Thursday, November 28, 2013

192. Chandra Chakraborty (1887-1971) 193. Chandra Rajeswar Rao (1914-1994)

Chadra Chakraborty was born in Gaila, Barisaal.He became a member of a revolutionary organisation in 1905. When he was going to be arrested, he fled away to America via Paris in 1908.He was a suspect assuming that he was connected with the India-German conspiracy, he was in America from 1915-1917.He was jailed for 30 days and fined with five dollar in the judgement. He tried to organise, in the whole of Asia, secret organisation in 1916 with the help of German. He was arrested in 1917 in Defence of India rule when he disclosed the names of all his fellow comrades. For this confession 105 Indian revolutionary was convicted  and  arrested in the vjudgement of Sanfrancisco. But he was released within 30 days. he died in Calcutta.


Chandra Rajeshwara Rao (1914–1994) is an Indian freedom fighter. He was born in the district of Krishna, Andhra Pradesh in a rich farmer's family.
He graduated himself from Banaras Hindu University. While reading in a Medical College he gave up his study and joined in the movement of Communist Party. He was a true friend of working class people. He developed himself to the leadership of peasants movement and started the movement of Telengana.He became one of the fore front leader of Telengana Rebellion While Communist Party of India was declared illegal by the then British Governmentt in 1939, he went underground and organised this movement during WWII. He came took the leadership openly.He became State Secretary of Hyderabad in 1943. He became   a  member of the central committee   and a member of Po-lit Bureau  in 1948. When Communist Party of was divided he became the General Secretary of Communist Paarty of India. He remained in that posttill 1992.  
The Telangana Rebellion or Vetti Chakiri Movement also known as Telangana Raithanga Sayudha Poratam was a peasant rebellion against the feudal lords of the Telangana region and later against the princely state of Hyderabad between 1946 and 1951.

Communist led

Vetti Chakiri Udyamam


Telangana Rebellion District
The communists were as surprised as everyone else to see their efforts culminate in a series of successful attempts at organising the rebellion and the distribution of land. With the Nizam holding on, even after the proclamation of Indian Independence, the communists stepped up their campaign stating that the flag of the Indian union was also the flag of the people of Hyderabad, much against the wishes of the ruling Asaf Jah dynasty.
The revolt started in 1946 in the Nalgonda district against the oppressive feudal lords and quickly spread to the Warangal and Bidar districts in around 4000 villages. Peasant farmers and labourers revolted against local feudal landlords (jagirdars and deshmukhs), who were ruling the villages known as samsthans. These samsthans were ruled mostly by Reddys and Velama,[citation needed] known as doralu. They ruled over the communities in the village and managed the tax collections (revenues) and owned almost all the land in that area. The Nizam had little control over these regions, barring the capital Hyderabad. Chakali Ilamma, belonging to a the Rajaka caste, had revolted against ‘zamindar' Ramachandra Reddy, during the struggle which he tried to take her 4 acres of land. Her revolt inspired many to join the movement.
The communist led agitation was successful in liberating over 3000 villages from the feudal lords and 10,000 acres of agriculture land was distributed to landless peasants. Around 4000 peasants lost their lives in the struggle fighting feudal private armies.
It later became a fight against Nizam. The initial modest aims were to do away with the illegal and excessive exploitation meted out by these feudal lords in the name of bonded labour. The most strident demand was for the writing off of all debts of the peasants that were manipulated by the feudal lords.

Nizam's resistance to join Indian Union

With Hyderabad's administration failing after 1945, the Nizam succumbed to the pressure of the Muslim elite and started the Razzakar Movement, which was very violent and was also responsible for forcible conversions of religion. At the same time the Nizam was resisting the Indian government's efforts to bring the Hyderabad state into the Indian Union. The government sent the army in September 1948 to annex the Hyderabad state into Indian Union. The Communist party had already instigated the peasants to use guerrilla tactics against the Razzakars and around 3000 villages (about 41000 sq. kilometres) had come under peasant rule. The landlords were either killed or driven out and the land was redistributed. These victorious villages established communes reminiscent of Soviet mir (social)s to administer their region. These community governments were integrated regionally into a central organization. The rebellion was led by the Communist Party of India under the banner of Andhra Mahasabha.
Among the well-known individuals at the forefront of the movement were great leaders, like Ravi Narayan Reddy, Pillaipalli Papireddy, Suddala Hanmanthu, Chandra Rajeswara Rao, Bommagani Dharma
Bhiksham, the Urdu poet Makhdoom Mohiuddin, Sulaiman Areeb, Hassan Nasir, Manthrala Adi Reddy, Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy, Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy, Mallu Swarajyam.
The violent phase of the movement ended in 1951, when the last guerilla squads were subdued in the Telengana region.

Annexation of Hyderabad State

The rebellion and the subsequent police action led to the liberation of Hyderabad state from the Nizam's rule on 17 September 1948 and after a temporary military administration the dominion was eventually merged into the Indian Union. In the process tens of thousands human lives were taken, the majority of them Muslims. This The Last Nizam Asaf Jah VII was made the Rajpramukh of the Hyderabad State from 26th January 1950 to 31st October 1956. The elections of 1952 led to the victory of the Congress party in Hyderabad state. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was first chief minister of the Hyderabad state from 1952 to 1956. In 1956, Hyderabad State was merged with Andhra state to form the present day Andhra Pradesh State.

The revolt ensured the Land reform


The revolt ensured the victory of the Communist Party in Andhra Pradesh in the 1952 elections. Land reforms were recognised as important and various acts were passed to implement them
  He was one of the top leaders of the Telengana Rebellion (1946–1951). He also worked as Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary for 28 years until he gave up the job in 1992 for health reasons.
His son and grandson, Chandra Chandrasekhar and Jaideep are also in Andhra Pradesh politics

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

!90. Gobindacharan Kar, 191. Gobinda Ballav Pant (1887-1961)

Gobinda was born in Dhaka. He became a member of the revolutionary organisation during his student life. He remained undergroud during WWI in 1914-1919. Police surrounded his secret shelter in north Bengal. There was a bullet exchanges and he became wounded and senseless and then he was arrested.He was sentenced for 8 hrs exile. He was sent to Andaman without removing bullets from his hand and chest.He was released in 1920in a very After Jogesh Choudhury being arrested in 1925, he went to UP and Bengal. Again he was sentenced to exile in Kakori Conspiracy case.This time a communal riot took place in Dhaka and he went there by plane.He was attacked just on landing the plane . he was stabbed 20 times but he did not die.He died  after few years.

Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant (10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961) was an Indian politician and independence activist. He was one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand (then in United Provinces) and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.
Govind Ballabh Pant was born on 10 September 1887 in Khoont village of Shyahi Devi hills in District Almora. His mother's name was Govindi. His father, Manorath Pant, was constantly on the road. Govind was brought up by his grandfather, Bandri Dutt Joshi, who played a significant part in molding his political views.
Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant was born on August 30, 1887 in Shyahi Devi hills in Almora. His mother's name was Govindi. His father, Manorath Pant, was constantly on the road. Govind was brought up by his grandfather, Bandri Dutt Joshi, who played a prominent part in molding the youngster's views. Govind greatly respected his grandfather's firm belief in honesty and tried to inculcate them into his own life.
As a child, Govind was mediocre. He loved playing "gilli danda" and football. He was always late to school. In fact he was never on time most of his young life. All of his interests were those of a layman and did not indicate the shrill and extraordinary individual that he was going to transform into.
In later years of his school he showed a remarkable and impressive growth. He excelled in studies, especially Mathematics and was a leader amongst his classmates. After finishing school, Govind made plans to go to Allahabad to further his education but was discouraged by his relatives on account of Govind's delicate health. The incentive to obtain further education was far grater then his concern towards his health. He said farewell to his relatives and left for Laahabad in 1905. Govind enrolled at the Muir Centeral College where his ingenious and radiant personality was quickly recognized by his professors. He excelled in the fields of Mathematics, Literature and Politics. Even though his health continued to suffer throughout his College career, his avid ambition led him to attain a degree from one of the finest universities in India at the time.
His first opportunity to support the Congress came in December 1905 when he served as a swayamsewak at the Congress session at Allahabad. He was greatly impressed by Gopalkrishna Gokhale and Madan Mohan Malaviya's views. Just two years later a kumbh mela took place where Govind, along with Hargovind Pant, a friend, worked as swayamsewaks. Here he made a thundering speech with a distinct nationalist color. The speech was reported to the college Principle, who as punishment, forbade Govind from taking the B.A. examination. Govind was stunned by the action. His main goal to come to Allahabad was to receive a degree and now that was in jeopardy. Pt. Mandan Mohan Malaviya threatened the principle with legal action. Finally the principle succumbed to pressure and allowed Govind to take the examination.
Govind decided to study law in 1907, following his B.A. degree. In 1909 he was awarded the Lumsden award when he scored highest in the Bar examination.
Govind Pant began to practice in Almora in 1910. Then he moved to Ranikhet and eventually to Kashipur, a flourishing and affluent city, in 1912. During his booming practice in Kashipur, he established an organization called Perm Sabha. The main focus of the organization was to integrate social and literary works of India. The Sabha stopped the British from shutting down one of the Kashipur schools by generating enough funds to pay the school taxes. 
A law at the time required the local people to carry the luggage of travelling British officials, without payment. The Parishad, under the guidance of Pant, demonstrated and successfully abolished the practice of coolie beggar. The Parishad also fought against illiteracy, hunger and for preservation of forests.
Pant delved into politics in December of 1921. Greatly impressed by Gandhiji's concept of a non-violent freedom struggle, Pant devoted himself to the non-cooperation movement.
Pant was elected to the United Province (renamed Uttar Pradesh by Pant himself) Legislative Assembly as a Swarajist candidate from Nainital. He made a strong impression on the congressmen present in the U.P. Legislative Assembly by giving a remarkable speech on the subject of eroding hills. Pant focused on rapidly passing bills concerning social as well as political reforms badly needed at the time under British Raj. Thus internal reforms became an integral part of Pant's agenda. Many issues such as zamindari, forest preservation, amongst others were addressed in the Legislative Assembly.
In 1925, a few freedom fighters stopped a train and looted government money near Lucknow. The British began to indiscriminantly arrest freedom fighters. Pant tried relentlessly to defend the arrested freedom fighters in court, but the administration had dictated their sentences well before the trial. Three of the men were convicted and hanged while others were given life sentences.
Congress voted to boycott the Simon Commission on account of its all-white panel. The Commission landed in Lahore on October 11, 1928. In a demonstration Lala Lajpat Rai was struck down by lathis and Pant was severely injured (the physical impact would incapacitate him rest of his life) in a procession in Lucknow
After Gandhiji's Salt Satyagraha in March of 1930, Pant organized a massive salt movement in the United Provinces. In May of 1930 he was arrested and held at Dehra Dun jail. After his release he worked relentlessly against the zamindars and government to protect farmers from high rents. His pleas for lower rents went unanswered and eventually a major famine struck the region. Pant was arrested for a period of seven months because he attended provincial Congress session in Uttar Pradesh when the Government banned it. Pant joined the U.P. Legislative Council in 1935 when the Government of India Act allowed a provincial government. 
In the U.P. ministry, Pant saw the problem of untouchability that had concerned Gandhiji for many years. Pant tried to reach the root of untouchability, which was in prevalence in remote areas where Gandhiji's preachings had not yet reached. Pant reformed many areas during his post. Education, labor's plight and farmers' fight against zamindars were some of the social reforms he focused on.
While the world was submerged in the second World War, India saw a rift develop between the extremist and moderate wings of the Congress. The moderates supported Gandhiji in assisting the British Crown in the war efforts, and the other believed in Subash Chandra Bose's ideology of taking advantage of the situation and toppling the British Raj from India through all means possible. Pant was called to act as a peacemaker, and urged the Congress to support Gandhiji. 
In 1940 Pant was arrested on the charge of helping in the satyagraha movement and was sent to Almora prison. On launching "Quit India" resolution in 1942, all the prominent Indian leaders, including Pant, were arrested. Pant was sent to Ahmednagar Jail. From jail he wrote to his children and kept busy writing on political matters. Pant's health continued to deteriorate and finally Nehru had to plead for his release. Pant was released in March of 1945.
After Independence, Pant was nominated Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. During his office, the state faced numerous problems; poverty, black-marketing and unemployment being some of them. The state witnessed many insurgent riots, following partition. Pant traveled to inflicted areas to calm the people. He abolished the zamindari system and worked on many other bills to help farmers. He saw that Harijans were treated fairly, and concentrated on developing the education, medical and industrial (mainly cottage) sectors.
Upon the death of Sardar Patel, Nehru called on Pant to take the position of Home Minister. The most renowned work that he accomplished as Home Minister was to make Hindi the official language of India. In 1957, the Government of India honored Pant with the Bharat Ratna award. 
In 1960 Pant suffered a heart attack. In February of 1961, he fell ill while still in office and died on March 7, 1961 after slipping into a coma for several days..

