Choudhury (Ghosh),Suniti ( 1917 - 1988 )
| Suniti (Ghosh) Choudhary, destined to play an extraordinary role in the freedom struggle, was born on 22 May 1917, in Ibrahimpur village of Tripura district, in East Bengal, in an ordinary Hindu middle-class family. Her father Umacharan Choudhury was in Government services. Her mother was Surasundari Choudhury, a quiet, pious lady who left a deep sustaining influence on the stormy career of Suniti. When she was a tiny girl in school, her two elder brothers in the College were already in the vortex of the revolutionary movement. Suniti, a rather precocious child, was silently imbued with the political atmosphere at home and in the district. The stories of the exploits of Ullaskar Dutta, a veteran revolutionary ten living in Comilla, impressed her young mind considerably. She was recruited to the Jugantar Party by one of her classmates, Prafullanalini Brahma. A students’ conference held at that time in Comilla gave a fillip to the activities of this young batch of girls. Suniti was the captain of a Volunteer Corps of girl students. Her majestic bearing and attention of many, specially of the revolutionary leaders of her district. Suniti was picked up for training in the play of dagger and stick and also in rifle-shooting in secret in the hills nearby. Soon after she along with Santi Ghose, her classmate, was chosen for a direct action. So long women revolutionaries worked in the background. Now it was decided that they should also come to the fore. One day (on 14 December 1931) the two girls approached the District Magistrate of Coomilla, Mr. Stevens, in his bungalow with a petition for permission for a swimming club. When face to face with him, they fired at the Magistrate. The first bullet from Suniti’s revolver shot him dead. In the midst of panic and confusion | that followed the two girls were apprehended and mercilessly beaten. Their unusual calm, serenity and cheerfulness seen all through their undertrial days in the prison and in the court struck one and all with wonder. All the time they sang and laughed. They expected to die a martyr’s death. But in view of their tender age (only 14) they were given the sentence of life-imprisonment. Though a bit disappointed, they took the judgement cheerfully and bravely and entered the portals of the prison house, singing aloud Poet Nazrul’s famous song-“Oh break down those iron bars! Burn away all these prison houses!” Suniti’s prison-life was one long saga of sufferings. The vindictive alien Government tried to make it as cruel and intolerable as possible. She was made a Division III convict and kept segregated from all other political prisoners. Her old father’s pension was stopped. Her two elder brothers were detained without trial. The family was for years on the brink of starvation. And, as if to crown it all, her younger brother died of consumption caused by long years of malnutrition. These sufferings only tempered the steel of her personality. After seven years she got an early release with many other political prisoners. With undaunted spirit she again faced life full of struggle awaiting her in the outside world. She resumed her studies and took the medical degree of M. B. B. S. she is now carrying on an extensive private practice. In 1947 she married Pradyot Kumar Ghose, a well-known trade unionist. With an only daughter her home is now a heaven of peace. But her heart still bleeds at the sufferings of millions of her dear countrymen, and she is always ill at ease for not being able to all that she wants to do for them. |
| Author : Bina das Bhowmick |
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