GADAR PARTY CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS Atlanta, GA June 29, 2013

Program Schedule Key Speakers

6:30pm Social Hour

Opening Remarks and Welcome 7:30pm by Kaushal Tripathi GADAR PARTY CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS 7:35pm Cultural Program Ujjwal Dev Singh Dosanjh Canadian lawyer and politician. Served as 33rd Premier Consul General Hon. Ajit Kumar Speech of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal GADAR PARTY (1913 - 1915) 8:05pm (Intro by Dr. Paddy Sharma) Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011. He was Minister of Health from 2004 until 2006. GADAR PARTY was the popular name of the “Hindi Association of Pacific Coast” headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Remarks by Member of Parliament active during 1913 - 1915. They used to publish a news magazine titled “GADAR”; hence the party came to be known 8:20pm by Mumammed Hamdullah Sayeed for its publication. The party was organized when the existing “Hindi Association” of Oregon, under the leadership of (Intro by Mohammed Ataullah, IAMC) decided to publish newsletter to spread nationalistic message advocating freedom for India from the British Rule. The year was 1912. They had realized that all the hardships they were experiencing inside and outside Brief History of GADAR PARTY Organization India, including racial discrimination, was due to them being a subjugated class. Sohan Singh and his association 8:30pm by Surinder Pal Singh Ajit Kumar members were of peasant stock and were not able to publish a newsletter by themselves. Lala Hardayal, with (Introduction by Bhagirath Yadav) Consular General, Consulate of India, Atlanta. Earlier Consul General of India in Frankfurt from 2007 to 2011; Master’s Degree from India and ex-student of Oxford College in England, visited Oregon in 1913 and spoke to his Remarks by Ashook Ramachandran Ambassador of India to the Republic of Zimbabwe (2004- fellow countrymen preaching armed overthrow of British Rule in India. They enthusiastically supported his views and 8:45pm (Intro by Bharaivi Nadagonde) 2007) and Consul General of India Durban, South Africa agreed to expand the party organization by establishing the headquarters in San Francisco. Sohan Singh stayed the (2000-2003). President of new organization with Hardayal as General Secretary and Editor for the Urdu Edition of the newsletter

8:55pm Remarks by Dr. Bikramjit Garcha they named GADAR. Most of their members in USA were Punjabis so they needed a Gurumukhi version of GADAR. , a 17 year old student at University of California at Berkley took the responsibility for the Punjabi Presentation by Inder Singh 9:05pm Edition. Bhai Bhagwan Singh Gyanee was planning to move to join them but Canadians deported him to Hong Kong (Intro by B. Nadagonde) before he could move from Canada to US. It took him several months to get back and he brought Maulvi Barkatullah

9:15pm Key Note by Hon. Ujjwal Dosanjh with him from Japan. Inder Singh

9:45pm Dinner Chairman of Global Organization of People of Indian The newsletter became extremely popular and was distributed to Indians all over the world. Its message of armed Origin (GOPIO). He was president of GOPIO from 2004- revolution was noted by British Intelligence. They decided to remove the brain trust behind the message and the 10:15pm Vote of Thanks by Dr. Paddy Sharma 2009, president of National Federation of Indian newsletter by having Hardayal arrested by US authorities in early 1914. Once bailed out, he left for Europe and lived American Associations (NFIA) from 1988-92 &Chairman from 1992-96 there for the rest of his life. The GADARITES were planning to procure arms and ammunition for the revolution, as well as recruit more people in India. Germany became a willing party to help in the arms procurement. Once the news Organizing Committee of impending war in Europe started to circulate, the GADARITES accelerated their plans and several of them left for India. Kartar Singh Sarabha, Vishnu Pingle and some other young members had already left. Unbeknown to them, there were British spies amongst them. Thus most GADARITES were arrested even before they could step off the Bhagirath Yadav Dr. Bikram Garcha ships in Calcutta. Sarabha and Pingle were already in the country and it took the police sometime to arrest them.