Saturday, November 23, 2013

188. Gopinath Saha (1901-1924), 189. Gopen Chakrabarty (1899-1https://drive.google.com/?tab=jo&authuser=0994)

Gopinath was born in Sreerampur, Hooghly. At the time of Non-Cooperation Movement, he he gave up his studies in school and participated in different revolutionary work with the revolutionary leaders in different places of Bengal. He joined in Jugantar Dal. Sir Charles Tregart was an  oppressive Police Commissioner
Gopinath Saha was a Bengali activist for Indian independence (from British rule) and member of the Hindustan Republican Association. On 12 January 1924, he attempted to assassinate Charles Tegart, a leader in the fight against revolutionary movements and the then head of the Detective Department of Calcutta Police. Saha's attempt failed as he erroneously killed Ernest Day, a white civilian who had come there on official business. Saha was arrested, tried and, in March 1924, hanged. Having received the order of assassinating Tregart, he murdered mistakenly Day Saheb in Chowrangee by a bullet. He refused for his defense after being arrested and put to court. He accepted his punishment citing that he wanted to kill Tregart.  

Gopen Chakrabarty was born in Bikrampur, Dhaka. He was one of the Communist leader. He became a member of Anushilan Samity in his student life.He joined National conference of Congress in 1907 and 1909 in his teens.In May 1917 he was arrested for the first time. That he was to be sent to Russia to contact with the Communist International. He left India with a service of a porter in a Dutch ship  in disguise of a Muslim and reached Leningrad in a Russian ship secretly in 1923. He began to work in Youth International.He joined in the Plenum of Communist International in June 1925 and came back to India as a porter in a Bombay going ship in 1926. He joined in newly formed "Peasants and Workers Party and was introduced with Muzaffar Ahmed and Nazrul Islam. He organised in many places the units of Jute Workers.He conducted efficiently the Railway Workers strike in 1927-28. He was arrested in the case of Meerut Conspiracy in 1929 and was released in 1933. He was secretary of Communist party, Bengal Committee in 1936-38. He died after long suffering in the rom no.12 of Woodland ward of P.G.Hospital.  

187. Gopinath Bardoloi (1890-1950)

Gopinath Bordoloi (Assamese: গোপীনাথ বৰদলৈ; 1890–1950) was the first Prime Minister of undivided Assam before independence and later Chief Minister of the Indian state of Assam, and also a leading Indian independence activist. He was a follower of the Gandhian principle of non-violence as a political tool. Due to his unselfish dedication towards Assam and its people, the then Governor of Assam Jayram Das Doulatram conferred him with the title "Lokapriya" (loved by all).

Early life and education

Gopinath Bordoloi was born on 6 June 1890 at Raha. His father was Buddheswar Bordoloi and mother Praneswari Bordoloi. He lost his mother when he was only 12 years old. He got admitted in Cotton College after passing matriculation in 1907. He passed I.A. in 1st Div. In 1909 and took admission in the renowned Scottish Church College, Calcutta and graduated in 1911. He then passed M.A. from Calcutta University in 1914. He studied Law for three years but came back to Guwahati without sitting in the final examination. Then on request of Tarun Ram Phukan, he took up the temporary job as Headmaster of Sonaram High School. During that period, he sat and passed in the Law examination and started practising in 1917 in Guwahati.

Political life

Assam Association was the only political organisation of Assam in that period. Assam Congress was formed in 1922 as a branch of the Indian National Congress. Gopinath Bordoloi's political life started when he joined the Indian National Congress as a volunteer in that year. He actively participated in the fight for independence. He was arrested in 1922 due to active participation in the Non-co-operation movement and was put in jail for 1-year. When the movement was called off following Chauri Chaura incident, he went back to practising law. From 1930 to 1933 he kept himself away from political activity and got involved in various social works after becoming member of Guwahati Municipal Board and Local Board. In addition, he was constantly demanding a separate University and High Court for Assam.
In 1935 Government of India Act was articulated with a view to form British India. Congress decided to participate in the Regional Assembly election in 1936. They won 38 seats and became the party with majority in Assembly, but due to a dubious law meant to reduce the power of Ministers and the Cabinet, they decided to remain as opposition party instead of forming the government. Gopinath Bordoloi was elected as the leader of the opposition party. With the support of other parties apart from Congress Md. Sadulla formed the Cabinet of Ministers. Congress party was gaining people's support as the government remained unaware of the basic problems of Assam. Md. Sadulla Cabinet Ministers resigned in September,1938. Then the Governor invited Gopinath Bordoloi to form the government and accordingly they took oath in 21 September.
The reasons of Gopinath Bordoloi becoming Prime Minister of undivided Assam were his political prowess, superb personality, truthfulness and behaviour which attracted not only his colleagues but also people of various communities. Congress got recognition as a powerful political party in Assam by virtue of his ability and intelligence. His contributions as Chief Ministers were mainly to stop Land Tax, stop giving lands to migrant Muslims to secure the right of indigenous people etc.
The new government didn’t last long as World War II began in 1939. Gopinath Bordoloi's Cabinet resigned in 1940 following appeal by Mohandas K. Gandhi. He was arrested again in December 1940. However, he was released before completing one year in jail due to ill health. When Quit India movement was launched in August 1942, Congress party was declared outlawed and all leaders were arrested.
In the meantime Md. Sadulla formed the government with the promise to help British in World War II and indulged again in communial activities. Gopinath Bordoloi was released from jail in 1944 and he straightaway started opposing the government with the help of other leaders. Md. Sadulla offered him to discuss the matters. An agreement was reached which included immediate release of all political prisoners, removing the ban on procession or meeting, correcting the process of rehabilitation of migrant Muslims etc.
In July 1945, British announced their decision to form a new constitution for India after holding the central and regional election. Congress too participated in the election in 1946 and they became the major party in Assembly with 61 seats out of 108. They formed the Government and Gopinath Bordoloi was made Prime Minister unanimously.

Cabinet commission and Bordoloi's role

British Government formed a Cabinet Commission in 1946 to discuss the demands for Indian Independence. The members held meetings with Congress and Muslim League in Shimla and Delhi. Their plan included grouping of states into 3 categories for selecting the candidates to form the constitutional body with Assam and Bengal in third group. Gopinath Bordoloi sensed the ominous sign for Assam in the plan as the inclusion would mean the local representative will become minority in comparison to Bengal. That would be devastating for rights of people of Assam.
The Assam Pradesh Congress committee decided to go against the grouping plan. Gopinath Bordoloi told the Indian National Congress working committee, Cabinet committee and Viceroy that the representative of Assam will form the Constitution of Assam themselves and will decide whether to join the group or not among themselves. Subsequently, the Cabinet commission announced that the grouping will be mandatory for every state and they may later withdraw from the group if they want. This further complicated the situation. Bordoloi met the National Congress leaders to discuss it with no result. He then with Assam Congress Committee decided to start mass agitation in Assam. After that only the National Congress working committee advised them to pass a unanimous decision in Assembly. Later, the members of the Assembly suggested a working formula in which ten representative from Assam would form their own constitution without joining any group and would merge with national committee to form the Indian constitution.
Jawaharlal Nehru and Muslim League were ignorant enough to this grim situation and joined hands to implement the grouping plan. Gopinath Bordoloi requested Mohandas Gandhi for suggestion and the later advised him to continue opposing the grouping vehemently.
In 1947, Lord Mountbeten took over as new Viceroy. He held separate meeting with Muslim League, Congress and Mahatma Gandhi. They decided to go for Partition as a permanent solution instead of grouping. India and Pakistan became separate independent countries.
Thus Gopinath Bordoloi played a major role in securing the future of Assam which would have been included in East Pakistan otherwise. Whether any other leader could have shown the light other than him during that crisis period is in doubt.

