Struggle for the Freedom: Is India really an Independent Country?

India did wake up to life and freedom on 15th August, 1947. Today as we walk freely and without any restrictions on the streets of India, we tend to forget that our every breath of freedom is due to those freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives to free our mother land; who sacrificed their happiness that they could have got by living with their families instead of fighting with British away from home, so that the next generation (includes us) can live the life with liberty and sovereignty. We definitely have forgotten the main reason for their sacrifice (mentioned in the last two paragraphs of this blog). We are very familiar with many famous Indian Freedom Fighters such as Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Chandra Shekhar Azad and many more. Along with these fighters, there were many other strugglers whose name has been vanished and probably are not even remembered as much as these famous fighters.

Remembering Our Brave Freedom Fighters

India’s initial fight for Independence started in 1857. Mangal Pandey born on 19th July, 1827 in Nagwa village of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh was the very first Indian freedom fighter who rose against British. He was a sepoy in the 34th regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry that belonged to the British East India Company. When they were stationed at Barrackpore near Kolkata, Mangal Pandey attacked British Officers and tried to kill them due to the fact that the cartridges they were supposed to use in their rifles were greased with animal fat and the sepoys were supposed to bite them before they fired. This was against the religious beliefs of the Hindus and Muslims sepoys. Many of his followers joined him in this uprising against British. Mangal Pandey was arrested and was found guilty. He and his fellow Jemadar were sentenced to death by hanging on 8th April, 1857.
Even though, the journey of our first hero, Mangal Pandey had ended, the rebellion continued by many other freedom fighters.

“Bundele harbolon ke munh hamane suni kahaani thi,Khoob ladi mardaani woh to Jhansi waali raani thi.” -Subhadra Kumari Chauhan

Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai born in 1828 was called Manu during the childhood. She lost her mother at the age of 4, her father encouraged her with martial training including horse riding, fencing and shooting. She than got married to Raja Gangadhar Rao and became a Queen of Jhansi when she was given the new name Rani Lakshmibai. Rani gave a birth to a son who unfortunately died within 4 months and few months later, Gangadhar became ill and urged to adopt a son only one day before his death. Rani than adopted a son named Damodhar Rao witnessed by the local British representatives. Upon the death of Raja, British-Indian authorities refused to recognize the adopted child as a next prince. They confiscated the state jewels and deducted Raja’s debts from Rani’s annual pension. She was than required to leave Jhansi fort, but Rani did not leave and followed her duty in protecting the state of Jhansi. In 1858, British attacked the Jhansi Fort and after weeks of conflict, they succeeded in seizing Jhansi. However Rani managed to escape along with her son and took refuge in Kalpi with the small group of her faithful soldiers. Three months later, with the help of Nawab of Banda and others, Rani lead a successful attack on the British fortress at Gwalior which was under the control of General Hugh Rose. Rani was determined to secure Jhansi from British annexation throughout her life. Her decision of not giving up went to the extent of establishing links with various revolutionaries including Tatya Tope. It is said that during her meeting with Tatya Tope she had mentioned her vision and foresight for India’s freedom. During the war of Gwalior, thousands of soldiers were killed. On the last day at the battlefield, Rani rode on her horse as the rebellious leader, dressed as a man with her sword. She was in the middle of the battle when a British Army soldier threw his sword at her, killing the braves Jhansi Ki Rani on 18th June, 1858.

This was just a beginning of the war against British to free India.

Dadabhai Naoroji born on 4th Sept., 1825 to a poor Parsi family in Bombay did not get into the battlefield yet struggled in various different ways to get Indians their true rights. Dadabhai entered the political battle in 1852. In 1853 East India Company had applied for a renewal of their lease which Dadabhai strongly opposed and sent petitions to the British government, but the government denied his plea and renewed the lease. Dadabhai felt the British misrule was due to the ignorance of Indian people. He started Gyan Prasarak Mandali (Society for Promotion of Knowledge) for the education of adults. Dadabhai wrote several petitions to Governors and Viceroys in regards to the problems in India. Eventually he felt the Britishers should be made aware of troubles in India. In 1855 he went to England where he joined many learned societies where he conveyed many speeches and wrote several articles on the plight of India. On 1st. December 1866, Dadabhai founded the East Indian Association which included high-ranking officers from India and also people who had access to Members of the British Parliament. Dadabhai Naoroji died at the age of 92 on 30th June 1917. Before his death, several of his requests were approved by the government. In 1892 he was elected to the British Parliament from Central Finsbury as the Liberal party candidate. Dadabhai got a resolution passed in the British Parliament for holding preliminary examinations for the I.C.S. in India and England. He also got the Wiley Commission, the royal commission on India expenditure, to acknowledge the need for even distribution of administrative and military expenditure between India and England. In 1885 Dadabhai was founder of the Indian National Congress along with A.O. Hume. He was elected three times for the post of the President of the Indian National Congress. It was during his presidential address in 1906 when the demand of Swaraj (Self-rule) was publicly expressed by him which was finally achieved on 15th August 1947 through many more struggles by our freedom fighters that came into action after the death of Dadabhai Naoroji.

