women like Aruna Asaf Ali and Usha Mehta remained underground for years to continue the struggle. The women of South- East Asia responded to Subhas Bose’s call for forming the Rani of Jhansi regiment of the Indian National Army. Many other women like Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, Radhabhai Subbaroyan, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Hansa Mehta, Rukmani Lakshmipathi and Ammu Swaminathan worked for the cause of India’s freedom in the legislatures.