Contribution as Chief Minister

After India's Independence, he worked closely with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to secure the sovereignty of Assam against China on the one hand and East Pakistan on the other. He also helped to organise the rehabilitation of millions of Hindu refugees who had fled East Pakistan due to widespread violence and intimidation in the aftermath of Partition. His work formed the basis for ensuring communal harmony, democracy and stability which effectively kept Assam secure and progressive right up to the 1971 war over East Pakistan's independence. He was instrumental in establishing Guwahati University, High Court of Assam, Assam Medical College, Assam Veterinary College etc. Gopinath Bordoloi was also a gifted writer. He wrote several books like Annasaktiyog, Shreeramachandra, Hajrat Mohammad, and Budhhadeb while in jail. For all his life he was a stern believer in Gandhian principles. He led a simple life in spite of being a Chief Minister. He died on 5 August 1950.

He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1999.

!85. Gopal Dev, 186. Gopika Bilas Sen (1900-1969)

Gopal Dev was born in Brahman Baria, Coomilla. He was sent to Andaman for he was caught red handed with two revolver in connection with the murder of Stiphens, Magistrate of Coomilla. But he died during transfer to  other jails.

Gopika Bilas Sen was born in Birbhum.  He joined in Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922. He becae Secretary of Birbhum District Congress. He organised 80 villages in the programme of non-payment of Taxes for which he was arrested. He was the founder of Swaraj Ashram and was the personal Secretary of Deshabandhu Chittaranjan Das. He took the responsibility of President ship of Calcutta Congress in 1934. That conference was declared illegal by the then British Govt. Neli Sengupta took the chair of the  Congress.
He was elected as a member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly and became a state minister in the cabinet of Bidhan Chandra Roy.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

183. Gopabandhu Choudhury (1885-1958). 184. Gopabandhu Dash (1877-1928)

Gopabandhu Choudhury was born in Jaipur, Cuttak, Orissa. He was one of the leader of Congress and a follower of M.K.Gandhi. He also participated in Bhudan movement.He passed M.A. from Calcutta University.He resigned from the post of Deputy Magistrate in 1917, the year of Oct. Revolution of Russia. He was one of the 12 persons selected selected from Orissa as a member of AICC. He established National School in Jagat Singhapur in 1921. He also established Khadi pratisthan in Alakashram in that year and became president of Reception Committee in Utkal Pradesh Conference held in Alakashram . He joined in Lahore Congress in 1929.  He was the president of Utkal Sammelan in Calcutta. He was the Captain of the non-cooperation movement on 26.1.1930. He was imprisoned on several occasion for participating in Salt Satyagraha andwas released in 1934.He participated in the foot march along with M.K.Gandhi for down trodden people from 6.5.1934 to 2.6.1934.He became president of Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee in 1935.He was imrisoned from 1942 to 1945 for participating in Quit India movement. He became a member of Sarboday Samaj when it was formed in 1948 at Sevagram. He along with his wife Rama devi participated in foot march for Bhudan in 1952. He also participated in foot march with Binovaji in 1955. He died in Bhubaneshwar.
 Gopabandhu Dash (1877–1928) known as Utkalamani (Gem of Odisha) was a social worker, reformer, political activist, journalist, poet and essayist.

Early life: the revolutionary student

Born on 9 October 1877 to Swarnamayee Devi and Shree Daitari Dash in Suando Village, near Puri, Odisha, Gopabandhu was a legend in the Indian culture. He served his people even at the cost of his family. At the age of twelve, he married Apti, but continued his education. After completion of primary education, he joined Puri Zilla School in 1893, where he met his teacher Mukhtiar Ramachandra Dash, who was not only a genius but also a nationalist. It was at this school and with this teacher that Gopabandhu learned many nationalistic values. The inadequate response of authorities for the victims of cholera prompted him to start a voluntary corps Puri Seva Samiti. This movement later led to establishment of a separate hospital for cholera patients at Puri, and made Gopabandhu's name in society.

Literary excellence and social movements

During his youth, the Oriya literary world was divided between the ancient, The Indradhanu and the modernists, The Bijuli. Gopabandhu realized that a nation as well as its literature live by their tradition. He believed that a national superstructure of the present can endure only if it is based upon the solid foundations of the national heritage. His satirical poem in The Indradhanu led to an ugly incident and punishment meted out by the Inspector of schools. Gopabandhu refused to apologize for such writing in lieu of punishment. The satire was on the ongoing controversy as to the greatness of Upendra Bhanja and Radhanath Rai in 1893, for which he was censured.
He launched a monthly literary magazine in 1915, ‘Satyabadi’.
He attended Ravenshaw College, Cuttack despite his father's recent death. During this period, he started Kartavya Bodhini Samiti (Duty Awakening Society) to encourage his friends to do their duty as citizens and take on social, economic and political problems. He was leading a team to aid flood victims, when he heard of his son's serious illness but remained to serve the locals rather than return home to his son. His social services as a young man prevented this brilliant student from completing his undergraduate degree, although he later earned his BL, LLB with distinction at Calcutta University.
While pursuing his study in the Ravenshaw College, he along with his friends like Brajasunder Das and Acharya Harihar Das made a commitment to serve the poor and the destitutes. While his son was seriously ill, he got the report of flood in the interior area of the district. He ignored the serious illness of his son and went to the flood affected people to provide them relief. During his absence, his son died. He said : "There are so many to look after my son. What more can I do ? But there are so many people crying for help in the affected areas and it is my duty to go there. Lord Jagannath is here to take care of the boy." Further, the day he got the news of his success in Law Examination, Calcutta, his wife died.

Utkalmani's statue in Kolkata
In Kolkata, he started a labor union and set up night schools for Oriya laborers and cooks. He came in contact with the Vande Mataram group which infused him with the Swadeshi spirit. His new mission was to reform society through improving the educational system. His wife died when he was only twenty-eight, and his three sons had already died. He left his daughters with his elder brother, and gave his brother his share of the family property in the village to support them.