Bhairavi Nadakonde Kaushal Tripathi Surinder Pal Singh These two young men had made contact with revolutionaries in Bengal and together the group was assembling and Retired businessman, distributing bombs. Both were hanged while other GADARITES were given various jail terms including life sentences in Manohar Singh Dr. Paddy Sharma Grandson of Bhai Bhagwan Singh Gyanee 1915. Ravindra Singh Surinder Pal Singh Bhai Bhagwan Singh Gyanee and Maulvi Barkatullah carried on the GADAR PARTY activities taking over as President and Vice-President respectively. Maulvi Barkatullah went to Afghanistan to establish a Government Of India in exile with German support while Bhai Bhagwan Singh Gyanee went to Southeast Asia to drum up support for the revolution. The Government in Exile did not achieve much of its objective and Maulvi Barkatullah moved to Germany where he remained for the rest of his life working towards freedom of India. Bhai Bhagwan Singh Gyanee came back to US in 1916 and was arrested for Hindu German arms Conspiracy. He served two years in US Federal Penitentiary Dr. Bikramjit Garcha, and devoted rest of his life to humanitarian causes. He went back to India in 1958, fifty (50) years after leaving and Professor Emeritus, Decision Sciences, gave lectures on Nationalism and Philosophy. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA Famous GADARITES Sohan Singh Bhakna came to US for economic opportunities like other Indians. He Bhai Bhagwan Singh Gyanee arrived in San Francisco in 1914. He had been involved encountered widespread racial discrimination towards Indians. It turned out that in anti-British activities since 1907 in India as well as Southeast Asia, China and they were being mistreated for being non-white as well as subjugated class ruled Canada. Though trained as Sikh religious preacher, he used any and all opportunity by Britain. He and others in his group realized that they needed to work towards to incite Indians working abroad and soldiering in British India Army against the removal of British Rule from India so they could stand as free citizens of India British rule in India. The British government was chasing him wherever they found wherever they went. He organized an association in 1913 at San Francisco that him. The GADAR PARTY leaders were going to India for armed revolution and Sohan Singh Bhakna came to be known as GADAR PARTY. He became its first President and they Hardayal left for Europe. At this time, Bhai Bhagwan Singh Gyanee filled the Bhai Bhagwan Singh Arrested: October 1914. started publishing revolutionary material in a magazine named Gadar. When leadership vacuum as President and proclaimed formal war declaration (Ailan-e- Charged with: Conspiracy. started in 1914, Sohan Singh with other GADARITES went to India to Gyanee Jung) against British. He sent Barkatullha to Afghanistan to help establish a Sentenced: To death, later commuted help mobilize armed revolution but was arrested before they could disembark at Arrested: December 1916. Government of India in exile while, Gyanee went to China, Japan and other eastern Charged with: Hindu German to life at Andamans Calcutta. He was tried for Conspiracy, sentenced to death and later commuted to nations to drum up support and procurement of arms and ammunition. He again Conspiracy. life imprisonment. Sentenced: Two years at faced arrest in Asian countries and came back to US in 1916 thru circuitous route and McNeil Island federal under harsh conditions. By this time, the US authorities had uncovered German role Lala Hardayal came to US after spending several years in Europe and West Indies. penitentiary in Indian revolution and he was arrested as a participant in Hindu German Arms He abandoned his studies at Oxford, England and became involved in Anarchist Conspiracy. He spent two years in federal prison and after release devoted his time movement which questioned the very concept of government. His MA degree in to humanity related issues for rest of his life. He returned to India in 1958 & passed Sanskrit got him a teaching job at Stanford. He, being an intellectual was natural away in 1962. leader to young students at UC Berkeley and farm workers from India who were

