Women in the Bengal Revolutionary Movement (1902-1935) by Sandip Bandyopadhyay Dubbed as ‘terrorism’ by some was preceded by the formation of Samiti.1 This is probably the reason why historians, the Bengal revolutionary gymnasiums and other centres of intelligence reports on secret societies movement made its appearance in the physical training (lathi and dagger during this period make little mention early days of the present century. In play) at several places. These centres of her role. One list2 of clubs and samitis this article I have tried to analyse the later developed into secret connected with the Swadeshi nature of women’s involvement in this revolutionary groups. movement (1905-11) includes Sarala movement as well as their own Sarala’s centre must have attracted Devi’s “Fencing Club”, obviously a perceptions of the role women played. wide attention because Jatin Banerjee, reference to her Ballyganj gymnasium. In its nascent form, the revolutionary Aurobindo’s emissary from Baroda, met Sarala’s association with the movement movement received active support from her on his arrival in Calcutta. Aurobindo, actually ended with her marriage in 1905 a woman - Sarala Ghosal (Devi). It also then settled in Baroda, had sent to Rambhaj Dutta, a Punjabi Arya owed its inspiration to Sister Nivedita Banerjee with the object of forming a Samajist. After marriage Sarala left who, however, did not join the secret group in Bengal. Bengal; however, she continued with movement. In 1902 Sarala Devi also introduced her social activities and set up Bharat Sarala Devi Birastami, a ritualistic initiation Stri Maha Mandal around 1910-11 to Often introduced as Rabindranath’s ceremony with religious overtones, and spread education among women. niece, Sarala deserves attention in her started Pratapaditya Utsav in 1903 on One reason for Sarala’s interest in own right. Her mother, Swarnakumari the lines of Shivaji Utsav introduced revolutionary politics is revealed in a Devi, was the first woman delegate to a by B. G. Tilak in Maharastra. She also quote from her memoir Jivaner Congress session (1899). Swarnakumari played an instrumental role in the Jharapata. What pained her most was also edited the Bengali monthly, formation of Suhrid Samiti in 1900. This the “cowardice- the blot on Bengal’s Bharati; Sarala also was its editor for a was a new revolutionary organisation forehead”. Hers was an attempt to “wipe while. based at Mymensingh (now in it off” (p. 136). Sarala during this time In 1902, the year which saw the birth Bangladesh). wrote a hard-hitting article Bilati Ghusi of Anushilan Samiti, Bengal’s earliest Sarala, however, differed with Jatin Banam Deshi Kil (Foreign Blows vs revolutionary group, Sarala set up a Banerjee and other organisers over the Native Fists, Bharati/ Asar 13lOb, June- gymnasium at 26 Ballyganj Circular question of dacoity as a fundraising July 1903). In the article she gave an Road in South Calcutta. The movement means and kept away from Anushilan account of various cases of Indians’ 30 MANUSHI humiliation at the hands of Britishers the party on the charge of having a third co-wife all along.8 and urged the youth to come to blows relation with a woman.5 According to Another housewife who also with the sahibs to “counter the insult Trailokyanath Chakravarty, a leader of suffered imprisonment during 1917 was with their own hands.” the Dhaka Anushilan Samiti, there were Sindhubala Devi. She was arrested She dwells on her differences with some attempts to recruit young girls at following a police raid on her house in Rabindranath Tagore over some issues the initial stage but later the plan was search of her husband. but says little about the hurdles she had dropped.6 In some cases women discarded by to overcome in the process of Nanibala - Dukaribala society as ‘fallen’ also helped the establishing herself as an independent Nanibala Devi, widowed in her early activists in one way or another. In 1907, thinking woman. She rather surprises life, dared to communicate information when the police mercilessly attacked a us by asserting that a childless woman to a political prisoner by meeting him in group of Swadeshi volunteers in a north should accept her husband’s second jail posing as his wife in 1915. She later Calcutta street, prostitutes retaliated by marriage since that is the “culture of sheltered some young activists throwing stones at the police from Hindu women.”3 connected with the celebrated German rooftops.9 Kshudiram Basu, one of the Sarala in her memoir alleges that her Plot mooted by Jyotindranath first Bengal martyrs, being deserted by activities were jeered at in some Bengali Mukherjee (Bagha Jyotin), the his family received shelter in one such papers (pp.127-29). But there was the legendary martyr in the Balasore battle woman’s house.10 Numerous other other side also. In 1903, when Sarala (September 1915). Nanibala was finally incidents of