Educational reforms

After coming back from Kolkata, he worked as a government lawyer in Mayurbhanj court. Law did not interest him, so he gave up his practice and worked for the welfare of the people. He believed that only education can improve and develop society so in August 1909, he established a school in Satyabadi Bana Vidyalay, near Puri.
Gopabandhu established his famous Satyavadi Vana Vidyalaya in the year 1909, at Sakshi Gopal, a place of pilgrimage near Puri, the world-famous abode of Lord Jagannath and the great centre of Hindu pilgrimage. He started this institution getting inspiration from Shanti Niketan which was set up earlier by Kabindra Rabindranath.

Principles and aims of Gopabandhu's education

Gopabandhu was a great nationalist and considered education to be the potential instrument of national development. He wanted to prepare the youths of our country as citizens of tomorrow with sterling qualities of head, heart and hand.
These young citizenry should be self-dependent, self-willed, self-sacrificing and self-conscious of their country's problems and potentialities. He fully well realized that the rest while system of English education would not serve these purpose at all as its objectives were narrow and limited to produce "servants" of an alien Government.
Gopabandhu, therefore, desired to impart a kind of education with broader aims and lofty principles to build "good life" and bring about national revival. His main objective was to inculcate nationalism and patriotism in young people through education. He felt that youths could not improve the society without a deep sense of pride and love for the country Education of his desire must be congenial and conductive to the creating of these desired qualities.
The second aim of his education was to eradicate social evils and inertia. Gopabandhu was aware of the then social maladies like casteism, superstitions, untouchability and lethargy. He strongly felt to remove these for making the society progressive and humanitarian.
The third aim of Gopabandhu's education was to develop vocational efficiency and promote dignity of labour in the young generation. The English system of education was preparing them only for white-collar jobs in the Government.
There was hatred for manual labour and love for easy life. Consequently, technical education was discouraged and general education was lop-sided. Gopabandhu wanted to inspire the educated youths with importance of physical labour and love for work as well as initiative which would enable them to face the world with self-dependence and confidence.
Fourthly, according to Gopabandhu education should aim at developing a deep love for Indian civilization in general and Odishan culture in particular. British system of education was developing a sense of hatred and aversion towards national life and culture on the one hand and a strong attraction for alien life and civilization.
The national leaders like Gopabandhu realized that this tendency among the educated youths would be extremely harmful for the development of the country in all directions. Therefore, they tried to revive Indian culture and develop love for the motherland and for her cultural values through education.
Fifthly, as a corollary to above, Gopabandhu made an attempt to provide education in an open-air and natural surrounding without much physical luxury and comforts. He was a supporter of the ancient Gurukul system of education with modern features of citizenship training, self-government and other curricular activities.
He believed that only expensive equipment, buildings and teaching aids would not ensure good "quality" education. Gopabandhu, therefore, was in favour of an education system which is congenial to the ideal of "Plain living and high thinking".

Professional career

Pandit Gopabandhu Das arrived at his first job as a teacher in Nilagiri in Puri district of Odisha but afterward he left the assignment to become a lawyer. Graduating in law from Calcutta University, he set up his practice at his home district of Puri. Later he moved to the High court in Cuttack. During this period he was also appointed as a Government lawyer in Mayurbhanj court. It was Madhusudan Das, the leading Oriya statesman and lawyer, appointed him as the State pleader of the State of Mayurbhanj in 1909. Maharaja Shri Rama Chandra Bhanja Deo of Mayurbhanj held him with high esteem. After had a consummate legal practice Pundit Gopabandhu Das decided to quit the profession for social work and mass education. He strongly believed that education had a huge role to play for the upliftment of the society. In his mission to work for a better society and welfare of the common masses he established a school at a place called Satyabadi in 1909. This effort of Pundit Gopabandhu Das played a key role to improve the education and social welfare of Odisha. Hugely motivated by the positive response he received from the people of Odisha the school was converted into a high school the following year. The school secured affiliation from the Calcutta University and for the first time matriculation exam was held in the year of 1914. The school further secured an affiliation from Patna University in 1917. Due to soaring success the school was converted to a National school in the year 1921. Unfortunately the school was closed in 1927. Though the school was restarted a few years after it failed to emulate its hoary past.

Pundit Gopabandhu Das was a member of Utkal Samilani from 1903 to 1921 for which he was elected President in the year of 1919. Pundit Gopabandhu Das was truly versatile personality. He was an eminent writer and poet. Some of his poems like "Kara Kabita ", "Dharmapada", "Bandi Ra Atma Katha" are testimony of his evident skills of a great poet. Pundit Gopabandhu Das had a miserable family life. He lost both of his parents in his childhood days. Pundit Gopabandhu Das who completed his education as an orphan went on to lose his wife son and younger brother when he was a young man. Even after so many personal setbacks we have to salute the spirit of this great man to work with complete dedication to ensure that poor people of Odisha lead a better life. He was certainly shining gem for state of Odisha and a great son of the state.

Political career

Gopabandhu's political exposure began with Utkala Sammilani in 1903, but he persuaded others to merge this with the National Congress to make the Oriya movement a part of the Indian National Movement. Thus he became the founder president of Congress in Odisha. He was imprisoned several times for participating in the freedom movement. He quit Congress, disillusioned by the infighting among the leaders in their search for power and returned to serving the people directly. Then he became the national vice president of Lok Sevak Mandal till his death.
Gopabandhu was a member of the Old Bihar and Odisha Legislative Council for four years from 1917 to 1920. He emphasised on four major problems, viz, (a) amalgamation of all the Oriyaspeaking tracts (b) permanent measures for the prevention of floods and famines in Odisha (c) the restoration of Oriya's right to manufacture salt free from excise duty and (d) spread of education on Satyabadi model. Gopabandhu regularly attended and participated in the annual meeting of the Utkal Sammilani. He was elected as its President in 1919. He gave a broader definition of 'Oriya' - any well wisher of Odisha is an Oriya. His resolution to accept the aims and objects of the Indian National Congress as the part of Utkal Sammilani was approved at Chakradharpur Session.
Gopabandhu was the first leader of Odisha to organise the Odisha Provincial Committee. He became the first president of the Congress party in Odisha and brought Gandhiji to Odisha in 1921 to further the cause of Non-Cooperation Movement. He was arrested by police in 1921 and again imprisoned for two years in 1922. He was released from Hazaribagh jail on 26 June, 1924. Subhash Bose rightly called him the father of the national movement in Odisha. Besides, he was also the pioneer of Press Freedom in Odisha. On the request of Lala Lajpat Rai, he became a member of Servant of People Society. In 1928, he was elected as the VicePresident of the society. He laid stress on language as the foundation of unity. Oneness of language makes the unity stronger. To him, language "is at the root of thought and civilisation. The unity of language ensures the unity of thought. As such the civilisation can not but be one and homogenous."
He was an active sentinel of Oriya Movement, freedom fighter and a great social reformer. As an educationist he was responsible for establishment of Satyabadi School at Satyabadi in the Puri District. Imbued with patriotic fervour the students of Satyabadi School were known as indefatigable fighters against British Imperialism. Gopabandhu regarded politics as an instrument of service to the people. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, Gopabandhu was one of the Noblest Sons of Odisha. His spirit of service and sacrifice finds an apt echo in his following lines. “Let my body mingle in the dust of my motherland and let my countrymen walk across it; and let my flesh and bones fill in the potholes of my country's self-independence ”.