“Political guru of Mahatma Gandhi; one of the pioneers of the Indian national movement; founder of the Servants of India Society,” Gopal Krishna Gokhale was born on 9th May 1866 in Kothapur, Maharashtra. He was the first generation of Indian to receive college education. Gokhale was respected widely in the nascent Indian intellectual community and across India. He came into publice in 1866 when he started delivering speeches on “India under the British Rule”, which was much appreciated. He regularly contributed his articles to Bal Gangadhal Tilak’s weekly “Mahratta” through which he tried to awaken the hidden patriotism of Indian people. In 1902 Gokhale became a member of the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi where he spoke for the people of India. Due to the fact that he had an excellent grasp of the economic problems of our country because of which he was able to present during the debates. In 1905, Gokhale started a new society called "Servants of India Society". This society trained workers for the service of the country. In the same year, Gokhale went to England to convey his concerns relating to the unfair treatment of the Indian people by the British government. Gokhale pleaded for gradual reforms to ultimately attain Swaraj, or self-government, in India. He was involved in introducing the Morley- Minto Reforms of 1909, which eventually became law. Though the reforms sowed the seeds of communal division in India, yet, they gave Indian access to the seats of the highest authority within the government, and their voices were more audible in matters of public interest. Gopal Krishna Gokhale fought for the rights of every Indian where he did find success and eventually he died on 19th Feb. 1915.

The first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the governor of a state in India, Sarojini Naidu was born on 13th Feb. 1879. She was a brilliant student and proficient in Urdu, Telugu, English, Bengali, and Persian. Sarojini Naidu joined the Indian National Movement during the wake of partition of Bengal in 1905 where she met Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Annie Besant, C.P. Rama, Swami Iyer, Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru. She awakened women of India, traveled from city to city and asked for the rights of the women. Sarojini Naidu re-established self-esteem within the women of India. In 1925 Sarojini Naidu headed the annual session of Indian National Congress at Kanpur and played a leading role during the Civil Disobedience Movement, which is when she was jailed along with Gandhiji and other leaders. In 1942, she was arrested during the “Quit India” movement and was jailed for 21 months with Gandhiji. After Independence, Sarojini Naidu became the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She was the first woman Governor. Sarojini Naidu died on 2nd March 1949 in her office.

An Immortal revolutionary and one of the greatest martyrs, Ashfaqulla Khan was born on 22nd Oct. 1900 in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Ashfaq joined revolutionary activities in 1922, when Mahatma Gandhi called off the non-cooperation movement after the violence incident of Chauri Chaura when a police station was set on fire and some policemen had died. Youngsters including Asfaq were very disappointed and they decided that the country should become free as early as possible. Ashfaq who was a muslim became a very good friend with Ramprasad Bismil who was also from Shahjahanpur and was hindu, yet the religion did not come in the way during their freedom struggle. Sachindra Nath Sanyal founded the organization “Hindustan Republican Association” whose objective was to win the freedom for India through armed revolution (violation). Ashfaq and Ramprasad were part of this association. In 1925, the association issued a policy called Krantikari which eliminated the inequality and slavery. Carrying out the revolution requires a lot of money, which is why the famous Kakori train robbery was conceived. The idea of robbery was of Ramaprasad which Ashafaq opposed saying it would be a hasty step, yet joined the idea of the robbery along with Sachindra Bakshi and Rajendra Lahiri. On 9th Aug. 1925 the robbery took place when the train from Shahjahanput to Lucknow was approaching Kakori. The group of ten young revolutionaries took the money and fled. For about one month none of the revolutionaries were arrested until 26th Sept. 1925 Ramaprasad Bismil was arrested while Ashfaq was able to escape. Finally in Delhi, Asfaq was caught by the police and was charge sheeted in the court. A committee which consisted of reputed lawyers like Moti Lal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sriprakasha, Acharya Narendra Dev, Govind Ballabh Pant and Chandra Bhanu Gupta was formed to defend the revolutionaries in the Kakori train robbery case. Their effort in defending the revolutionaries failed in the court of justice under British rule. As a result, Ramaprasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri and Roshan Singh were sentenced to death and rests of them were given life sentences. Whole country protested against the death sentences and petitions were made to the viceroy, yet there was no difference. On 19th Dec. 1927, Ashfaqulla Khan was hanged to death at district jail, Faizabad. “Ashfaq’s devotion to the cause of freedom made him the foremost among those who gave their lives to win the freedom of the country. Love for the motherland, clear thinking, courage, firmness and loyalty were embodied in Ashfaq to the hilt. He deserves to be remembered and cherished by all Indians for his noble qualities.”

