Introduction 1 2 Deshbandhu Chitranjan Das Deshbandhu Chitranjan Das Introduction 3 Contents Preface vii 1. Introduction 1 2. An Illustrious Life 3 Native Place • Family Background • Birth and Early Life • Education • Political Activities • Congress on the Scene • Career as Lawyer • Success as Lawyer • Mayor of Calcutta • Career in Literature and Journalism • Last Phase • The Demise • The Legacy 3. In Political Arena 43 Early Political Life • Rowlatt Act • Martial Law in Punjab • Montford Reforms • Congress Session at Amritsar • Renunciation of Legal Practice • Journey to Jail and Trial • Congress President • Gaya Congress Session • Swaraj Party • Delhi Congress Session 4. At the Helm in Calcutta 95 Mayor of Calcutta Corporation • Bengal Pact • Tarakeswar Satyagraha • Belgaum Congress • Last Leg of the Political Journey • The Last Testament 5. Significant Speeches 123 Meaning of Freedom • Swaraj and Dominion Status • Noncooperation and Council Entry • Culture of 4 (vi) Deshbandhu Chitranjan Das Bengal • Demand for Punjab Wrongs, Khilafat, Swaraj, etc. • Hindu-Muslim Mass Meeting at Calcutta • Speech at a Public Meeting in Mymensingh • Great Meeting at Dacca • Speech at Home Rule Meeting at Barisal • Speech On Home Rule 6. Golden Words of Deshbandhu 249 7. Great Life at a Glance 257 Bibliography 259 Index 265 Introduction 5 1 Introduction Great freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das (C.R. Das) (popularly called Deshbandhu— ”Friend of the country”) (November 5, 1870 - June 16, 1925) was an eminent Bengali lawyer and a major figure in the Indian independence movement. Deshbandhu Chitranjan Das belonged to the famous Das family of Telirbagh, in Bikrampur, Dhaka (now in Bangladesh). He was the son of Bhuban Mohan Das, and nephew of the Brahmo social reformer Durga Mohan Das. Some of his cousins were Satish Ranjan Das, Sudhi Ranjan Das, Sarala Roy and Lady Abala Bose. His eldest grandson was Siddhartha Shankar Ray and his granddaughter is Justice Manjula Bose. Educated in England, where he became a Barrister, his public career began in 1909 when he successfully defended Aurobindo Ghosh on charges of involvement in the previous years Alipore bomb case. He was a leading figure in Bengal during the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1919-1922, and initiated the ban on British clothes, setting an example by burning his own European clothes and wearing Khadi clothes. 6 Deshbandhu Chitranjan Das He brought out a newspaper called Forward and later changed its name to Liberty to fight the British Raj. When the Calcutta Corporation was formed, he became its first Mayor. He resigned his presidency of the Indian National Congress at the Gaya session after losing a motion on “No Council Entry” to Mahatma Gandhi’s faction. He then founded the Swaraj Party, with veteran Motilal Nehru and young Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, to express his immoderate opinions. He was a believer of non-violence and constitutional methods for the realisation of national independence, and advocated communal harmony and championed the cause of national education. His legacy was carried forward by his disciples, and Notable by Subhash Chandra Bose. He is generally referred to by the honorific Desh Bandhu meaning “friend of the nation.” In 1925, Das’s health began to fail and in May he withdrew to a mountain home in Darjeeling, where Mahatma Gandhi visited him. On 16 June 1925, with a severe fever, he died. The funeral procession in Calcutta was led by Mahatma Gandhi, who said: “Deshbandhu was one of the greatest of men... He dreamed... and talked of freedom of India and of nothing else... His heart knew no difference between Hindus and Musalmans and I should like to tell Englishmen, too, that he bore no ill-will to them.”.