Contribution to journalism

He was instrumental in making Oriya journalism suitable for the common man. He published a monthly magazine called Satyabadi in 1914. Later on 4 October 1919, the auspicious day of Vijayadsahami he started the weekly newspaper The Samaj, which became the most popular daily news paper of Odisha. He served as editor “Samaj” continuously until his death, at which time he bequeathed it to Lok Sevak Mandal.

Death


Gopabandhu fell ill while attending a fund raising ceremony in Lahore for the flood victims of Odisha, after which he never recovered. He died of prolonged illness on 17 June 1928.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

181. Gunadhar Hazra. 182. Gokhle, Gopal Krishna (1866-1915)

H was born in Midnapore. He was a sicere and hard working. He contributed much in Midnapore Congress Working committee.He was arrested in the non-cooperation movement held in . He died in Midnapore Jail in 1922.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE  (9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915) was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society. Through the Society as well as the Congress and other legislative bodies he served in, Gokhale promoted not only primarily independence from the British Empire but also social reform. To achieve his goals, Gokhale followed two overarching principles: non-violence and reform within existing government institutions
GKGokhale.jpg
Born (1866-05-09)9 May 1866
Kothluk, Ratnagiri Dist., Bombay Presidency, British India
Died 19 February 1915(1915-02-19) (aged 48)
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
Organization Indian National Congress, Deccan Education Society
Political movement Indian Independence movement
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE  (9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915) was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society. Through the Society as well as the Congress and other legislative bodies he served in, Gokhale promoted not only primarily independence from the British Empire but also social reform. To achieve his goals, Gokhale followed two overarching principles: non-violence and reform within existing government institution.

Background and education

Gopal Krishna Gokhale was born on May 9, 1866 in Kothluk village of Guhagar taluka in Ratnagiri district, in present-day Maharashtra (then part of the Bombay Presidency). Although they were Chitpavan Brahmins, Gokhale’s family was relatively poor. Even so, they ensured that Gokhale received an English education, which would place Gokhale in a position to obtain employment as a clerk or minor official in the British Raj. Being one of the first generations of Indians to receive a university education, Gokhale graduated from Elphinstone College in 1884. Gokhale’s education tremendously influenced the course of his future career – in addition to learning English, he was exposed to western political thought and became a great admirer of theorists such as John Stuart Mill and Edmund Burke. Although he would come to criticize unhesitatingly many aspects of the English colonial regime, the respect for English political theory and institutions that Gokhale acquired in his college years would remain with him for the rest of his life. Gopal Krishna Gokhale, was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society. Through the Society as well as the Congress and other legislative bodies he served in, Gokhale promoted not only primarily independence from the British Empire but also social reform. To achieve his goals, Gokhale followed two overarching principles: non-violence and reform within existing government institutions..
Gopal Krishna Gokhale had one child- Kashi(Anandibai) who was married to Justice S.B.Dhavle ICS. She had three children: Gopal Shankar Dhavle, Balwant Shankar Dhavle IAS and Meena Rajwade. Balwant Shankar Dhavle and Nalini Dhavle (née Sathe) have three children: Shridhar Balwant Dhavle FCA, Vidyadhar Balwant Dhavle IFS and Jyotsna Balwant Dhavle. Vidyadhar Balwant Dhavle and Aabha Dixit have 2 sons Abhishek Vidyadhar Dhavle and Jaidev Vidyadhar Dhavle who are the most recent direct descendants of Gopal Krishana Gokhale. The ancestral house constructed by Gopal Krisha Gokhale for his family in Pune continues to be the residence of the Gokhale-Dhavle descendants.

Indian National Congress and Rivalry with Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Gokhale became a member of the Indian National Congress in 1889, as a protégé of social reformer Mahadev Govind Ranade. Along with other contemporary leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Dadabhai Naoroji, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai and Annie Besant, Gokhale fought for decades to obtain greater political representation and power over public affairs for common Indians. He was moderate in his views and attitudes, and sought to petition the British authorities by cultivating a process of dialogue and discussion which would yield greater British respect for Indian rights. Gokhale had visited Ireland and had arranged for an Irish nationalist, Alfred Webb, to serve as President of the Indian National Congress in 1894. The following year, Gokhale became the Congress’s joint secretary along with Tilak. In many ways, Tilak and Gokhale’s early careers paralleled – both were Chitpavan Brahmin (though unlike Gokhale, Tilak was wealthy), both attended Elphinstone College, both became mathematics professors, and both were important members of the Deccan Education Society. When both became active in the Congress, however, the divergence of their views concerning how best to improve the lives of Indians became increasingly apparent.
Gokhale’s first major confrontation with Tilak centered around one of his pet projects, the Age of Consent Bill introduced by the British Imperial Government, in 1891-92. Gokhale and his fellow liberal reformers, wishing to purge what they saw as superstitions and abuses from their native Hinduism, wished through the Consent Bill to curb child marriage abuses. Though the Bill was not extreme, only raising the age of consent from ten to twelve, Tilak took issue with it; he did not object per se to the idea of moving towards the elimination of child marriage, but rather to the idea of British interference with Hindu tradition. For Tilak, such reform movements were not to be sought after under imperial rule when they would be enforced by the British, but rather after independence was achieved when Indians would enforce it on themselves. The bill however became law in the Bombay Presidency. In 1905, Gokhale became president of the Indian National Congress. Gokhale used his now considerable influence to undermine his longtime rival, Tilak, refusing to support Tilak as candidate for president of the Congress in 1906. By now, Congress was split: Gokhale and Tilak were the respective leaders of the moderates and the "extremists" (the latter now known by the more term, 'aggressive nationalists') in the Congress. Tilak was an advocate of civil agitation and direct revolution to overthrow the British Empire, whereas Gokhale was a moderate reformist. As a result, the Congress Party split into two wings and was largely robbed of its effectiveness for a decade. The two sides would later patch up in 1916 after Gokhale died.