A distinguished scholar, great poet, true freedom fighter and independent India’s first Education Minister, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad was born on 11th Nov. 1888 in Mecca. His father Maulana Khaiiruddin had left India during Sepoy Mutiny and settled in Mecca. In 1890, he along with his family returned to India and settled down in Calcutta. Maulana Azad visited many places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Turkey where he met many banished revolutionaries, patriotic leaders, freedom fighters and other political members who inspired Azad with their revolutionary activities. After returning back to India, he joined revolutionary movement which was under Aurbindo Ghosh and Sri Shyam Sunder Chakravarthy. Mualana Azad also opened secret revolutionary centers all over North India and in Bombay (now known as Mumbai). He convinced Muslim revolutionaries to fight for India’s freedom rather than fighting for anti-Muslim causes. In 1912 Mualana Azad started a weekly journal creating awareness of Indian nationalism and revolutionary ideas which were based on Hindu-Muslim unity. In 1916 the weekly journal proved to be a threat to British Empire and so he was expelled from Calcutta and was released after the First World War in 1920. After he was released, he actively participated in Khilafat Movement, Non-Cooperation Movement and Salt Satyagraha. He was imprisoned several times but this could not stop his struggle for freedom. In 1947 after India gained its independence Maulana Azad was appointed as the Minister of Education in the cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru. He served country until he died of a stroke on 22nd Feb. 1958.

Freedom… But is this a real Freedom!

After more than two hundred years of British rule, on 15th August 1947 India finally gained its Independence. It was a celebration time for all the patriotic hearts and was a victory of hundreds and thousands of martyred souls. On the other side, there was a disaster happening due to the partition of India and Pakistan which the last British Governor General, Viscount Lord Mountbatten of Burma announced on 3rd June 1947 under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act 1947. After the declaration of Independence, people started moving closer to their families and relatives, from India to Pakistan and from Pakistan to India. The train that would go to Pakistan filled with people would come back with the same people killed with hatred which was clearly shown from their dead faces and the train bringing people to India would return back to Pakistan with same people with a bloody and scary death. Since then there has been the biggest enmity between India and Pakistan which was once One United Country. It is very sad that hundreds and thousands of freedom fighters who dreamt for a free unified country and truly dedicate themselves to gain this freedom has been shattered. We did gain our freedom, yet got divided into two different nations filled with hatred for each other.

Today when Indians display their hatred towards Pakistan, have they ever stopped for one second and gave a thought to all our freedom fighters who struggled for “Unified” nation... Today when Pakistanis show their hatred towards India, can they just think for one second about all the freedom fighters who struggled for their entire life so that the future of the “Unified” nation would be bright and successful...

It is really funny how we say India and Pakistan are now Independent countries, but can anyone tell me how are we independent? Our freedom fighters fought for one soil, one country, not for India and Pakistan (two different countries). They became two different countries by the Britishers who could not bear the unity and love that is in every hearts of the country people. Today India and Pakistan hate each other, kill each other, create wars and this is actually walking on the path that Britishers created for us,...How are we independent if we are still doing what Britishers started and wanted us to do? Is this what our freedom fighters struggled for? Is this a True Independence?



Thank you,
Purvi Parikh