this sort remain took to the streets to collect funds in arrested and in jail she had to suffer undocumented. aid of the widow of a punkha coolie inhuman physical torture (powdered Girls joining ‘Corps’ brutally kicked to death by an Women’s participation increased in Englishman, Bengali (28 Nov. 1903), the second phase of the movement in edited by renowned Congress leader the late 1920s. Young girls, mostly from S.N. Banerjee, felicitously commented: better-off families, now took part in “The Indian ideal of womanhood is at ‘actions’ and began to stir the nation once an elevating and inspiring one, and with their exploits. They had before fortunately it is not extinct yet.” them the examples of large scale Reverence and Distance participation of women in the Non The first phase of the Bengal Cooperation (1921) and Civil revolutionary movement (1902-15) was Disobedience (1 930) movements. They generally marked by an absence of personally saw or heard of women women’s participation even though the joining in satyagraha, burning foreign ideological foundation of the movement Nanibala Devi clothes, boldly defying law in the was embodied in the image of a mother Calcutta streets, fighting with the goddess, as found in the celebrated chilly was pushed into her private mounted police and facing physical Bande Mataram composed in 1881 by organ). She, however, did not give in assaults.11 novelist Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. and put up with imprisonment for about Young girls, mostly good students, Later, Aurobindo also contributed to four years. Nanibala was probably the refused to remain content with their this concept. His Bhawani Mandir first woman state prisoner held under studies and began to establish contact pamphlet (1905) enjoined: “We cannot Regulation III of 1818.7 Dukaribala Devi, with secret groups. Kalyani Das, elder get strength unless we adore the mother a housewife from Rirbhum, courted sister of Bina Das, started a women of strength.” And Bhawani for him was imprisonment (1917-18) on being held students’ organisation- Chatri Sangha “the embodiment of Infinite Energy.”4 on charges of keeping arms in her at Bethune College. Lila Ray also set up Reverence for women permeated custody. Dukaribala’s political Dipali Sangha, a similar organisation the entire ideology of the movement. experience, writes her son, helped her at Dhaka. The Calcutta girls made their But alongside it, male celibacy get rid of all caste prejudices. A Brahmin debut in politics by joining Volunteer (brahmacharyaism) was also housewife, she would allow Corps under the stewardship of Subhas prescribed as the ideal of a ‘untouchables’ to enter her kitchen and Chandra Bose during the Calcutta revolutionary’s life. The leaders would face a lot of public criticism for this. She, Congress of 1928. Dressed in uniforms discourage young cadres from mixing however, showed no sign of protest after the military fashion, girls ushered with women. Aurobindo expelled Jatin against her husband’s second and third in a new chapter of women’s Banerjee, his follower and one of the marriages (after the second wife’s participation in the freedom struggle. chief organisers of the movement, from death). She was on good terms with her Chatri Sangha developed a close No.65 (July-August 1991) 31 link with Dinesh Majumdar, a very able wrote in her diary that Masterda put often disturb her in jail.18 Kamala organiser of revolutionary activities in the “mantle of leadership” on her to “let Dasgupta and Kalyani Das concentrate Calcutta in the early 1930s. Majumdar, the English learn and the world take on their political life; Kalpana Datta who later died a martyr, would train notice that women of our country are wrote short life-sketches of the young girls in physical exercise and no longer lagging behind.” She Chattogram revolutionaries. Neither lathi play.12 Girls were now challenging conducted the raid successfully and wrote anything concerning women. the conventional values. Kamala then committed suicide. The leaflet The memoirs give a detailed Dasgupta narrates in her memoir how found on her body ended with these account of prison life. They describe she accompanied Dinesh Majumdar to sentences : “I earnestly hope that our how the women prisoners fought to be a secret spot in the Botanical Gardens sisters would no longer nurse the view able to wear saris instead of short to discuss important matters.13 In the that they are weak. Armed women of frocks; how they stood against the bad Chattogram group of Chittagong India will demolish thousand hurdles, treatment of the matrons; how they Armoury Raid fame, leader Surya Sen disregard thousand dangers and join would spend some of their time enacting better known as Mastarda would the rebellion and the armed struggle for Tagore plays and chanting songs and always encourage young girls to join freedom and will prepare themselves for poems.