Servants of India Society

In 1905, when Gokhale was elected president of the Indian National Congress and was at the height of his political power, he founded the Servants of India Society to specifically further one of the causes dearest to his heart: the expansion of Indian education. For Gokhale, true political change in India would only be possible when a new generation of Indians became educated as to their civil and patriotic duty to their country and to each other. Believing existing educational institutions and the Indian Civil Service did not do enough to provide Indians with opportunities to gain this political education, Gokhale hoped the Servants of India Society would fill this need. In his preamble to the SIS’s constitution, Gokhale wrote that “The Servants of India Society will train men prepared to devote their lives to the cause of country in a religious spirit, and will seek to promote, by all constitutional means, the national interests of the Indian people.”  The Society took up the cause of promoting Indian education in earnest, and among its many projects organized mobile libraries, founded schools, and provided night classes for factory workers. Although the Society lost much of its vigor following Gokhale’s death, it still exists to this day, though its membership is small.

Involvement with British Imperial Government

Gokhale, though an earlier leader of the Indian nationalist movement, was not primarily concerned with independence but rather with social reform; he believed such reform would be best achieved by working within existing British government institutions, a position which earned him the enmity of more aggressive nationalists such as Tilak. Undeterred by such opposition, Gokhale would work directly with the British throughout his political career in order to further his reform goals.
In 1899, Gokhale was elected to the Bombay Legislative Council. He was elected to the Council of India of Governor-General of India on 22 May 1903 as non-officiating member representing Bombay Province. He later served to Imperial Legislative Council after its expansion in 1909. He there obtained a reputation as extremely knowledgeable and contributed significantly to the annual budget debates. Gokhale developed so great a reputation among the British that he was invited to London to meet with secretary of state Lord John Morley, with whom he established a rapport. Gokhale would help during his visit to shape the Morley-Mentos Reforms introduced in1909. Gokhale was appointed a CIE (Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire) in the 1904 New Year's Honours List, a formal recognition by the Empire of his service.

Mentor to both Jinnah and Gandhi

Gokhale was famously a mentor to Mahatma Gandhi in his formative years. In 1912, Gokhale visited South Africa at Gandhi's invitation. As a young barrister, Gandhi returned from his struggles against the Empire in South Africa and received personal guidance from Gokhale, including a knowledge and understanding of India and the issues confronting common Indians. By 1920, Gandhi emerged as the leader of the Indian Independence Movement. In his autobiography, Gandhi calls Gokhale his mentor and guide. Gandhi also recognised Gokhale as an admirable leader and master politician, describing him as 'pure as crystal, gentle as a lamb, brave as a lion and chivalrous to a fault and the most perfect man in the political field'. Despite his deep respect for Gokhale, however, Gandhi would reject Gokhale's faith in western institutions as a means of achieving political reform and ultimately chose not to become a member of Gokhale's Servants of India Society. Gokhale was also the role model and mentor of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the future founder of Pakistan, who in 1912, aspired to become the "Muslim Gokhale". Even the Aga Khan ( the Spiritual Head of the Islamic sect of Ismaili Khojas & grandfather of the present Aga Khan) has stated in his autobiography that Gokhale's influence on his thinking was probably considerable.

Death

Gokhale continued to be politically active through the last years of his life. This included extensive traveling abroad: in addition to his 1908 trip to England, he also visited South Africa in 1912, where his protégé Gandhi was working to improve conditions for the Indian minority living there. Meanwhile, he continued to be involved in the Servants of India Society, the Congress, and the Legislative Council while constantly advocating the advancement of Indian education. All these stresses took their toll, however, and Gokhale died on Feb 19, 1915 at an early age of forty-nine. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, his lifelong political opponent, said at his funeral: "This diamond of India, this jewel of Maharashtra, this prince of workers is taking eternal rest on funeral ground. Look at him and try to emulate him".

Impact on Indian Nationalist Movement

Gokhale's impact on the course of the Indian nationalist movement was very considerable. Through his close relationship with the highest levels of British imperial government, Gokhale forced India's colonial masters to recognize the capabilities of a new generation of educated Indians and to include them more than ever before in the governing process. Gokhale’s firm belief in the need for universal education deeply inspired the next great man on the Indian political stage, Mohandas K. Gandhi; his faith in western political institutions though rejected by Gandhi, was adopted by an independent India in 1950.

Commemoration


His name is commemorated in the names of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, the Gokhale Memorial Girls' College in Kolkata, the Gokhale Hall in Chennai, the Gokhale Centenary College in Ankola, the Gopal Krishna Gokhale College in Kolhapur, Gokhale Road in Mumbai, Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs in Bangalore,and Gokhale Hostel (of Motilal Vigyan Mahavidyalaya) in Bhopal .

180. Guidinlieu,Rani

She was born in Manipur. She fought for establishing some rights of the Indian Kings in 1930. 

The flood of patriotism let loose by the 1942 movement took its toll of heroes and heroines in Assam, and now we cherish the memory of Kanaklata, Kusal Konwar, and others. Well has it been said that we appreciate our heroes, only when they are dead! The newspapers sometimes make mention of another patriot–Rani Guidalo, the Naga lady–happily with us still, who sacrificed herself at the altar of Liberty and suffered more than was necessary.

Our story takes us back to a dainty girl who was born into the Kaccha tribe. She belonged to a village some seventeen miles away from Mokokchang. It is an interior village bordering on the home of tribes that still take an interest in head-hunting. She was a moody girl, often betaking herself to the quiet haunts of Nature for which the Naga Hills are so noted. She dwelt among ‘the untrodden ways’ beside the springs of the hills. Perhaps she had sensibilities, which could not be appreciated by her associates. Her eyes were luminous with unrealized visions and her well-developed nose bespoke an energy which was to make itself felt later on.

She was picked up by some Missionary who brought her to Mokokchang and tried to instill into her a dose or two of Missionary lore. There she was for some time, reading up to Class VI, but then she attained her puberty and had to go home. That was the custom of her forefathers.

In the meantime the call of freedom was stirring up the Nagas. It was no part of the general Indian nationalist movement, but fostered by the traditions and circumstances of the Nagas themselves. The British did not look upon this with an eye of tolerance. They captured two rebels –‘Haideo,’ and Jadunang, and had them hanged.

The young maiden was feeling the pulsation of a new life around her. She was probably in tune with the poet:

“We bear the wrong in silence,
We store it in our brain;
They think us dull, they think us dead,
But we shall rise again.”

She was just awaiting her chance, when she heard a rumour that India had attained freedom! It was 1930, and of course India and the plains of Assam were shaking with the tide of the Civil Disobedience movement. The Naga girl felt that her hour had come: she gave a call to her people, to rouse themselves and break the shackles that had been put upon them by the Britishers.