Lala Hardayal largely uneducated. He was the ideologue behind formation of GADAR PARTY and Maulvi Mohammad Barkatullah joined Bhai Bhagwan Singh Gyanee to continue became its General Secretary. He was responsible for publication of magazine Arrested: April 1914, San Francisco. activities of GADAR PARTY and became its Vice-President. He had been working Charged with: Spreading anarchist titled GADAR. British spies in North America identified Hardayal as the leader outside India for 15 years teaching Arabic, Persian and Urdu, mostly in New York and propaganda. whose removal would stop the movement in its tracks and he was arrested by US Japan. He had to leave Japan for his anti-British writings and preaching of pan-Islamic Sentenced: Jumped bail and lived forces in March 1914 for spreading anarchist thought. He jumped bail and went empire views. After GADAR PARTY announced Declaration of War against British, he in exile till his death in 1939. to Europe spending rest of his life in exile. travelled to Afghanistan. He had contacts inside the court of ruling Amir in Kabul.

Towards the end of 1915, the Government of India in exile came into being with Kartar Singh Sarabha came to US to study Chemistry at UC Berkeley. He was just Maulvi Mohammad Maulvi Barkatullah as Prime Minister. This government was recognized by Germany, 16 year old full of new ideas and big dreams. He was disturbed by the way people Barakatullah Turkey, and Egypt. After the GADARITES and their supporters were arrested the of India were discriminated against in general and paid less than whites for the Vice-President (1914 – 15) revolution movement suffered a deathblow. Maulvi Barkatullah later moved to same amount of work. He himself worked as a fruit picker and learned the abuses Prime Minister, Government Berlin and continued anti-British activities until his death at San Francisco during a and inequality of wages first hand. He joined other students from India to discuss of India in-exile tour of US in 1927. the injustice towards Indians and possible remedies for change. Kartar Singh Sarabha joined the GADAR PARTY at its formation and worked on the Gadar Kartar Singh Sarabha Jawala Singh was one of the founding member and vice-president of GADAR PARTY. magazine publication and distribution. When other members proceeded to India Arrested: February 1915. He was very enterprising and had established a profitable farm business within 3 for armed revolution in 1914, he abandoned his studies and went to India. He Charged with: Conspiracy. years of arrival in California in partnership with Baba Visakha Singh. He established Sentenced: To death in Lahore Jail on worked tirelessly to organize peasants and Indian soldiers in British army to scholarship at UC Berkeley for students from India and contributed heavily to GADAR November 16, 1915. participate in the revolution. He was arrested along with others and tried for PARTY. He toured western states with Sohan Singh Bhakna to recruit Indian Conspiracy. He was given death sentence in 1915 and hanged at Lahore. He was immigrants for Gadar movement. When the World War I broke out in 1914, Jawala just 19 years old. Singh decided to go to India to participate in the revolution against British. He was arrested when the ship docked at Calcutta. He was tried for the Conspiracy and Vishnu Ganesh Pingle was enrolled in Mechanical Engineering Department of Jawala Singh sentenced to life. He was released in 1933 and continued his anti-colonial activities University of Washington, Seattle when he came in contact with GADAR PARTY Arrested: October 1914 serving another year long jail term. He was president of Punjab Kisaan Mahasabha leaders in 1913. He joined the party enthusiastically, as he had already worked Charged with: Conspiracy (Punjab Farmers Grand Alliance). He was travelling in Bengal to participate in all with revolutionaries in India. He accompanied Kartar Singh Sarabha and others to Sentenced: Life India farmers’ conference in 1938 when the bus carrying him met with an accident. India to participate in the revolution. They met with various revolutionaries in Imprisonment and forfeiture He did not survive his injuries from that accident and died. Vishnu Ganesh Pingle India and worked to coordinate an organized revolt by army men and of property revolutionaries at various places. They were betrayed and score of people were Arrested: March1915, 12th arrested as a part of Lahore Conspiracy Case. Vishnu Ganesh Pingle was arrested Cavalry, Meerut in Meerut with a large consignment of bombs. He was tried and sentenced to Charged with: Conspiracy death in 1915 and hanged at Lahore. Sentenced: To death in Lahore Center Jail