A hunt was set up. But she was too swift for her pursuers. She stirred the people and passed swiftly from village to village, from hill to hill. She attained some amount of prestige and even a halo, the halo of a goddess. She became the Rani, the sobriquet which now decorates her name.

At last she was caught with the help of, it is said, a Naga doctor. She was captured in 1932 and brought for trial to Mokokchang. There she remained for some time as an under-trial prisoner. The chief charge that was brought against her was that she abetted murder. For, seven heads hunted by the wild tribes in the neighbourhood of her village had been found, and it was ‘politic’ to put the blame upon her.

The trial was held within jail and she was awarded a life sentence. The news inflamed thousands of patriotic Nagas and there was a threat of rushing upon the jail itself, especially when she was about to be removed after the verdict. It was the Rani’s gesture which restrained them. For she played up to the role which she had taken upon herself and spoke to the crowd which had gathered there. She said: “Do not be unruly. Do not lose your patience. For I shall come back; they won’t be able to keep me for more than two years. I shall come out and go to see the Mahatma who has given freedom to India. You shall be free again.” Thus spoke the valiant girl, and the simple-hearted Nagas listened to their Rani.

Then followed her travels and travails. She was moved from place to place. She was taken to Shillong, to Tura, to Aijal in the Lushai Hills. The loss of their dear daughter shattered the happiness of her parents. Her mother became blind with weeping. Her father died of sorrow. Her elder brother, who was also a rebel like her, is believed to have been shot dead. Her younger sister came to be adopted by the Missionary.

She had imagined that she would be able to breathe the air of freedom in a year or two, but when the years rolled on, and all sorts of indignities were heaped upon her, her wild spirit almost broke down. She hardly talked. She did not look into the eyes of her visitors. She was careless in her deportment, and came very near to losing the balance of her mind.

Of the tortures that were put upon her it would suffice to mention that she was made to walk hundreds of miles when she had to be moved from one place to another. Once she had to walk all the way from Shillong to Tura, and on another occasion from Shillong to Aijal. She was but a young woman brought up on the cool heights of the Naga Hills. In 1939 she was seen by a Jail Visitor at Shillong. She seemed to be borne down by her suffering. She was kept as a C Class prisoner and was then fanning the dust chaff off some paddy.

The outside world hardly knew anything of the affair. That a wild flower of liberty was languishing in prison was not flashed in the newspapers. But in 1935 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru happened to visit Silchar A band of Nagas met Panditji and apprised him of the heroic exploits of Guidalo. It was a sad item of news for the fiery leader of India’s struggle for freedom. Naturally he became indignant and tried what he could to get her released. Then only was the story of this sacrifice to patriotism broadcast to the world. The plenary session of the Congress which was held at Allahabad in 1936 passed a resolution demanding her release.

Since then, the years have rolled on and much has occurred in the intervening period. Rani Guidalo was released in 1945, and she is now in her own village as an internee. She went to prison as a blooming young lady still in her teens, and she came out with her health shattered and her mind inhumanly tortured. But her wild spirit still smoulders in her, and, in recent interview with a press correspondent, she showed a lively interest in recent happenings in the political arena. She does not wish that the Nagas should remain outside the Indian Union, but she demands complete autonomy for the Naga Hills. She would resent any interference from outside in their internal affairs. She believes in the co-operation of the plains people and appeals to them to come to the help of their less advanced hill brethren.


Thus, the tale is soon told. But what draws one’s attention on to Guidalo is the poetry in her character and career. The history of events, it has been observed by a notable historian, is ephemeral, and for the scholar; but the poetry of events is eternal and for the multitude. The poem that this wild flower from the backwoods of the Naga Hills acted and lived will survive as a symbol. It will outlast her mere existence as a Naga patriot.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

179. Varahagiri Venkata Giri (1894-1980)

Varahagiri Venkata Giri ( 10 August 1894 – 23 June 1980), commonly known as V. V. Giri, was the fourth President of the Republic of India from 24 August 1969 to 23 August 1974. He served as Acting President of India from 3 May 1969 to 20 July 1969, before getting elected.
He was born to Varahagiri Venkata Jogaiah in a Niyogi Telugu Brahmin family, residing in Brahmapur (Berhampur) in the Ganjam district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency. The town and district are now part of the state of Odisha. His father was an eminent lawyer and migrated to Brahmapur from Chintalapalli village, now part of East Godavari District - Andhra Pradesh State.
In 1913, he went to University College Dublin to study law, but was expelled from Ireland in 1916 after becoming involved with the Sinn Féin movement.[citation needed] Involvement which brought him into close contact with Éamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Patrick Pearse, Desmond FitzGerald, Eoin MacNeill, James Connolly and others.
Upon returning to India, he became heavily involved in the labour movement, becoming general secretary and then president of the All-India Railwaymen's Federation and twice serving as president of the All-India Trade Union Congress.
Giri became a member of the Imperial Legislative Assembly in 1934.
In the 1936 General Election in Madras, Giri was put up as the Congress candidate in Bobbili against the Raja of Bobbili and he won that election. He became minister of labour and industries in 1937 for the Congress Party government formed by C. Rajagopalachari in the Madras Presidency. When the Congress governments resigned in 1942, he returned to the labour movement as part of the quit India movement and was imprisoned by the British. He was lodged in Rajahmundry jail.
After India gained independence, he was first appointed high commissioner to Ceylon and then successfully ran for parliament in 1952. He was elected for 1st Lok Sabha from Pathapatnam Lok Sabha Constituency and served as minister of labour until resigning in 1954.
The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) was founded in 1957 by a distinguished group of academicians and public men engaged in promoting the study of labour and industrial relations. The team was headed by Shri Giri.
He served successfully as governor of Uttar Pradesh (1956–1960), Kerala (1960–1965) and Mysore (1965–1967).
He was elected as the third Vice President of India in 1967. Giri became Acting President of India in May 1969 upon the death in office of President Zakir Hussain. The official Congress candidate for the presidential election of 1969 was Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. However, Giri filed his papers as an independent candidate and enjoyed the tacit support of the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. A third candidate in that election was C D Deshmukh who was supported by right wing opposition parties. In a closely contested election, none of the candidates won an outright majority of the preferential votes. On counting the second preferential votes, Giri emerged the winner. He was sworn in on 28 August 1969 and held office till 28 August, 1974.

As President of India Giri led 14 state visits to countries in South and South East Asia, the Soviet bloc and Africa.
He received India's highest civilian decoration, the Bharat Ratna, in 1975.

He was a prolific writer and a good orator. He has written books on 'Industrial Relations' and 'Labour problems in Indian Industry'.